On our recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee, after completing our business, I had one goal in mind: to visit the original home of the famous Grand Ole Opry.

The building originally opened in 1892, built by Thomas Ryman, a saloon and riverboat operator. But considering his background, it ironically opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, after Ryman had found religion after initially attending a tent revival to heckle the preacher. He built it with the purpose of having a site the people of Nashville could attend large-scale revivals indoors. However, it did not take the name of its founder until after his death; he initially did not want it named after him. But his memorial service was held there after his death in 1904, and the preacher he’d first went to heckle, Samuel Porter Jones, suggested it be named in Ryman’s honor which met with overwhelming acclaim by the attendees of the service.

Over the years it served purposes other than a house of worship, being leased to help pay its debts and keep it open. Due to appearances by such notables as W.C Fields, Will Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Bob Hope, Harry Houdini, and John Phillips Souza, it garnered the nickname “The Carnegie Hall of the South.”

In 1925, a local country music show debuted on WSM radio, a one-hour show called Barn Dance. And so it was called until 1927. Barn Dance followed the NBC Red Network’s Music Appreciation Hour, a show featuring classical music and selection from grand opera. But on the evening of December 10, 1927, the show’s emcee, George D. “Judge” Hay introduced the next performer with the following: “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on, we will present the “Grand Ole Opry.” And country music hasn’t been the same since.

Originally, people would come to see the show’s performers do their acts at the radio station. When the crowds became too much, the show was moved to a couple of other locations until finally finding a home at Ryman Auditorium on June 5, 1943. And there it remained until 1974, hosting many famous and soon-to-be famous performers.

The location did have its limitations. The venue wasn’t air conditioned and didn’t have a true backstage area. There was only one dressing room for the men, while women had to use a dumpy ladies’ restroom. The shortage of space forced performers to wait in the wings, the narrow hallways, and the alley behind the building’s south wall. Thus, many performers often ventured across the alley to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and other bars, where they would drink alongside and sometimes perform for patrons. This practice enhanced the notoriety of the honky-tonk bars along Nashville’s lower Broadway, affectionately known as “Music Row.”

On our day in downtown Nashville, the first place we went to was Ryman Auditorium. It’s a classic looking building. They did have tours available, but the lines were so long we just walked around the building and visited the gift shop. Then we ventured down “Music Row,” checking out all the stores and honky tonks, the entire time being regaled with the music of live performers on the street and in the bars. We even got to see the famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. We also visited the famous Ernest Tubb Record Shop. And on a side trip to an adjoining street, we visited a Johnny Cash Museum, one of my all-time favorite country stars, something that there is a great lack of in this new age of so-called country music.

That was just the beginning of the day’s adventures for there was so much more on our agenda for the day. But a good beginning to the day it was.

Related Posts:

“Walking the Floor…” of the Ernest Tubb Record Shop

Weekend in Nashville, Tennessee