Nashville, Tenn. – Award-winning artist and guitarist, Steve Wariner, was recently asked to perform at the Grand Opening of the Rolling Stones Exhibit, held at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Portraying the unparalleled story of the most influential rock band in history through more than 500 artifacts and memorabilia from over the past 54 years, the opening event for the exhibit featured a guest list in excess of 300 people, including global sponsor DHL and U.S. sponsor Jackson along with the community, business, and music industry leaders. Band member, Ronnie Wood, was the guest of honor and brought with him a custom Zemaitis guitar to place in the exhibit.
Wariner commented about the Stones, saying “To this day, I remember the very first time I heard ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ on the radio. I was hooked the minute I heard that classic guitar riff — man, it was so infectious. I wanted to hear it over and over! This young kid in Indiana could not get enough of it, so I gathered up Coke bottles to get money; then rode my bike up to G.C. Murphy’s store to buy the 45. My radar was perpetually up for Beatles and Stones! Fast forward to today, and I still smile when I think of a call I received from Chet Atkins in the late 80’s asking me to see The Stones with him at Vanderbilt Stadium. I regret that didn’t happen as I was traveling at the time and couldn’t make it, but I still think about how cool that Chet got to go. The mutual respect between The Stones is so great and so nice to see…”
Twenty albums into his five-decade career, Steve Wariner still has plenty of musical tricks up his sleeve. The now Grand Ole Opry member was discovered by the legendary Dottie West at just 17 years old as he played a set in an Indiana club. West hired him on the spot to be her bass player, a gig that lasted three years. That opportunity would lead to Wariner being commissioned by his idol Chet Atkins to play bass in his band. It was Atkins that eventually signed Wariner to his first recording contract at RCA in 1977 and produced Wariner’s first recording session at the historic RCA Studio B. Since that day, Wariner has become a modern-day multi-genre icon earning fourteen #1 hits, over 30 Top 10 hits, three Gold albums, four GRAMMY Awards, three CMA Awards, one ACM Award, a Christian Country Music Association Award, a TNN/Music City News Award and 15 BMI Million-Air Awards.
He is a member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame, the Music City Walk of Fame, and one of only five guitar players in the world to be given the “Certified Guitar Player” (CGP) award by Chet Atkins (six including Atkins himself, the others being: John Knowles (guitarist), Marcel Dadi, Jerry Reed, and Tommy Emmanuel). His most recent project, All Over the Map, is an exhilaratingly diverse 12-song album, spanning country, bluegrass, rock, jazz, and pop that showcases the dazzling, innovative guitar work for which he is most well-known. The release is available at all digital retailers and streaming services.
For more information on Steve Wariner, visit: www.stevewariner.com
For more information on The Rolling Stone Exhibit, please visit VisitMusicCity.com.