The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame’s first permanent exhibit is now open for viewing at Tamarack in Beckley.

Funded by a grant from the WV Humanities Council, the exhibit includes a visually stunning array of items and memorabilia that documents West Virginia’s rich musical heritage – from country, bluegrass and traditional to rock, gospel, blues and classical.
 

With nearly 100 LPs, 45s and 78s on display, the exhibit includes something for everyone. Featured artists range from Beckley’s famed Lilly Brothers, legendary jazz arranger Don Redman and singer/songwriter Bill Withers to WV’s wilder side: Hasil Adkins, Morgantown punk group Th’ Inbred and funk pioneer Fuzzy Haskins (co-founder of Parliament/Funkadelic).

At either end of the exhibit there are nine-foot museum cases filled with items that include; a gown Kathy Mattea wore to the White House, ’07 inductee Hazel Dickens’ stand-up bass that dates back to 1942 (with the original bill of sale), ’09 inductee Homer Bailes’ fiddle, hats worn by ’08 inductees Everett and Bea Lilly, ’08 inductee Robert Drasnin’s piccolo, a dress handmade by ’08 inductee Wilma Lee Cooper.

There are also poster-size enlargements of rare photos and magazine ads (a Camel cigarette ad featuring opera star Eleanor Steber), posters from the legendary Aunt Minnie’s farm festivals and a collection of original silk-screened posters made by Wolf Creek Printery.

Also on display are vintage phonograph players including a 1963 Wurlitzer jukebox, a Victrola from the 1930s, a stereo console from the 1950s and an Edison Cylinder Player.

The exhibit is located in the foyer of the Hulett C. Smith Theater. Tamarack is open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. seven days a week. Winter hours are slightly shorter. Click here for directions to Tamarack.