Nashville, Tennessee Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Entertainment and performing arts=== [[File:Rymanauditorium1.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Ryman Auditorium]], the "Mother Church of Country Music"|alt=]] Nashville has a vibrant music and entertainment scene spanning a variety of genres. With a long history in the music scene it is no surprise that city was nicknamed 'Music City.' The [[Tennessee Performing Arts Center]] is the major performing arts center of the city. It is the home of the [[Nashville Repertory Theatre]] and the [[Nashville Ballet]]. In September 2006, the [[Schermerhorn Symphony Center]] opened as the home of the [[Nashville Symphony]]. As the city's name itself is a [[metonymy|metonym]] for the country music industry, many popular attractions involve [[country music]], including the [[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]], [[Belcourt Theatre]], and [[Ryman Auditorium]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-15/in-booming-nashville-country-music-is-still-king|title=Why Nashville Can't Quit Country Music|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=September 15, 2019|via=Bloomberg}}</ref> Hence, the city became known as America's 'Country Music Capital.'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/nashville-country-music-capital-of-the-world/MAES5BENW4PUSZL3HQYQ5IP7RQ/|title=Nashville: Country music capital of the world|website=NZ Herald|date=June 17, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/country-music-capital|title=Country Music Capital}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelalerts.ca/blogs/f-nashville-americas-country-music-capital/|title=Nashville: America's Country Music Capital}}</ref> The Ryman was home to the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'' until 1974 when the show moved to the Grand Ole Opry House, {{convert|9|mi}} east of downtown. The Opry plays there several times a week, except for an annual winter run at the Ryman. [[File:RCAStudioB Console.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1|[[Bill Porter (sound engineer)|Bill Porter]]'s audio console at [[RCA Studio B]] in Nashville. Studio B was the birthplace of the [[Nashville sound]].|alt=]] Many music clubs and [[honky-tonk]] bars are in downtown Nashville,<ref name="cain20180613" /> particularly the area encompassing [[Lower Broadway]], Second Avenue, and [[Printer's Alley]], which is often referred to as "the District".<ref name="Romine2006β117">{{cite book |title=Frommer's Nashville & Memphis |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley]] |location=Hoboken |first=Linda |last=Romine |year=2006 |edition=7th |pages=117β120 |isbn=0-471-77614-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Insiders' Guide to Nashville |publisher=Globe Pequot |location=Guilford |first1=Cindy Stooksbury |last1=Guier |first2=Jackie Sheckler |last2=Finch |year=2007 |edition=6th |pages=118β129 |isbn=978-0-7627-4186-1}}</ref> Each June, the [[CMA Music Festival]] (formerly known as Fan Fair) brings thousands of country fans to the city. The [[Tennessee State Fair]] is also held annually in September. Nashville was once home of television shows such as ''[[Hee Haw]]'' and ''[[Pop! Goes the Country]]'', as well as [[The Nashville Network]] and later, [[RFD-TV]]. [[Country Music Television]] and [[Great American Country]] currently operate from Nashville. The city was also home to the [[Opryland USA|Opryland USA theme park]], which operated from 1972 to 1997 before being closed by its owners ([[Gaylord Entertainment Company]]) and soon after demolished to make room for the [[Opry Mills]] mega-shopping mall. The [[Contemporary Christian music]] industry is based along Nashville's [[Music Row]], with a great influence in neighboring [[Williamson County, Tennessee|Williamson County]]. The Christian record companies include [[EMI Christian Music Group]], [[Provident Label Group]] and [[Word Records]]. Music Row houses many [[gospel music]] and Contemporary Christian music companies centered around 16th and 17th Avenues South. On River Road, off Charlotte Pike in West Nashville, the ''CabaRay'' opened its doors on January 18, 2018. The performing venue of [[Ray Stevens]], it offers a [[Vegas]]-style dinner and a show atmosphere. There is also a [[piano bar]] and a [[gift shop]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://raystevenscabaray.com/|title=Ray Stevens CabaRay Showroom | Music Shows in Nashville, TN|website=Ray Stevens CabaRay}}</ref> Although Nashville was never known as a major [[jazz]] town, it did have many great jazz bands, including The Nashville Jazz Machine led by Dave Converse and its current version, the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, led by Jim Williamson, as well as The Establishment, led by Billy Adair. The Francis Craig Orchestra entertained Nashvillians from 1929 to 1945 from the Oak Bar and Grille Room in the [[Hermitage Hotel]]. Craig's orchestra was also the first to broadcast over local radio station WSM-AM and enjoyed phenomenal success with a 12-year show on the [[NBC Red Network|NBC Radio]] Network. In the late 1930s, he introduced a newcomer, [[Dinah Shore]], a local graduate of Hume Fogg High School and Vanderbilt University.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}} Radio station [[WMOT|WMOT-FM]] in nearby [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]], which formerly programmed jazz, aided significantly in the recent revival of the city's jazz scene, as has the non-profit Nashville Jazz Workshop, which holds concerts and classes in a renovated building in the north Nashville neighborhood of Germantown. [[Fisk University]] also maintains a jazz station, [[WFSK]]. Nashville has an active theatre scene and is home to several professional and community theatre companies. [[Nashville Children's Theatre]], Nashville Repertory Theatre, the [[Nashville Shakespeare Festival]], the Dance Theatre of Tennessee and the Tennessee Women's Theater Project are among the most prominent professional companies. One community theatre, Circle Players, has been in operation for over 60 years. The [[Barbershop Harmony Society]] has its headquarters in Nashville. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page