The Chattanoogan — Songbirds Opens 5 New Celebrity Guitar Exhibits

Our latest museum news has been picked up by The Chattanoogan. Read below for the full story!

Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum has opened five new celebrity guitar exhibits featuring Dolly Parton, Richard Lloyd of Television, Simon Tam of The Slants, as well as a newly-redesigned expanded display of Duane Allman’s famous 1961 Gibson Les Paul/SG.

In addition to Dolly’s Fender American Acoustasonic Telecaster that she used while writing songs for her upcoming album, Rockstar, Songbirds has also opened another new exhibit that showcases a dress she wore on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1970.

The other new exhibits showcase Richard Lloyd’s 1961 Fender Telecaster that he played on all three Television albums and during the band’s iconic shows at CBGB, as well as Simon Tam’s 2008 Fender Jaguar bass.Tam is the founder and bassist of The Slants and is famous for winning a 2017 landmark case in the U.S. Supreme Court, helping to expand civil liberties for marginalized groups.

Songbirds has also redesigned and expanded its Duane Allman exhibit, which features his 1961 Gibson Les Paul.

All of these new exhibits are located at the back of the museum in the Vault, which is included with regular museum admission.

"We’re always trying to keep our exhibits fresh for new and returning visitors,” said Reed Caldwell, Songbirds’ executive director. “Songbirds is super excited for folks to check out these amazing artifacts that tell important stories that have helped define popular music. We’re eternally grateful to Dollywood Productions, as well as Simon Tam, George Fontaine Family, and Richard Lloyd for loaning us these beautiful artifacts.”