Perhaps Gilreath’s favorite item on display is a set of green iced-tea glasses featuring the faces of the Blackwood Brothers, a famed gospel group that began singing in the 1930s. The glasses were a promotional item for a flour company, placed in 20-pound sacks of flour. Gilreath is also fond of another surprising artifact, a Martin guitar that belonged to Keith Green, a legendary figure in contemporary Christian music who died in a 1982 plane crash in his late 20s. Green was known as a piano player but wrote his songs on guitar, Gilreath said.
When the guitar arrived at the museum, included in the case was a set of unfinished lyrics, which will now be on display at the museum, along with other artifacts from Green. “It’s such a great piece of history,” Gilreath said.
Patillo said the museum aims to be a gathering space for the Christian music industry and its fans and will host concerts, panel discussions, songwriting clinics and events to celebrate new recordings. She hopes that even at a time when religion is declining in the country, the museum will showcase the spiritual power of music.
“Part of the goal with all of these wonderful stories and all of this great music is to bring hope and to renew faith and to declare the fact that God is alive and full of power, even today,” she said. “So many have been raised in church and may not be going anymore, but some of the songs are the tapestry of their lives.”
Staff check displays and complete exhibits at the new Museum of Christian & Gospel Music on Oct. 1, 2025, ahead of the grand opening in downtown Nashville, Tenn. (RNS photo/Bob Smietana)
This article originally appeared here.
