Downtown Nashville is booming, thanks to Country Music!
Country music has become one of the biggest genres in the American Music industry, and Nashville, the seat of country music, is attracting a steady stream of tourists who follow their passion and spend a lot of dollars doing so. In return, Nashville is putting on a great show to keep them coming, and Ole Red is very much a part of that scene.
MUSIC CITY, USA.
Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, is known as Music City, USA, because of its ties to Country and Western Music and the entertainment industry. It is also home to other world-famous country music institutions, namely the Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Music Row, the CMA Festival, and the Honky Tonks. This is one of my favorite cities!
THE HONKY TONKS.
“Honky Tonks are the heartbeat of country music — where the stories are real, the boots are worn, and the songs are lived before they are sung.” Unknown quote.
“Honky Tonk Highway” is the essence of Nashville, and to miss the Honky Tonks is to miss a legendary Nashville experience. The scene can dazzle the eye, with large competing neon signs, one up against the other, flashing their names, inviting passers-by to enter and “sample” the music.
Referred to as “Honky Tonk Highway,” four blocks of Lower Broadway are lined with bars blaring multiple streams of music that sound cacophonous. Music at the Honky Tonks is not limited to Country and Western and includes other genres, such as classic rock, rock, bluegrass, R&B, jazz, and pop.
What is a Honky Tonk?
It is a bar in which country and other related music is played by unknown performers who want to show their talent. The Honky Tonks along lower Broadway are small and old, with beat-up pianos and weathered floorboards. But the music coming out of the Honky Tonks is first-rate, and most of all, it provides an opportunity for unknown artists to perform and possibly become famous.
Many unknown performers have begun their careers singing in the Honky Tonks, performing for a few dollars from the tip bucket. For example, successful artists like Dierks Bentley, Gretchen Wilson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Blake Shelton all “graduated” singing in the Honky Tonks, where they were first discovered.
The Honky Tonks have played an important part in Country Music — dare I say, they are the sperm bank of future performers because this is where unknown musicians have an opportunity to show their talent without a promoter and without it costing one dime.
Opening at 10:00 a.m. and closing at 3:00 a.m., the following day, one can occupy a seat at the bar or next to the stage all day and night, listening to music for the price of a beer. Of course, there is a bucket for tips, and this is basically how the musicians get paid, so please tip generously!
OLE RED: ADAPTIVE REUSE OF SPACE.
I am always on the lookout for interesting repurposed buildings, and coming across Ole Red, Blake Shelton’s Bar and Entertainment Center at 300 Broadway, I felt as if I had struck gold in the Honky Tonk neighborhood of downtown Nashville.
Ole Red represents the conversion of an old bank into a modern performance space. The original National Bank Building, circa 1924, has been historically revivified, making a grand entrance — shaking off its no longer-needed bank responsibilities in favor of becoming a full-throttle entertainment center.
These conversions are referred to as “Adaptive Reuse of Space,” and Ole Red is a classic example of an old building that was restored and then used for another purpose.
NASHVILLE IS IN THE MIDST OF A GROWTH SPURT.
Nashville is known for its many abandoned buildings with interesting histories that have been saved from the wrecking ball to become even more famous after having new life breathed into them. With new developments springing up like wildflowers after the rain, Nashville is on steroids, confirmed by the number of buildings under construction and the cranes combing the sky.
Front entrance to the restored Sinema restaurant and bar. Photo Phyl Doppelt.
However, between these new developments, there are pockets of saved historic buildings that have been refurbished, such as The Weyman-Bruton Tobacco Warehouse, circa 1865, that was converted to residential condos, an art deco cinema that is now a top-tier restaurant called Sinema, an abandoned carwash that was re-imagined into four fast food ethnic restaurants called “The Wash,” and a huge, abandoned old factory that once assembled cars, the Marathon Motor works, has found new life as a center filled with trendy shops, eateries, and distilleries built around the old motor assembly plant, attracting a new hip generation to enjoy its attractions. Multiply this number by many more, and you come to realize that this is what gives Nashville its patina — the old mixed in with the new, saving Nashville’s rich architectural heritage for a new generation.
OLE RED — THE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER.
On January 4th, 2017, Ryman Hospitality Properties, a leading lodging and hospitality real estate investment trust, issued a Press Release announcing they would partner with Blake Shelton, a member of the Grand Ole Opry, on Ole Red, a proposed entertainment space at the corner of Broadway and Third Streets that would occupy the refurbished Broadway National Bank Building.
The plan was to repurpose Blake Shelton’s quirky hit “Ol’ Red” into a new lifestyle brand to be anchored by a $20 million entertainment venue in the historic downtown Honky Tonk neighborhood. The collaboration between Ryman Hospitality and Blake Shelton was intended to create a bar and entertainment center where guests could come and celebrate country music and all that it embodies. And what better way to promote the emerging Blake Shelton brand?
