Last night (Sep. 20) Charlie Daniels spoke briefly about his humble beginnings and bold early life ambitions at the opening and special viewing of his new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

“At the age of almost 80 years, God has chosen to bless me with yet another wonderful blessing. To think that artifacts, accolades, symbols, relics and souvenirs of my life are going to be on display here at the crossroads of country music. It’s a sobering fact for a chubby fiddle player that came to town with a dream and a twenty dollar bill. I was just one of the hopefuls who desperately wanted to be a part of what was going on in Music City and was willing to walk out on a high and very shaky limb to prove it.”

The exhibit certainly does feature many “artifacts, accolades, symbols, relics and souvenirs” from Charlie’s life and career as a musician. Unique items such as a photo of his 1950s band, The Jaguars, and an old show poster that lists him as “Charles ‘Mabeleene’ Daniels” to a special wood and glass case featuring an exotic walking cane collection – one his favorite items in the exhibit.

Check out the photos below and be sure to visit by March 2017 to see this exhibit and many others at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Listen to Charlie Daniels’ entire exhibit opening speech: