Country Music Hall of Fame Announces Opening Date for Martina McBride Exhibit

After a pandemic-related delay, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has announced the opening date for its upcoming exhibit celebrating Martina McBride, Martina McBride: The Power of Her Voice. The exhibit will open on July 30, 2021, and run through Aug. 7, 2022, and will celebrate the singer's journey from performing in her family's band as a child to becoming a hugely successful country music artist.

"Postponing the exhibit opening last year due to the pandemic was a difficult decision but the right one," McBride said in a statement. "It did, however, allow us more time to plan and dig through my archive to find several truly special artifacts. I'm excited to finally be able to let everyone see what we've created. Having an exhibit in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is something I've had on my dream list for a long, long time. Being able to share moments and mementos from my life and career with my fans and country music fans from all over the world is both humbling and exciting. I'm so grateful to be a part of country music."

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Items featured in McBride's exhibit will include awards, stage wear, handwritten lyrics and personal artifacts including an outfit worn by McBride at age seven when she performed with her family band, her 1984 Sharon High School yearbook, the headband and veil she wore at her wedding to husband John McBride, songwriter Gretchen Peters' original handwritten manuscript for McBride's hit song "Independence Day" and a letter from Dolly Parton to McBride, congratulating her on being named the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year in 2003.

Several of McBride's many awards will also be on display including her trophies for CMA Female Vocalist of the Year received in 1999, 2002-2004 and the ACM Female Vocalist of the Year awards she won in 2001-2003.

In support of the exhibition's opening, the 54-year-old will participate in a conversation and performance in the museum's CMA Theater on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, where she will discuss her career and share stories and memories associated with the artifacts included in her exhibit. Tickets will be available at CountryMusicHallofFame.org on Friday, July 2.

Last year, McBride told PopCulture.com that receiving her own exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum had been on her bucket list "for a while." "It's such a special place," she shared. "And every time I go through it, I learned something new. I'm just so moved by the museum and how they honor country music."