The longest running show in the history of American television, Austin City Limits, will be collaborating with The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to preserve 37 years of content related to the award-winning television show.

Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and Terry Lickona, executive producer of Austin City Limits, made the announcement yesterday (June 21) from KLRU’s Studio 6A, original home of Austin City Limits and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Landmark.

“Austin City Limits uniquely represents more than three decades of some of modern music’s most significant artists and their performances—from iconic musicians to cutting-edge talent,” said Stewart. “It’s one of the most significant archives that documents American culture and Austin City Limits shares our mission of celebrating and interpreting popular music’s impact on our world.”

Neil Young at Austin City Limits (Copyright Austin City Limits)

The more than 800 performances produced by PBS’s KLRU – from 1976 to the present day, will be housed at the state-of-the-art Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives.  The collection will continue to grow as new shows are produced and made accessible to the public.  Austin City Limits, which is recorded live in Austin, Texas by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), broadcasted from its start in 1976, through its 2010 season in studio 6A at the University of Texas at Austin campus.  This studio was made a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Landmark in 2010 before the show moved to its current location in downtown Austin. More than 40 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees have been featured on ACL over the years, including Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Etta James, Van Morrison and Neil Young.

The Library and Archives is the world’s most comprehensive repository of materials relating to the history of rock and roll, housing vast collections of books, periodicals, and commercial audio and video recordings, as well as hundreds of archival collections. KLRU’s Austin City Limits collection is an invaluable addition to this archive that will provide an educational and research resource to be available to academics from around the world, including those conducting research in musicology, cultural studies, the music industry, television, and American music history.  Moreover, the Museum’s strong commitment to educating the public about the history of rock and roll, and its ability to publicize the Austin City Limits Collection and make it accessible to researchers, will benefit the study of popular music in the United States and beyond.

Inspired by the music scene that continues to thrive in Austin, ACL has for 37 years presented viewing audiences with live concerts from many of the world’s most acclaimed, accomplished and pioneering talent. At the same time, the show has represented Austin laying the foundation for the city’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the world.

“We are honored to have our collection preserved in perpetuity at the Museum as it will allow us to focus our resources on continuing to produce great television,” said Terry Lickona, executive producer of Austin City Limits. “We are the longest running music television show in history and intend to keep doing it well into the future.“

Ryan Bergh / 98.5 WNCX