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It's Now or Never: Museum of Music Icons Opens in Nashville
It's Now or Never: Museum of Music Icons opened May 23rd, 2025 at Marathon Village in Nashville, Tennessee. Founders Brian and Sally Oxley designed this unique space to serve as an outpost to help sell tickets and raise awareness for their Hideaway Farm in Bon Aqua.
It's Now or Never: Museum of Music Icons Opens in Nashville But, its secondary and equally important purpose is to pay tribute and hoist homage upon regionally significant icons such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash with a nod to a few other notable artists such as Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings and Hank Williams Sr. What makes this collection special is that many of the artifacts were salvaged from legendary locations. In the case of Elvis, the remains of his manager's home and offices formally positioned at 1215 Gallatin Pike in Madison, Tennessee were salvaged. 1215 was Elvis Enterprises where folks would send fan mail decades before the internet. In the early years of his career Presley would stay at Tom Parkers' house which means some of Elvis' personal effects were stored there.
Elvis Presley art made from pieces of the dismantled fan club building. Back in 2017, the parcel was sold to make way for a car wash so the Oxleys along with a dedicated crew dismantled the buildings discovering a treasure trove of history and priceless memories. They painstakingly took rooms apart noting the order of things. For example, Brian can show you an item say a knotty pine panel and then a picture of the King and Colonel Parker in front of it. Equipment, rugs, shingles and even wires are some of the irreplaceable items the Oxleys have saved and have on display at Now or Never. Brian and Sally are also the stewards of the Johnny Cash Hideaway Farm and Storytellers Museum in Bon Aqua, Tennessee. Today, in addition to producing a movie about the experience and Presley's spiritual side, Brian Oxley has turned many of those artifacts left over from the fan club into real pieces of priceless art that can currently only be obtained by visiting their retail space in Nashville.
The sign from the old Ernest Tubb Record Shop is on display. "The center of my universe" is what Johnny Cash called the Hideaway Farm. This was the place where Johnny kicked off his boots to walk barefoot in the fields. A home to contemplate, read and write songs if inspired. The house was built before the Civil War by the prominent Weems family and it reflects that time period however some of the furniture in the house was Johnny's. Guests can sit in Cash's chair or look out windows at the views that brought peace to the Man in Black. Nearby is the Storytellers Museum where once upon a time Cash would host Saturday night guitar pulls. Some of the keepsakes from these two Cash sites can be seen at Now or Never along with the Ernest Tubb Record Shop sign, posters, the piano that Dallas Frazier wrote the song "Elvira" (Oak Ridge Boys) on and more. The museum is free but donations are welcomed or visitors can purchase records and tee shirts in support. Now or Never is also there to let fans know about the more immersive Cash experience at the Hideaway Farm which is about 40 miles outside of Nashville. At the Farm you will walk in Johnny's footsteps, explore a place he deeply cherished, experience history firsthand and more. You will also see the car that Johnny made famous - "The One Piece At A Time" Cadillac. Tours typically last under two hours but guests are welcome to linger and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. The Hideaway Farm is available for rental and the Storytellers Museum is nearby.
Some of the artwork made from Col. Tom Parker's Elvis Presley headquarters. You are likely to meet Brian and Sally at these various outposts. Both are knowledgeable and are happy to talk about Cash, Elvis, faith and other projects that they are working on including a film about Elvis with a focus on how important the gospel was to him. Some of their other interesting endeavors can be found at Oxvision Films. It's Now or Never is well worth a visit plus Marathon Village itself is a museum. This complex was born out of the buildings that once housed the Marathon Motor Works from 1910 - 1914. There are cars and ancient manufacturing equipment to see at this popular tourist stop which also serves as a model for adaptive re-purposing of historic structures. Please check out all of these special Middle Tennessee landmarks.
Brian and Sally in Madison and depicted on the farm; Jelly Roll; and Hank Williams Sr. Related Links: For more information on NOW OR NEVER and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links - It's Now or Never | The Hideaway Farm | Oxvision Films | Marathon Village | Brian and Sally Oxley Pivot From Cash to King | Bon Aqua, Tennessee Rises on the Legend of Johnny Cash
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