A performance on the stage in the main performance space. Photo by Phyl Doppelt.
The proposed venue was in the heart of the historic downtown Honky Tonk neighborhood of Nashville. The new venture would be called “Ole Red,” embodying the spirit of Bake Shelton’s quirky hit song “Ol’ Red.”
The old Broadway National Bank building had been empty for some time. Officially said to date from 1924, with sections of the building that could date from 1880, Ryman Hospitality Properties planned to refurbish the Bank into an entertainment, retail, and event space — it was to be a modern Honky Tonk.
Plans were drawn up to turn it into a four-story, 26,000-square-foot music venue. This would also be a vehicle to create digital content, retail, and entertainment venues celebrating the “Country” lifestyle. The intention was to create a brand and spin it off into Ole Reds in other parts of the country. To date, there are seven Ole Red venues in four States.
The mezzanine that overhangs the main performance space. Photo by Anecdote Architectural Experiences.
The refurbishment, completed in 2018, included converting the first two floors into performance space, a stage with state-of-the-art sound systems connected to an upstairs mezzanine bar and restaurant, and a retail space called the Ole Red Shop.
Ole Red Retail Shop. Photo by Anecdote Architectural Experiences.
The Rooftop “Lookout Bar.” Photo by Anecdote Architectural Experiences and Tuck Hinton, Nashville.
Above this is a conference center and private suites, and on the top floor is an expansive 6,500-square-foot rooftop restaurant and terrace with sweeping views of Nashville’s historic lower Broadway Honky Tonk neighborhood and beyond. This view is mesmerizing in the day and magical at night when the lights turn on after dark, flashing multicolored signs of the Honky Tonks and the shops lining Broadway.
The completed 26,000-square-foot building can seat 700 people for a sit-down event or about 1,300 for cocktails. Although this is a lot bigger than the original Honky Tonks on Lower Broadway, it is still known as a Honky Tonk.
Two of the neighbors that can be seen from Ole Red’s Lookout Bar on the top floor are Jason Aldean’s Kitchen and Rooftop Bar and Luke’s 32 Bridge Food and Drink (Luke Bryan). This is Nashville “Royalty” — the upper echelon of country music!
THE MEANING OF THE NAME “OL’ RED.”
“So, I decided to put in my own damn bar,” Shelton was heard to joke one evening on “TheVoice.”
That “damn bar” is Ole Red Nashville, named after Blake Shelton’s irreverent early hit “Ol’ Red.”
The song Ol’ Red was inspired by a simple story about a bloodhound named Ol’ Red, a prisoner, and a prison warden. As the story goes, the prisoner is incarcerated in Georgia, near the Florida state line, where he’s serving a 99-year sentence for killing a man who was sleeping with his wife. And why not? Except there are repercussions for killing a man, even if he has strayed into your territory!
The warden in charge of the prisoners has a dog called Ol’ Red, which he has trained to apprehend prisoners trying to escape. Ol’ Red excels at this and is referred to in the song as a “four-legged tracking machine” because no prisoner on his watch ever escapes.
The prisoner befriends the warden and convinces him to allow him to take care of Ol’ Red.
Wanting to escape as all prisoners do, the prisoner then bribes a guard to send a letter to his cousin in Tennessee asking him to bring a female Bluetick Coonhound to the prison to meet Ol’ Red! Everything goes according to plan. The two dogs meet and are immediately attracted to one another. While they are getting more intimately acquainted, the prisoner seizes his opportunity and successfully escapes.
“Now, Ol Red, he’s the damnedest dog that I’ve ever seen
Got a nose that can smell a two-day trial
He’s a four-legged tracking machine.”
“Ol’ Red” is one of Blake Shelton’s iconic, award-winning hits. He loves to sing and perform this quirky song, and with luck, you may catch him performing it at Ole Red. The original song was called Ol’ Red, but when the branding was introduced, the title of the bar was changed to Ole Red to reflect the Grand “Ole” Opry, where Shelton is a member. It also reflects the fact that Ryman Hospitality also owns the Grand Ole Opry, one of its most prized “possessions.”
VISITING OLE RED.
On my last visit to Nashville, I decided to have an up close and personal with Blake Shelton’s “Ole Red” Bar in the heart of the Honky Tonk neighborhood. What I found was the original Broadway National Bank Building from circa 1924 had taken on a new persona as Ole Red, a multi-story entertainment center dominating the corner of Lower Broadway and Third Avenue. This is the core of the historic downtown Honky Tonk neighborhood, where its neighbors are the original old Honky Tonks on Lower Broadway and the more recent celebrity-owned and branded multi-story entertainment centers — a magnification of the original Honky Tonks, allowing their celebrity-named owners more control to promote their music, their branding, and whichever other performers they wish to feature.
