Everything’s coming up rhinestones in Calgary as a new exhibit opening Friday pays tribute to Canada’s flamboyant country music history.
Outfits worn by k.d. lang, Shania Twain and country pioneer Hank Snow will be part of the National Music Centre’s “Homegrown Country” showcase, which throws open its doors ahead of the Calgary Stampede.
Among the memorabilia on display is Snow’s vintage “Nudie suit,” a rhinestone-emblazoned outfit decorated with roses and designed by influential American tailor Nudie Cohn.
There’s also one of lang’s quirkiest looks, a dress adorned with felt cut-outs and miniature farm animals, created by the singer and her mother.
She wore it on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and on the “Jim Henson Hour” in 1989.
And Twain’s halter top from her first stadium tour in 1998 will also be part of the collection.
Other items include honky-tonk singer Dick Damron’s banjo, country star Lucille Starr’s stage outfit, and Gordie Tapp’s overalls from the variety TV series “Hee Haw.”
Visitors can also saunter into a full-sized barn where videos of Calgary musicians the Polyjesters and Terra Hazelton will coach them on a traditional “barn dance.”
The exhibit at the NMC, which is part of Studio Bell in downtown Calgary, runs until Jan. 6, 2020.
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