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Songbirds Guitar Museum revamped + reimagined in 2021

July 27, 2021 • 
Brianna Williams
Photo of a red brick building with stairs leading up to the door and a large sign above the building that reads "Songbirds." There is a smaller sign under this one that reads "Experience Music History."

The Songbirds Museum is now owned + operated by the Songbirds Foundation | Photo by NOOGAtoday

Table of Contents
What’s happening
What changes are being made
What else you can expect
When to mark your calendar
Poll

Remember the heartbreak of Songbirds Guitar Museum closing back in August, and the subsequent excitement when the Songbirds Foundation announced that it was purchasing + reimagining the space?

In case you missed it, the museum + foundation are separate entities, and now the space formerly occupied by Songbirds Guitar Museum is owned and operated by the foundation.

We got the inside scoop + a tour of the space as it undergoes renovations — read on for what’s to come.

What’s happening

  • Songbirds Foundation took over the museum + is revamping it
  • There are still a lot of the cool guitars you’re used to (~300 vintage guitars, including BB King’s)
  • The goal is to make the space more accessible — essentially, they want to humanize the guitar to show that it’s for everyone
Photo of a glass display case showing an image of BB King and the words "BB King" displayed prominently. The display case also features a red electric guitar.

The reinvented space will feature displays on well-known musicians like BB King + lesser-known, but just as important musicians like Hank Snow — also, yes, that was BB King’s real guitar | Photo by NOOGAtoday

What changes are being made

  • More color + art
  • Tours will be self-guided
  • Implementing interactive elements — like a visual feedback simulator, guitar video game, buttons that play a recording of musician Andy Wood on different amps + pedals, and a scannable Spotify code for every song that’s mentioned in displays
Photo of a large, mural-like artwork display featuring mountains, a river, a large sun in the left corner, a variety of unknown creatures, and a large peach sitting in a truck in the bottom right corner.

The Songbirds graphic designer drew + enlarged the insert artwork from the Allman Brothers Band’s “Eat a Peach” album | Photo by NOOGAtoday

What else you can expect

  • A new stage, which will make its debut at Songbird’s first show on Aug. 25
  • Exhibits on a variety of musicians + music history (from the Impressions and The Big 9 neighborhood to Hank Snow and Mary Kaye)
  • Classes for adults + children — including master classes with well renowned guitarists like Eric Johnson
Photo of a wooden stage with a stool, drum set, guitar, and several mics + amps scattered across it.

The new Songbirds stage | Photo by NOOGAtoday

When to mark your calendar

  • Aug. 25 | First show at the new Songbirds guitar museum space
  • Sept. 18 | Grand opening of the new, reinvented guitar museum
  • March 28 | The first master class with “Cliffs of Dover” musician Eric Johnson (this class was announced yesterday + will likely fill up fast)
  • Various dates | A new music series called Songbirds Rising, which will feature artists that Songbirds thinks you should know about

Poll

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