REFURBISHING OLE RED.
The old bank required a total makeover, and Turner Construction was called in as the General Contractor. The exterior was left unchanged, but inside, several walls were removed, and the building was propped up while a new, more crowd-friendly interior was carved out. This became the performance area, with a large stage and an overhanging restaurant and bar. I wonder what any of the bank managers would have to say about the bank’s new persona!
Interior wall decorations at Ole Red. Photo Anecdote Architectural Experiences.
Anecdote Architectural Experiences and Anderson Designs were brought on board for the next phase of the building’s refurbishment, working on it until its completion. Both companies have portfolios that include numerous successful projects in Adaptive Reuse of Space and an appreciation for the integrity of these heritage buildings, having worked on a number of similar projects, making the “old” “new” again.
The Broadway Bank Building after it was restored. Photo by Anecdote Architectural Experiences.
During the refurbishment, care was taken to save as much of the original bank building’s character and historic detailing as possible.
Stairwell to the upper floors, showing restored and saved original brickwork. Photo Phyl Doppelt.
Rather than plastering over all the walls, giving them a new surface, the brickwork was cleaned up and left exposed to show its age. The window frames were restored, and the glass was replaced, letting in lots of daylight or scenes of the iridescent neon lights at night.
Blake Shelton performing.
BLAKE SHELTON.
Tall and easygoing, Blake Shelton is one of the most likable and popular country music artists. He is a singer, songwriter, and TV celebrity and is immersed in country music. He has sold over 10 million records, scored 15 Number 1 country hits, and was named People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2017. And according to my close observation, his sexiness has not diminished with age!
Originally from Oklahoma, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he found fame and success when he was “noticed” performing in the Honky Tonks. Blake Shelton, an award-winning performer, has several songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, albums, and country music awards.
Blake Shelton in his swivel chair, judging on The Voice.
His fan base multiplied when he became a judge on The Voice, where he was able to grow a much larger audience during his 23 seasons, occupying a swivel chair on the show. During his tenure, he coached the most number of winners. Do not be fooled by his down-to-earth, laid-back personality. He is formidable and whiplash-smart! In addition to his musical smarts, he has ambition and business acumen that have driven his success.
FOOD AT OLE RED.
The main bar on the mezzanine floor, that overlooks the stage. Photo by Phyl Doppelt.
OLE RED FEATURES TWO BARS.
This is the bar on the mezzanine level. Just look at that bar- it looks very well-stocked to me, and it has enough liquor to float a barge down the Cumberland River! It has every type of beer, cans and bottles, tequila, brandy, vodka, and a phenomenal selection of whisky, many of which are aged up to 25 years. These can be served neat or used in custom cocktails with crazy names.
Mocktail at Ole Red, Nashville. Photo: Ole Red, Nashville, website.
The 20-oz glass — all glassware is branded, and guests are encouraged to take this glass home. Photo Ole Red Nashville website.
The drinks are served in glasses with Ole Red branding. For those trying to stay sober, there are mocktails with wonderful names, sodas, and fresh juices. Guests are encouraged to take home a 20-oz pint glass, a Mason Jar with branded writing, or a shot glass, a reminder to return to Nashville.
The Lookout Bar on the rooftop level was a new add-on to the existing old Bank Building. It has a full dining menu and an equally well-stocked bar, and according to the website, the bar serves “fancy pants” cocktails. I don’t know what those are, so you will have to visit to find out! Up here, guests can watch live shows and acoustic performances, and there is a DJ. But best of all is the view of other celebrities named Honky Tonks as well as the scene over Lower Broadway and the original Honky Tonks.
THE RISE OF COUNTRY MUSIC.
Country music has become one of the biggest genres in the American Music Industry, with a consumer base of 150 million people who regularly listen to country music. This segment contributes $8.9 billion to the economy. Dominating the charts and streaming services, 2024 was a bumper year, bringing in crossover artists like Beyonce and Post Malone, who had followings of their own before entering the country music sphere. Country music also includes new collaborations between country artists and pop artists, further expanding the reach of country music. An example of this is the duet sung by Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton, “Say Something,” combining Timberlake’s pop/R&B background with Stapleton’s blues-country style, performed as a duet at a CMA show in 2015, that had the audience on its feet applauding. This was so riveting that people in Nashville still talk about it.
Nashville’s music scene is legendary, deserving of the name Music City, USA.
Blake Shelton performing. Photo from the Ole Red website.
CONCLUSION.
OLE RED.
300 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37201
Tel. 615/780-0900
nashville@olered.com
website: olered.com/nashville
Hours of operation: 11.00 a.m. – 2.00. a.m.
Another interesting read!