Bards

The history of country music in the city is what brought this special flair to our entertainment district.

The most identifiable thing about Lower Broad is the abundance of honky tonks, but what makes the experience authentically Nashville is the vast amount of music. Every bar has a live band starting around 11 am, and there continues to be music played into early the next morning. Some bars that have multiple levels even have a band for each floor. Virtually all bars have some form of music, but the history of country music in the city is what brought this special flair to our entertainment district.

The development of the music scene largely mirrors the progression of the other aspects of the area. We have the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers, to thank for bringing country music to the bars of Broadway. He was immensely popular and his presence in Nashville while touring attracted other big-name performers. Lower Broad to thrive especially with the Opry coming to the Ryman in the 40s. After the Opry moved out East in 1974, the music scene declined along with everything else down there. Music saw a revival in the 90s when Downtown began to change and the Opry brought some shows back to the Ryman.

As you could imagine, the area is quite different from its origins many decades ago. There are only a couple of locations that still maintain the spirit of Old Nashville: Robert’s Western World and the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. Western World is not all that old, but it was envisioned from the start to be the home of traditional country. It maintains the spirit of Nashville’s musical history. The Record Shop is much older, having opened in that location in 1951. It was created to sell country records which were not being stocked much in record stores around the country. The Midnite Jamboree was created in 1947 and moved with the Record Shop to its Broadway location in 1951. It was the after-show for the Opry and is one of the longest running radio programs in history. Although the show left the Shop when the Opry moved, both the Shop and the show continued to persist. The Jamboree was briefly brought back to the Record Shop in 2021, but with the announcement of the selling of the property and business, the show finally ended this March. The future of the iconic country music location is unknown, but I’d imagine someone will continue its legacy in some form. Perhaps some of Old Nashville will continue long into the future.