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Songbirds Guitar Museum

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Musical instrument museum in Tennessee
Songbirds Guitar Museum

Songbirds Guitar Museum is a museum which features guitars and it is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The museum was opened in 2018 as a for profit business: it closed in 2020. The museum reopened as a Nonprofit organization in September 2021 and was rebranded the Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum.

History

Songbirds Guitar Museum Sunburst Gibson Firebird display

2018–2020

The museum opened in 2018 in Terminal Station (Chattanooga, Tennessee) which was originally opened in 1909 and saw the arrival of dozens of trains per day prior to WWII. The curator was guitar collector David Davidson who collected rare guitars while the museum was funded and overseen by President Johnny Smith (of the McKenzie Foundation) and investor/collector Thorpe McKenzie. The museum displayed vintage and celebrity guitars, and hosted live music events. The museum had 1,500 guitars from a private collection; many were rare and valuable. The museum had two Gibson Explorers worth one million dollars each. It also had 36 1958-1960 Sunburst Les Paul guitars worth an estimated $250,000 to $500,000 each.

The for profit museum closed during the summer of 2020. It was called "a victim of the pandemic" according to a documentary about the museum's closing. The documentary was created by Dagan Becket and it won an Emmy Award in March 2022.

Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum

The museum was reopened in 2021 as a non-profit led by Executive Director Reed Caldwell. The Songbirds museum is now a music venue and museum which displays about 550 guitars. The museum was rebranded as the Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum. On their website, they state that the Station Street location will close December 23, 2023, and they plan to open at 212 Main Street, Chattanooga in later March or early April 2024.

References

  1. ^ Havighurst, Craig (7 April 2022). "Songbirds Guitar Museum Flies Again In Chattanooga". WMOT. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  2. Dickson, Jamie (19 April 2018). "The story behind the ultra-rare vintage guitars of the Songbirds Guitar Museum". Music Radar. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  3. "This private Wall Street tycoon intends to leave a mark on Chattanooga | Chattanooga Times Free Press". www.timesfreepress.com. 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
  4. "Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum". Tennessee River Valley. Tennessee River Valley. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Movie About Closing Of Songbirds Museum Debuts Aug. 9". Chattanoogan. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  6. Courter, Barry (23 March 2022). "'Songbirds: A Documentary' wins regional Emmy". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  7. "Wellness Weekender Guide: Chattanooga, Tennessee". Forbes. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  8. "WE'RE MOVING!". Songbirds. Retrieved 2023-12-13.

External links

35°02′13″N 85°18′22″W / 35.0369°N 85.3060°W / 35.0369; -85.3060

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