Raeanne Rubenstein: Shooting Stars

Raeanne Rubenstein: Shooting Stars is a new exhibition that presents the works of celebrity photographer Raeanne Rubenstein (1945-2019) in the museum’s Community Corridor, located on the first floor. The exhibit features photographs of celebrities and musical luminaries taken between 1969 and 1979, including many now iconic images of country music artists. The exhibit is free and open to the public through May 2023.

Spanning more than 50 years, Rubenstein’s work was known for capturing the essence of her subjects. She photographed a diverse array of cultural figures, including Bob Dylan, Debbie Harry, Jimi Hendrix, Dustin Hoffman, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin, Kiss, John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Yoko Ono, the Who, Andy Warhol, Robin Williams and Country Music Hall of Fame members Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Jerry Lee Lewis, among other personalities.

In conjunction with the exhibit, the museum’s adjacent Haley Gallery — located within the museum building, which is also free to access — will feature an additional selection of Rubenstein’s photographs beginning Friday, March 10.

About Raeanne Rubenstein
Born in 1945 in Staten Island, New York, Rubenstein got her start in the East Village underground scene and developed into a favored photographer for Life, People, Rolling Stone, Time and other publications. A 1970 assignment to photograph Johnny Cash at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium led Rubenstein to embrace country music, and she played a significant role in many Nashville stars gaining their first feature articles in leading national publications. After thirty years as a New York-based celebrity photographer, she made Nashville her full-time residence in 1998. That year, she founded Dish, an online entertainment and style magazine based in Nashville.

Rubenstein published 10 photography books, including Honky Tonk Heroes: A Photo Album of Country Music (1975) and Gone Country: Portraits of Country Music’s New Stars (1997). Her photographs have appeared in many other books and have been exhibited in Dublin, London, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. 1975).

The museum administers the Raeanne Rubenstein collection for her estate.

Source: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum