Baseball without music would be like the seventh inning without a stretch, or in the case of the Tulsa Drillers, without a singalong to “Oklahoma!” That connection between baseball and music is explored in Take Me Out To The Ball Game: Popular Music and the National Pastime, curated by the GRAMMY Museum® . Opening Jan. 18 to WGC members, the exhibit will show guests the history of two great American traditions.
Take Me Out To The Ball Game: Popular Music And The National Pastime will offer insight and historical reference for the history of music in baseball. The exhibit takes you on a journey starting before the 20th century when interest in baseball-themed music was fostered through the sales of sheet music, then explains the rise of baseball songs becoming a part of a new era of American music in the early 1900s, to current day popular music being a central part of players preparing to take the field and excite fans. All forms of music, from pop and jazz, to country, R&B, and rock and roll embraced America’s baseball passion and are reflected throughout the exhibit.
“We are always proud to partner with our friends from the GRAMMY Museum® and share their curated exhibits with Tulsa,” said Deana McCloud, executive director of the Woody Guthrie Center. “This particular exhibit also allows us to partner with our neighbors at the Tulsa Drillers, who are partial sponsors of the exhibit in Tulsa as we explore the connections between music and America’s pastime.
The Tulsa team additions are special to us, as are the lyrics about baseball contributed to the exhibit from the Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan Archives.
In addition to the items from the GRAMMY Museum® and from the Guthrie and Dylan archives, the exhibit will feature video interviews with players from the Tulsa Drillers, photos and artifacts from the team and from the family of legendary musician Roy Clark, who was part of the ownership group in the 1970s that kept professional baseball in Tulsa.
Other highlights from the exhibit include:
- Sheet music from the game’s early years, including “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”
- Handwritten lyrics to baseball classics, such as James Taylor’s “Angels Of Fenway”
- Special edition Fender guitars, including the brand new Jackie Robinson Telecaster
- MLB sportscaster Harry Caray’s microphone
- Limited edition posters, vinyl records, and photographs
The exhibit will open with a special program for WGC members on Jan. 18, and to the public Jan. 19 and will be on display until May.
About The Woody Guthrie Center
The Woody Guthrie Center, opened in 2013, features state of the art exhibits, an extensive outreach and education program, and a concert series to bring his legacy to Tulsans and those who make the pilgrimage to what is a destination for Woody Guthrie fans worldwide. The Center is more than a museum; instead, it is a center of investigation for inspiration. By providing examples of Guthrie’s ability to use his creativity as a way of expressing the world around him, we hope to encourage others to find their voices and, through their educational programs, explore the power that lies within the creative process.
About the GRAMMY Museum
The GRAMMY Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music through exhibits, education, grants, preservation initiatives, and public programming. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum explores and celebrates all aspects of the art form—from the technology of the recording process to the legends who’ve made lasting marks on our cultural identity. For more information, visit www.grammymuseum.org, “like” the GRAMMY Museum on Facebook, and follow @GRAMMYMuseum on Twitter and Instagram.