Mandy Barnett.Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty
Just like the rest of us, songstressMandy Barnetthas a dreaded closet in her home that she does her best to avoid at all costs.
But when The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum called last year looking for some of the traditionalist’s most treasured Grand Ole Opry items to feature in their newest exhibition,American Currents: State of the Music,Barnett knew what she had to do.
She had to open that closet door.
“Even over the COVID-19 lockdowns, it was the closet I never wanted to tackle,” Barnett, 46, says with a laugh during a recent interview with PEOPLE. “Luckily I was able to get in there and find some great stuff.”
It’s this very special “stuff” that is now on display at the new exhibit, which is scheduled to run through Feb. 4, 2023, and includes some of Barnett’s most treasured memorabilia alongside the items of country music superstars such asJimmie Allen,Carly PearceandOld Dominion.
“I think it’s very important that there is a variety in country music,'” says Barnett. “There should always be a bunch of different flavors.”
“I just can’t get enough,” remembers Barnett, who ignited her career playing the legendary Patsy Cline in the 1990s jukebox musicalAlways…Patsy Cline.“To see how these producers and musicians lived and what was important to them is so amazing. And then, just to see an article of clothing that Dottie West or Tammy Wynette once wore — sometimes, that’s the closest we’ll ever get to those iconic performers.”
Of course, one of the most treasured pieces that Barnett lent to The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for their new exhibit is certainly one of her smallest.
“The most special thing is the card that Connie [Smith] presented to me when I was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry,” says Barnett, who was asked to join the legendary institution back in September. “It was my birthday. Connie sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and started reading this card and it talked about all the years I’d been with the Grand Ole Opry and how I’d always felt like family. And then her voice started to break, and I knew then, she was getting ready to ask me to become a member.”
Barnett pauses. “It was one of those things that I had wanted my entire life.”
It’s a single memory in a career that has had many for Barnett, who seemingly has lived somewhat on the edges of the country music spotlight.
“It’s not been an easy path,“admits Barnett, whose latest albumEvery Star Abovewas released last year and served as a celebration of some of Billie Holiday’s most memorable music. “In my career, I chose to do more classic country music as opposed to going more mainstream, and I knew that would be hard, but I also knew it would be a much more rewarding experience for me.”
Indeed, legends such as Owen Bradley and Harold Bradley seemingly knew Barnett was a superstar long before the rest of the world did.
“That was the only sad thing looking through all of this stuff,” she says quietly. “To go back and see all the people that have been with me throughout my career, but now have passed through the years.” Barnett pauses. “I don’t know — maybe they knew it all of this would happen more than I did.”
However, Barnett has been able to enjoy this most recent influx of overdue recognition with her parents, who long inspired her to make her musical dreams come true.
“My mother certainly turned me on to good singers like Connie Francis and Patsy Cline and Linda Ronstadt,” Barnett recalls. “Thank goodness she did. Now, I am hopeful that I can expose a younger generation to classic country music.”
But for now, she’s looking forward to some much-deserved rest.
“I’m really planning to use the rest of this year trying to figure out what’s next,” Barnett says. “I’m just going to take a little breather and do some performing, enjoy my Opry membership status, and then start figuring out what’s next on the horizon.”
source: people.com
