The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will honor a Nashville institution, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, with a new photographic exhibition, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge: Thirty-Four Steps and Fifty Years. The exhibit, which opens April 1, will be presented in the Museum’s West Gallery and will run through September 30, 2011.
In 1960, Jeff and Hattie Louise “Tootsie” Bess bought a small restaurant on Broadway in Nashville and rechristened it Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. With its proximity to the Ryman Auditorium, the club became a haven for many Grand Ole Opry stars, who would run over and grab a drink between sets. As Willie Nelson described the trek, “It’s 17 steps to Tootsie’s – and 34 steps back.”
Through the years, Tootsie’s regulars included country stars such as Patsy Cline, Webb Pierce, Charley Pride and Faron Young, as well as up-and-coming songwriters Bill Anderson, Tom T. Hall, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller and Mel Tillis. When the Opry moved to the Opryland complex in 1974, Tootsie’s fell out of favor. And by the time Tootsie Bess died in 1978, downtown Nashville was experiencing the urban blight that affected many cities in the 1970s. In danger of closing, Tootsie’s was brought back to life by entrepreneur Steve Smith, who bought the club in 1992. Smith’s structural renovations and canny musical bookings, which included future country star Terri Clark, breathed new life into the club. Coinciding with this was the re-emergence of downtown Nashville as an entertainment district. Today, Tootsie’s provides a historic anchor amid a thriving entertainment scene.
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge: Thirty-Four Steps and Fifty Years features a dozen photographs that capture memorable moments at Tootsie’s, both onstage and off, including shots of Jamey Johnson and Mel Tillis performing together; Kenny Chesney and rocker Steve Miller onstage; and Kid Rock admiring the club’s décor, featuring walls plastered with 50 years of artist photographs. The exhibit will also include text panels and additional historic photos detailing the venerable club’s half-century of history.
About the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum
Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Museum’s mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print®.
More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.