Does history still matter to today’s country music artists and fans? If the answers from Jason Aldean, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, and others attending Tuesday’s All for the Hall benefit concert in New York City are any indication, the answer is a resounding yes.

Aldean, Gill, Harris, Rodney Crowell, Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers Band, Ashley Monroe, Train’s Pat Monahan, and surprise guest Joan Osborne were all at New York City’s Best Buy Theater Tuesday night (Feb. 26) for the All for the Hall benefit concert honoring Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Jason Aldean stressed the importance for country fans to learn the history of country music. He said that today’s country artists have a role to play in that as well.

“I think it’s important for us younger artists to represent that and say, ‘Hey, don’t forget about these guys over here,’” he told Radio.com during an interview backstage at the event. “They’re the ones that paved the way for us to be here.”

Vince Gill echoed Aldean’s sentiments. “I don’t know if the country music of today realizes in what esteem it will be held down the road,” he told Radio.com.

(L-R) Jason Aldean, Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill and Ashley Monroe at the All For the Hall benefit concert (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

“I think it’s a great thing,” Aldean said about the Country Music Hall of Fame. “We donate stuff to it all the time, and they put it up for exhibits. We’ve done a couple of these All For the Hall deals. I think it’s important for us to carry on that legacy as artists. You never know, one day one of us may be enshrined in that building and hopefully it will be there for people 100 years from now to come and check it out and keep the story going.”

Emmylou Harris also stressed the value of learning from country music’s past.

“It’s really important to know where we came from and this music still inspires us. Obviously we have to bring something new to it, but you can’t bring something new to something unless you know what went before it,” she explained to Radio.com. “It’s important what the Country Music Hall of Fame does. It’s an extraordinary archive and that will keep on going. And one day if we’re lucky we will be in the archive.”