The Gospel Music Association has opened a new chapter in its mission of honoring the artists who have shaped Christian and Gospel music, and in helping to promote the music’s message of faith.
The Museum of Christian & Gospel Music has opened its doors today (Friday, Oct. 3) at 402 Commerce Street, establishing the first permanent home in Nashville dedicated to Christian and Gospel music.
The 11,000-square-feet new museum, which will also house the Mike Curb GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame, now stands alongside other Nashville music museums including the Country Music Hall of Fame, the National Museum of African-American Music, and the Musicians Hall of Fame, while telling the story of Christian and Gospel artists and the impact the genre continues to have.
The museum, which has been four years in the making, tells a sweeping story, connecting more than 500 historical moments and 300 artists, using videos, photos, artifacts, and interactive displays.
“When we say ‘Gospel music,’ that doesn’t define it musically. That defines the content, the message, and that’s the tie that binds,” says Gospel Music Association president Jackie Patillo, one of the industry visionaries who has spearheaded and championed the development of the museum. Indeed, the museum highlights artists spreading a Gospel message through musical styles ranging from country and Southern Gospel to pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin, soul and more.
A guitar, hat and shirt featured on the cover of Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories album. Photo: Jaime Vaughn
Jaime Vaughn
Inside, visitors are immediately greeted by pieces including Amy Grant’s leopard-print jacket from her 1985 album Unguarded and Brandon Lake’s patchwork “Coat of Many Colors” from his 2023 tour. The “Radiant in the Spotlight” display, located in the Dove Theater, will include gowns worn by artists including Dottie Rambo, Natalie Grant and CeCe Winans. Elsewhere, there is the gown Lauren Daigle wore to the 2019 GMA Dove Awards, and the full-length floral gown Carrie Underwood wore during her Easter special, filmed just down the street at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Other cases highlight memorabilia from Gospel music legend Andraé Crouch, CCM rock band Stryper’s Michael Sweet, and the late singer-songwriter Keith Green. Green’s guitar — as well as note pages of unfinished lyrics — sits alongside the shirt he wore on his last album cover, before his untimely death in 1982 at age 28. Alan Jackson’s family Bible, guitar, coat and hat from his Precious Memories project (which earned a GMA Dove Award for best country album) are also on display.
The museum’s executive director Steve Gilreath visited over 30 museums in the process of curating and designing the space. He spent the past year searching out and selecting items to highlight in the museum.
“I got some calls right away from people that were like, ‘I want you to come over and clean out my attic or clean out my garage,’” Gilreath recalls. “We’re not cleaning out your attic. I want to take three things.”
Attendees can also engage with the music and artists on a personal level, thanks to interactive spaces that allow them to record their own vocals on classic songs, or even leave video messages to artists to share how songs have impacted them. Listening stations allow attendees to hear many of the genre’s classic songs, while digital video panels throughout the space feature 18 artists, among them Steven Curtis Chapman, Dr. Bobby Jones, and Bill and Gloria Gaither, discussing topics including recording and songwriting.
A collection of guitars on display at the Museum of Christian & Gospel Music. Photo credit: Jaime Vaughn
Jaime Vaughn
“I am thrilled that we will now have a museum celebrating Christian and Gospel music right here in Nashville. This space will not only honor the trailblazers who came before, but it will also inspire future generations to carry the message of faith and hope through music,” industry trailblazer Michael W. Smith said in a statement. A hand-painted grand piano he’s played on tours is displayed in the museum.
Some of Gilreath’s favorite mementos in the museum are from DeGarmo & Key’s Eddie DeGarmo. “He is such a legend and they took such great care with their artifacts. He had the guitar and the long duster jackets and all these great items.”
Some displays even touch on a few humorous moments, such as the guitar featured on the cover of 60-time GMA Dove Awards winner Chapman’s 1992 Great Adventure album. The guitar has a hole in it from when one of Chapman’s GMA Dove Awards trophies fell from the top shelf of his studio and landed on the guitar (the trophy itself is also on display alongside his guitar).
“As one whose life has been shaped by the power and message of Christian and Gospel music since I was a boy, I couldn’t be more excited about a physical place to celebrate the history and impact of this great music and the artists who’ve made it what it is!” Chapman says in a statement.
With the museum’s opening, the Mike Curb GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame also has a physical home for the first time. Established in 1971, the Hall has inducted 194 icons, from initial inductees Jim “Pappy” Waites and G.T. “Dad” Speer to modern legends. Visitors can explore a digital timeline of inductees, read bios for each inductee, and, in the Dove Theater, watch highlights from Dove Awards ceremonies dating back to 1969.
Throughout the building, there’s a strong sense of continuity between history and present-day artistry. One corner showcases a set of green glass iced tea cups once sold by the Blackwood Brothers, considered an early example of music merchandising. Another honors the rare trio of artists inducted into the Gospel, Country, and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame: Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley.
A collection of gowns on display at the Museum of Christian & Gospel Music. Photo credit: Jaime Vaughn
Jaime Vaughn
Family groups such as The Winans, The Rambos, and We the Kingdom are honored, as are pioneers like the Fisk Jubilee Singers, whose performances in Europe helped Nashville earn the title “Music City.” The Oak Ridge Boys’ Southern Gospel roots are underscored by family photos provided by the granddaughter of founding member Wally Fowler. The Divine Inspiration area highlights artists who became pastors, including robes from Bishop Marvin Sapp (a GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame 2018 inductee) and others.
The museum captures numerous pivotal turning points in the industry. Visitors can see the recording console from music producer Chris Christian’s Goldmine Studio, where Amy Grant’s Age to Age and White Heart albums helped define contemporary Christian pop in the 1980s.
“When I reached out to Chris, he showed me video after video of news coverage of the whole formation of the ‘Christian pop’ genre,” says Gilreath. “I’ve been in this industry 40 years and had not heard that term. It was there for about five years until John Styll started CCM Magazine, and pretty much overnight, the industry switched from being called ‘Christian Pop’ to getting called ‘CCM.’”
Exhibits also spotlight Christian and Gospel music’s vast cultural reach, with displays funded by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey honoring films and television shows like The Chosen, For King & Country’s Unsung Hero, and Touched by an Angel.
Beyond exhibitions, the museum is designed as a space for community. It includes a coffee shop, retail space, and the 100-seat Cal Turner Hall, which will host writers’ workshops, symposiums, and intimate concerts. In September, the museum held an early preview event, featuring GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame member Russ Taff as the first performer in its Legacy Series of performances.
“The Cal Turner Hall was very important because even though our space is limited, to be able to have programming that is relevant and nurturing and educational, and to be able to have celebrations,” Patillo says.
Photo credit: Jaime Vaughn
Jaime Vaughn
The opening is timed to coincide with one of the biggest weeks on the Christian music calendar, with the 56th annual GMA Dove Awards set for Oct. 7 at the nearby Bridgestone Arena. The museum recognizes not only the genre’s history but its presence and nods to its future. Many of the artists featured in the museum — including Winans, Lake and Daigle — are among this year’s top GMA Dove Awards nominees.
“The Museum of Christian and Gospel Music is more than just a building — it’s a place where stories of faith, perseverance, and the power of music come alive,” Winans said in a statement. “The heart of Gospel music is to uplift and point people to Jesus, and now we have a beautiful museum where that impact can be celebrated and remembered for years to come.”
