Oklahoma native Vince Gill recently made a $12,000 donation to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame to help finish construction on a new children’s music exhibit. Gill was inducted into that Hall of Fame in 1999, and now he’s challenging other musicians and music lovers to follow his lead and donate to the cause.

The new state-of-the-art children’s exhibit is nearing completion, and though the hall has been raising funds for the past year, they’re still a bit shy of what they need to finish the exhibit. The project is designed for children of all ages and will be hosted by Jeremiah the Bullfrog (sound familiar?) from Three Dog Night’s hit ‘Joy to the World,’ which was written by Oklahoma native Hoyt Axton. In the exhibit, children will be able to build a band, observe the different sounds of musical instruments and learn about Oklahoma’s many contributions to music.

In an official announcement from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, Executive Director Penny Kampf said, “We can’t thank Mr. Gill enough for his generosity, and we are honored that he would also step forward to issue a challenge to his fellow inductees to make a contribution … We believe children need to understand that music comes from real people and real musical instruments — not just from electronics.”

Gill released his most recent record, ‘Guitar Slinger,’ in late October, and a behind-the-scenes look at his life and his story will air on GAC’s ‘Backstory’ on Thursday. The country star also recently collaborated with Sting for an episode of CMT’s ‘Crossroads’ that hit the airwaves on Thanksgiving.

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