An exhibit about Lynn AndersonLynn Anderson: Keep Me in Mind, is now open at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The exhibit, which includes the gown Anderson wore for the cover of her Rose Garden album, her Grammys trophy for Best Country Female Vocal Performance for "Rose Garden," the saddle Anderson used for equestrian events and various other items, became a way for both the country music industry and Anderson's family to pay tribute to the late singer.

"It's our calling, our duty and our honor to keep in mind the people who make the music, who laid the groundwork for our museum and for this city," said Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Kyle Young at a reception on Tuesday night (Sept. 26) -- what would have been Anderson's 70th birthday -- in honor of the exhibit. "No one who ever heard Lynn Anderson sing "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden" can forget the infectious melody of the hopeful, honest lyrics, both courtesy of the late, great Joe South, but the music doesn't exist without the people who make it. In this museum, we devote ourselves to telling these people's stories ... As this exhibit makes clear, Lynn Anderson was a delightful force of nature."

Anderson's parents were both songwriters, and she grew up in the business. As both a country artist and a rider of horses, Young said, "Lynn was comfortable in the spotlight ... She deserved the spotlight, and the spotlight deserved her. She and the spotlight favored each other. And she expanded the country music spotlight."

"She was so strong-willed, so charming and so good as to be undeniable," Young continued. "Lynn Anderson was smiling and dynamic. She was adventurous and well-rooted. She was tenacious and kind. And we will keep her and her songs in mind always."

Anderson passed away in 2015 due to a heart attack. Her daughter, Lisa Sutton, spoke on her mother's behalf, thanking both the Hall of Fame and the many family members who came out for the celebration. Sutton also commended her late mother for the groundbreaking work she did, especially at such a young age.

"She was on television, in everybody's living room, at 20. What a responsibility that is. At 20, she's on TV, and two weeks before she passed, she was on the Grand Ole Opry. For 50 years, she went strong," Sutton shared. "I keep hearing all of this in Nashville right now: It's the Country Music Hall of Fame's 50th anniversary, NSAI's 50th anniversary, CMA's 50th anniversary. My mother was there every step."

Lynn Anderson: Keep Me in Mind will be open through June 24, 2018. More information on the exhibit can be found on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's website.

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