Country Music Hall of Fame Firings - letter from Charles Wol

Greg Simmons · Post by **Greg Simmons** » 17 Sep 2001 8:02 am

here's the link to the Tennessean story

The following is an open letter by Charles Wolfe that I received today:

A LETTER TO THOSE WITH AN INTEREST IN THE HISTORY OF COUNTRY MUSIC

September 16, 2001

Dear Colleagues:

Some of you have heard of the recent wholesale firings at the Country
Music Hall of Fame last week. If you have not, be advised that what used
to be the Country Music Foundation Library and Archives has been severely
decimated. Ronnie Pugh, a veteran of 22 years as the CMF's premier
reference librarian and author of the definitive biography of Ernest Tubb,
was summarily fired and given an hour to leave the premises; he was
escorted outside by a security guard. Chris Dickinson, the brilliant
editor of "The Journal of Country Music," who was brought to Nashville to
St. Louis specifically to take over the "Journal," was similarly fired.
Also let go were other members of the library staff. Two other individuals
involved with the new tourism department "resigned."

According to HOF director Kyle Young, this is part of a restructuring in
which the emphasis of the HOF will be more toward glitzy, high-profile
efforts involving current hot stars. In doing so, it seems to be that the
HOF is abandoning its original mission statement of preserving the history
of country music - and possibly compromising its status as a non-profit
edicational institution. At present, there is only one person really
working in the library and archives - a pleasant and well-trained
archivist, but one who knows little about country music, or about the
world class archives they have there. She routinely called on Ronnie or
Bob Pinson for help in finding things and answering queries from
researchers.

Which brings up a secondary effect of this cold action. Bob Pinson, the
dean of country music discographers and legendary historian, an expert who
has through the years selflessly helped many of us in our research, had
been working part time as he eases into retirement. But now he says - and
this is a quote - "when they cut their ties with Ronnie, they cut their
ties with me." The great country music discography manuscript, some 15
years in the making, was within a day's work of completion. Bob begged
Paul Kingsbury and Kyle Young to at least let Ronnie help him finish this,
but was turned down. The manuscript was left sitting on Ronnie's desk. Its
fate is uncertain.

Staffers also feel that "The Journal of Country Music" will be changed
from its present form and stripped on any historical material, and turned
into a slick, Garthian fan magazine full of eye candy for the high rollers
who contribute to the HOF. Chris Dickinson, who gave her heart and soul
into making the "Journal" a quality publication that would attract
scholars as well as newstand readers, feels crushed and angry. She is
planning to return to Chicago soon, where she earned her original
reputation as a tough, insightful journalist.

We were able to plant a story about this in the Nashville Tennessean, but
it ran Wednesday morning, amidst all the coverage of the WTC disaster.
Nonetheless, it did alert some people in the music community about what
had transpired. It turns out that the HOF Board of Directors had not even
told about this "new vision" and change of direction, and some of them
were quite upset. They met in emergency session last Thursday, but Kyle
Young was able to defer their criticism by insisting they were trying to
"micro-manage."

The HOF powers are hoping that they will weather this storm and protest
and in a week or so go back to business as usual. I hope this does not
happen, and several of us locally are trying to determine what steps can
be taken. Essentially, the Hall of Fame is sitting on the world's finest
archive of country music, and not properly curating it.

Several of you have asked me if you could write somebody. For now, you
might consider faxing your thoughts to either Marty Stuart, the honorary
board chairman, or to Bruce Hinton, the actual chairman of the board.
Their fax numbers are:

Marty Stuart, c/0 Rothbaum and Garner: 615-259-1107
Bruce Hinton: (615) 880-7450

Chris Skinker is putting together a fuller list of addresses and we will
forward to those interested later.

I'm not sure that much can be done to reverse this situation, but I think
we owe a debt to Ronnie Pugh and Bob Pinson for all their good help over
the years. We owe it to them to at least try.

Sincerely,

Charles Wolfe

------------------
Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website
shobud.cjb.net

[This message was edited by Greg Simmons on 17 September 2001 at 10:11 PM.]

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 17 Sep 2001 11:14 am

I paid $15.oo to go to the new HOF last week. The very first room I went into was a movie with JoDee Messina telling us the history of country music, I left as soon as I heard her talking. I let out a bronx cheer. I liked the old HOF on Music Row, I liked the old country music, I liked the old price to get in the HOF. Sometime progress sucks!

Leigh Howell · Post by **Leigh Howell** » 17 Sep 2001 12:11 pm

Charles.
I dont have a fax machine, so if you get addresses, Phone No's etc. I hope you will find a way to make them available to us.
I would definately like to give somebody involved in this travesty a piece of my mind!!!!

Leigh

Leigh Howell · Post by **Leigh Howell** » 17 Sep 2001 12:14 pm

Whoops! That post I just did should have been directed to Greg.
Leigh

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 17 Sep 2001 10:31 pm

Look what happens while I am gone???

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 17 Sep 2001 10:58 pm

If I had any more indignation left in me, I'd be throwing up. One of the effective ways to change things is to kill the memory of how it was. For Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, it meant killing all the people that had those memories.[This message was edited by chas smith on 18 September 2001 at 10:41 AM.]

Bill Sharpe · Post by **Bill Sharpe** » 18 Sep 2001 1:02 am

Might be a clue to why Shot's Sho~Bro isn't on display along with other historical artifacts from the old Country Music Hall of Fame.

------------------
B#

Leigh Howell · Post by **Leigh Howell** » 18 Sep 2001 11:29 am

Janice.
Good to see you back.
Leigh

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 19 Sep 2001 6:29 pm

Surprise surprise.

------------------
CJC

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 20 Sep 2001 6:02 am

I subscribe to the Journal of Country Music because of features they would publish on older country bands and western swing performers, among other excellent features. It had the look and journalistic style of a serious, historical work.

Now the magazine has a 4-color glossy cover, looking more like a fan magazine than a serious journal... okay, in and of itself. But I wonder about the editorial approach now. The last issue's cover story was on "Gay Performers in Modern Country." Just what I wanted to read about.

Another feature was on Steve Earle and his sister.

Okay, I've been in publishing and know that a journal has to cover a wide information base and can't be everything to a reader with a relatively narrow field of interest, like me. But I think there is going to be a severe change in editorial policy that will result in a bunch of cancelled subscriptions.

I'm willing to let my subscription continue to expiration to see what else comes my way, but I don't like what my personal forecast of the magazine portends.

------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Greg Simmons · Post by **Greg Simmons** » 20 Sep 2001 6:31 am

I hear ya Herb; I just picked up Vol 22 # 1, and it features an article on Earl "Joaquin" Murphey, but sadly, maybe it's the end of the line for the journal as we know it with the firing of the editor Chris Dickinson

------------------
Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website
shobud.cjb.net

[This message was edited by Greg Simmons on 20 September 2001 at 07:31 AM.]

Post by **Joey Ace** » 22 Sep 2001 8:10 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>In doing so, it seems to be that the
HOF is abandoning its original mission statement of preserving the history
of country music - and possibly compromising its status as a non-profit
educational institution.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If this can be proven, steps must be taken to remove their financial benifits. Hit them in the pocketbook! Why finance a tourist trap?

-j0e-