Warren Co. Honors Music History in New Exhibit

Warren County earned a spot on the Tennesee Music Pathways with the opening of their exhibit at the McMinnville Heritage Center and Museum.

Pathways invites tourists to travel through Tennessee exploring the heritage of their favorite music genres, including jazz, rock, and country.  Technical Director Bruce Atnip said he hopes visitors to the exhibit will learn how music transcends time and genres.

“It’s important we understand who those people were, and when some young kid is learning to play his first guitar or taking his first piano lesson and hears those familiar notes, now you know who it was that did it first,” Atnip said.

The “Our Music Pathways” exhibit is made up of early instruments, musician features, and music samples highlighting Warren County’s contribution to music. Eventually, Atnip said he hopes to have video features as well. Atnip said the soft opening Thursday night is mainly for Heritage Alliance members, but that members of the public may attend if they choose. There is not an official grand opening date, but Atnip said he is trying to get it set up for the Fourth of July.

Tennessee Music Pathways is a 1,200 mile system designed to guide tourists through Tennessee and visit major locations in music history. Visitors can follow the jazz pathway, bluegrass pathway, or rock pathway, but the most popular is the country pathway made famous by documentarian Ken Burns.

Atnip said the exhibit is a local history not only to Warren County, but to the greater Tennessee area. Atnip said he wants visitors to leave with a better understanding for their local music history and for their area.

“I hope people leave smiling, toe-tapping, singing some of the songs, and I hope people have a greater appreciation for McMinnville,” Atnip said. “You always hear the expression ‘Could anything good come out of a place’–you always think there is nothing and saying that ‘this is a boring place,’ and it may be boring to some but I hope people take away from it that there’s a lot more to Warren County and McMinnville, Tennessee, Viola, Centertown, than just a stop in the road.”