Music hall of fame, museum ‘paradise’ for director

Local News

December 26, 2009

Don White The Richmond Register Sat Dec 26, 2009, 04:16 PM EST

RENFRO VALLEY — “Paradise” means a lot to Robert Lawson.

Not only is it the name of his second favorite song of all time, it also describes how he feels about his place of employment.

Serving as executive director of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum has been a labor of love for the Livingston native since May of 2002.

“I love this place,” said the 1992 Rockcastle County High graduate, who formerly worked for a grocery and finance company.

“I get up every morning looking forward to coming to work at the greatest job I’ve ever had,” he said. “I just love all the exciting things I get to do.”

Among the highlights has been meeting some of the biggest stars in the music industry, including a number of the 32 Kentuckians inducted into the hall.

During one induction ceremony, he was responsible for bringing together Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gale for their first joint performance in 16 years.

He also was able to help the late Dottie Rambo meet Lynn when the country legend performed at Renfro Valley.

Rambo, a frequent and favorite visitor to the museum, was killed a short time later when her bus crashed in Mt. Vernon, Miss.

Being nearby when Dwight Yokum and Ricky Skaggs were “chatting away like two big kids, was a special treat.”

“I’m just like a big sponge when I’m around those people. I love to listen to them tell their stories,” Lawson said.

Located just off I-75 in Mt. Vernon, the 16,600 square foot facility is a mixture of old and new, utilizing a portion of a horse stable on the farm of John Lair, legendary founder of the nearby Renfro Valley entertainment complex.

Lair was in the first group of inductees, which also included such renowned stars as “Red” Foley, Rosemary Clooney, Tom T. Hall, Bill Monroe, Lionel Hamilton, The Osborne Brothers, Merle Travis, Grandpa Jones and Loretta Lynn.

Lynn has been one of the museum’s biggest boosters, according to Lawson, often promoting the facility while performing her stage shows.

Recently, on a visit to her ranch in Tennessee, Lawson was given one of her guitars to be placed in her display case at the facility.

All of the hundreds of items on display, from vintage automobiles to sheet music, have been donated or are on loan.

More memorabilia comes in as new members are inducted every other year.

Noting the number of Kentuckians worthy of induction, Lawson pointed out that, “we’re always playing catch-up around here.”

Although there is a heavy emphasis on country, folk and Bluegrass music, the director said the fact all styles of music are represented in the hall is a point of pride.

“Kentuckians have achieved a high level of success in everything from rap to jazz, and we try to recognize all of them,” Lawson said.

A colorful state map near the museum’s entrance contains a listing of people from nearly every county who have made contributions to the music industry.

Educating visitors, especially school children, is something Lawson is fond of doing, and something he’s really good at, according to his assistant, Crystal Smoker.

“Robert always has the full attention of the students when he speaks to them about jobs in the music industry,” she said.

School groups are welcome and admitted at a cost of only $3 per student, with teachers and bus drivers getting in free.

Detailed lesson plans related to a museum visit are available at www.kymusichalloffame.com.

The facility is open to the public from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Sunday.

You’ll usually find Robert Lawson there during those hours, but often he still is around much later, singing along with Elvis to “After Midnight,” his favorite song of all time.

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