KINGSPORT, Tenn. – A rare fiddle once owned by the late country music legend Roy Acuff was unveiled this week at the Mountain Music Museum.
The fiddle is on loan to the museum for one year, courtesy of its owner, Lamar Peek, in memory of his late brother, Bobby Peek, who purchased it at a pawn shop in Alabama. The fiddle received national attention last January when a member of Peek’s family donated it to a Goodwill in Kansas City without realizing its historical significance.
If you go
› What: Mountain Music Museum, 316 Broad St., Kingsport, Tenn.› Admission: $5.› Phone: 423-765-2552.
Goodwill initially placed the fiddle in an auction online. Bidding reached $8,200 before Peek contacted Goodwill about the mistaken donation and Goodwill returned the fiddle to him. Peek gave $1,000 to Goodwill. The organization also received an $8,000 donation from Stacy Harris, a Nashville-based country music journalist.
After learning about the fiddle, the Mountain Music Museum approached Peek to see if he would consider loaning the fiddle to be displayed as part of an existing Roy Acuff exhibit. Peek agreed, and in April, he and museum Executive Director Rick Dollar met in Nashville to sign the paperwork and transfer the fiddle.