Brad Paisley at ‘Diary of a Player’ Exhibit: ‘It’s Crazy to Look Back’ [PICTURES]

Brad Paisley's exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Diary of a Player, is now open. The items on display include guitars, awards, childhood toys and various other items that Paisley has collected over the years.

"It's really weird to see things that should have meant nothing to anyone actually seem important when they're put behind glass in the greatest museum in the world," quipped Paisley at a reception held in his honor on Thursday night (Nov. 17). "There's a box that has the Jamboree USA sticker on it, and a bunch of others. It looks like it traveled the world. It really only traveled to the surrounding cities."

Visiting his exhibit for the first time with his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and their two children, Huck and Jasper, was especially poignant for Paisley.

"It's crazy to look back and see these things, that I remember the dreams associated with the items as I look back," Paisley noted, specifically calling out a Silvertone guitar given to him by his grandpa: "My grandfather was so excited to give me this used piece of his history as a Christmas gift.

"It was just cheap on his part," Paisley continued with a laugh. "The idea that I would start playing that and develop the hopes and the dreams that would lead me to stand in this circle today is crazy."

As Paisley shared how his love of music began when he was just a child, he admitted that he hopes his story can, in turn, inspire the next generation of rising artists.

"What I hope is that some kid walks through this display and thinks to themselves, 'I can do that. And not only that, but someday, I'm going to take that guy, and I'm going to dress him down a bit on the CMA Awards or something,'" Paisley said. "Because that’s the thing about this crazy town and the chance to be a part of it, is that country music is unique to every other kind of music, and the family nature of it -- the fact that we tell our own stories and that our stories intertwine."

In his own remarks, Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame, honored Paisley's legacy in country music, as well as the work of his parents, Doug and Sandy Paisley, who gathered most of the items for the exhibit.

"From his agrarian roots to his global present day, I'm proud that we're able to spotlight Brad's mark in every story," Young shared. "His father, Doug Paisley, gave so much time and attention to us as we prepared this exhibit. He did so because he cares and because he's proud of him."

Paisley's exhibit opens just two days after the loss of his mother-in-law, Linda Williams, who passed away on Wednesday (Nov. 16) after battling a rare form of dementia. Diary of a Player will remain open through May 14, 2017; more information can be found on the Country Music Hall of Fame's official website.

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