A Songwriter’s Mecca – Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe

It’s off the tourist-beaten track, and it’s a place to gather for earnest listening, so they don’t tolerate blabbing during the performances.  If you’ve heard of the Bluebird Cafe but have not seen it in person, you may be shocked at how tiny it is.

Nearly buried in a characterless strip of stores along Hillsboro Road in Green Hills, with a scarcely visible sign, the Bluebird Cafe is a petite hole in the wall restaurant and cocktail lounge,pub,saloon,barroom, where four singer-songwriters perform from the middle of the venue, in the round. It’s a very folksy, up close and personal setting, in which to listen to a few of Nashville’s aspiring and established singer-songwriters.

Actually, the singer-songwriter in the round arrangement got its start at the Bluebird.  Artists Fred Knobloch (Used to Blue and Meanwhile), and Don Schlitz (The Gambler and Forever and Ever, Amen), according to legend after an evening of drinking, decided to place four chairs facing each other in the heart of the place, turn out the lights, and just watch what happens. This format proved to function so well, that you’re likely to encounter it at many singer-songwriter’s performances close to Music City.

The Bluebird has not solely risen to be noted as Nashville’s most illustrious spot to enjoy musicians, but it has been the starting place for many acknowledged country songwriters, beginning back in 1983 when Kathy Mattea scored a record contract after playing at the Bluebird for merely a little while. As soon as that occurred, the Bluebird became one of the most sought after venues to play.  And this phenomenon would continue to recur again and again, as several of the Bluebird’s songwriter regulars proceeded to obtain recording agreements, and singer-songwriter after musician attained renown in the identical way. (There have been overly many popular musicians “born” at the Bluebird to list them all here, but do you remember Garth Brooks? – Yep, he got his big break at the Bluebird, as well,also.)

The Bluebird Cafe exhibits two shows every evening, and reservations are advised, which you can complete on the web (in all likelihood the best method) or by phone. But if you didn’t make reservations and want to travel over there before things start, you certainly ought to go for it – the folks there will do everything possible to get you into the show. The Bluebird definitely ought to be on any visitor’s list of Nashville attractions to check out.