John Cowan

The Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum has decked the hall and scheduled a several programs and events for the month of December. The events will kick off at 7:00 a.m. on December 4 with a live broadcast of WSM’s “Coffee, Country, Christmas and Cody” broadcast featuring 650 AM morning announcer Bill Cody. The event will include performances from Ricky Skaggs and The Whites. Also slated for the season is a “A John Cowan Christmas Concert” that will feature music from Cowan’s new Christmas Project “Comfort & Joy” on E1 Music.

Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum’s 2009 Calendar of Seasonal Programs

“Coffee, Country, Christmas and Cody” – Fri., Dec. 4 @ 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
650 AM WSM’s Bill Cody broadcasts live from the Museum’s Curb Conservatory. “Coffee, Country, Cody and Christmas” will include a buffet-style breakfast; performances by Richie McDonald, Ricky Skaggs, the Whites and the Skaggs family; prizes and more. Tickets are $6.50 and go on sale November 13 at 10 a.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum Web site. McDonald, Skaggs and the Whites will sign autographs in the Museum Store following the broadcast.

Family Program: Make Letterpress Art with Hatch Show Print – Sat., Dec. 5 @ 1:00 p.m.
Learn about letterpress printing from Jim Sherraden, manager of Hatch Show Print, one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in the United States. Use block images to make your own holiday card or T-shirt. Paper provided. Participants should bring their own T-shirts. Ages 6 to 18. No reservations required. This workshop takes place in the SunTrust Community Room at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Admission is FREE. Families are encouraged to tour the Museum at a discounted rate following the program. Visit the information desk or ticket window for more information.

Concert: A John Cowan Christmas Sat., Dec. 5 @ 2:00 p.m.
John Cowan will perform seasonal songs both sacred and secular from his new Christmas project, Comfort & Joy (E1 Music). Cowan is best known as the powerhouse lead singer for pivotal acoustic band New Grass Revival. Today he leads the John Cowan Band, including Jeff Autry, Shad Cobb, John Frazier and Byron Larrance. A signing follows in the Museum Store.

Interview: Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” Thu., Dec. 10 @ Noon
Brenda Lee’s 1958 recording of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has sold an estimated 8 million copies worldwide. Truly a Christmas classic, the song is also an important piece of Nashville recording history. In this interview, Country Music Hall of Fame member Lee reminisces about the recording of this holiday masterpiece and discusses it in the context of her career. The program will be followed by a signing in the Museum Store.

Film Loop: Johnny Cash Christmas Show (1977) Fri., Dec. 11 @ 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Sun., Dec. 13 @ 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
From 1969 to 1971, Johnny Cash hosted a nationally broadcast television show, which featured a variety of guest stars. After the series went off the air, Cash continued to make television appearances through his annual Christmas specials. This edition of The Johnny Cash Christmas Show originally aired in November 1977. Taped at the Grand Ole Opry House in front of a live audience, the program includes guest appearances by June Carter Cash, Roy Clark, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and the Statler Brothers. This 60-minute film will loop continuously in the Ford Theater. FREE.

Film Screening: Barbara Mandrell’s Christmas: A Family Reunion (1986) Sun., Dec. 13 @ 2:00 p.m.
Country Music Hall of Fame member Barbara Mandrell hosted a primetime Christmas special in 1986. Barbara Mandrell’s Christmas: A Family Reunion is similar to her early 1980s television series, Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters. The program features performances and skits by Mandrell alongside her musical sisters, Louise and Irlene. In this footage, the talented trio covers holiday favorites like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Winter Wonderland,” and many more. Shown as originally aired, including commercials. Footage from the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive. 60 minutes. FREE.

Film Loop: Johnny Cash Christmas Show (1980) Fri., Dec. 18 @ 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Sun., Dec. 20 @ 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
From 1969 to 1971, Johnny Cash hosted a nationally broadcast television show, which featured a variety of guest stars. After the series went off the air, Cash continued to make television appearances through his annual Christmas specials. This edition of The Johnny Cash Christmas Show originally aired in November 1980. Taped at the Grand Ole Opry House in front of a live audience, the program includes guest appearances by June Carter Cash, Mac Davis, and Jeannie C. Riley. This 60-minute film will loop continuously in the Ford Theater. FREE.

Please visit the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum online. for additional information about autograph signings.

These programs are made possible, in part, by grants from the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and by an agreement between the Tennessee Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts.

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Museum’s mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print.

More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at CountryMusicHallofFame.org

– From Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum