Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/407098
32 w e s t w o r l d | W I N T E R 2 0 1 4 (top) istock, (bottom) john campbell Music has historically defined Nashville (pop. 650,000), first settled on the banks of the Cumberland River on Christ- mas Day, 1779. By the time Davy Crockett unlimbered his bow here in the 1820s, it had grown into a riverboat town with a taste for fiddle music. Confederate veterans of the American Civil War converged on Nashville as the site of a massive reunion in 1897, with the Ryman Auditorium chosen as their event venue. That was the first in a long chain of high-profile bookings for the Mother Church of Country Music. In 1925, the Ryman began its historic stint as the host of WSM 650's Grand Ole Opry, America's longest-running radio show. In between Crockett and Taylor Swift – who was firmly in control of Nashville with her Red Tour when I arrived last September – there have been a lot of chart-toppers who've made the Grand Ole Opry and Nashville their home. is is, after all, the Songwriting Capi- tal of the World, where thousands of gold records trace an unbroken line of country superstars, from Jimmie Rogers and the Carter Family to Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley; from Dolly Parton and Porter Waggoner to Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood – all pur veyors of the classic Nashville sound. Their stories and hundreds of others are told through the massive audio, video and photo files on display, along with artist memo- rabilia, at the Country Music Hall of Fame (C M H F ), w h ic h re ce nt ly u nde r we nt a $100-million, 210,000-square-foot expan- sion of its downtown premises. Installed within the expansion is the new Taylor Swift Education Center, kick-started by Swift with a $4-million endowment (the largest in CMHF history) to provide a classroom setting for music appreciation. Charitable acts such as this have created a genuinely deep sense of affection for the country music superstar, not only in her hometown of Nashville, but also in the hearts of countless tween and teen fans across the continent, who regard her as a posi- tive role model. During my visit to Nashville last fall, the streets were overrun with young princesses dressed in pink or red (tiaras optional), drawn to Music City from across the world for Swift's show. CMHF curatorial director Mick Buck – res pon sible for selecting special installations such as last year's expansive e Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and Cali- fornia Country – says he trusts his instincts The Country Music Hall of Fame recently doubled in size to include more gallery space, a new theatre and more; (below) country greats' jackets, instruments and gold records.