Venues

A site devoted to returning country music back
to its roots - that traditional sound

Some ... located in: Georgia, Tennessee and Texas

GEORGIA

COWBOYS ATLANTA
1750 N Roberts Rd, Atlanta, GA - (770) 426 5006
A country haven, suitably located in the boonies of Kennesaw, miles away from downtown Atlanta. Huge, imposing, almost majestic, this "club" puts others to shame. It has the grandeur and stature to bring in the biggest names in the genre and still has time for square dancing. Polite staff and quick, efficient service are provided, along with sustenance that comes in one flavor: American. DIRECTIONS: Take I-75 to Exit 116 and turn right onto Ernest Barrett Pkwy. Follow road to Hwy 41 and turn right. Go to the next light and turn right into Kennesaw Crossing Shopping Ct.

STAR COMMUNITY BAR
437 Moreland Avenue, Atlanta, GA - (404) 681-9018
The Star Bar used to be a bank. Now it has become, incongruously, a hangout for those who favor rockabilly and don't mind rubbing shoulders with the odd leather deviant or redneck. This club is now the focal point in Atlanta for roots music and its attendant derivatives, and there's no better place to be if you want to avoid poseurs and pretense. The main event is invariably the music; loud, beer-soaked, and tear-stained, while Elvis looks on contentedly from his shrine in the old bank vault, and the disco ball flashes incessantly. Touring acts return every year, and musicians playing other venues come here afterwards for a drink or three. Less noisy and more intimate is the downstairs bar, known as the Little Vinyl Lounge, which houses the best juke-box in town and serves wicked martinis, and where conversation is actually feasible.

FABULOUS FOX THEATRE
660 Peachtree St NE at Ponce de Leon Ave
Atlanta, GA 30308 - (404) 881-2100
DIRECTIONS: From 75/85 S: Exit North Ave (Exit 100), Turn Left to Peachtree St and turn left. The Fox is on the left. From 75/85 N: Exit at 10th and 14th St (Exit 99), turn right. Go down to Peachtree St and turn right.
This lavish 1920s structure was built as an Yaarab Temple Shrine Mosque and features Moorish designs inside and out. Highlights include onion domes, minarets, and arches. Every surface is decorated with ornate plasterwork or gilt. Huge ballrooms play host to opulent affairs. The main entrance opens to a pair of elegant staircases sweeping patrons into the upper balconies or onto the main floor. The auditorium is an Arabian courtyard, with stars twinkling overhead. One special feature of the Fox is "Mighty Mo," a colossal theater organ with four keyboards, 3,622 pipes, 376 stops, and 42 ranks.

TENNESEE

BLUEBIRD CAFE
4104 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville - (615) 383-1461
During the last 16 years, no other place in Nashville has become as popular for putting the lonely performer in the spotlight. Common courtesy rules the floor, and when someone takes the mic, the club demands silence. What you get in return is one of the premiere listening rooms in the country, showcasing the bestsinger-songwriters around. The Bluebird also continues to be the most prominent funnel and distillery of talent on the local scene. They hold auditions every four or five months for the coveted Sunday writers night slots. The early shows on Mondays are open mic nights, where names are drawn out of a hat. Try to get a reservation. It's a popular place for locals and tourists, and if it's crowded, standing isn't much fun. Also, be forewarned that if you get a table, there's a $7 minimum in addition to the cover charge. --Jim Myers

BLUEGRASS CAFE
418 Broadway, Nashville - (615) 726-2799
Located Broadway at 4th Avenue North
OPEN:
Monday - Thursday: 8:00pm to 2:00am
Friday: 6:00pm to 2:00am
Saturday: 2:00pm to 2:00am

ERNEST TUBB RECORD STORE
2416 Music Valley Drive, Nashville - (615) 889-2474
This store, just off I-65 near the Nashville International Airport, stays open late on Saturdays for The Midnight Jamboree, a live radio show broadcast from the Texas Troubadour Theatre, a 500-seat performance space attached to the Record Shop. It's a free show, which Ernest Tubb started to help young artists starting out in radio, and takes place right after the Grand Ole Opry on WSM (AM 650). The Midnight Jamboree, celebrating its 50th anniversary in May '97, helped launch the careers of such luminaries as Loretta Lynn and Elvis Presley.--Alex Sniderman

EXIT / IN
2208 Elliston Place, Nashville, TN 37203 - (615) 321-4400
The venerable Exit, the cornerstone of the Elliston Square entertainment area, suffered from a lack of attention over the years. For a club with its history, the Exit had slipped out of the minds of many as one of the first places to go to hear music. That's when Ned Horton stepped in. Horton, formerly the general manager of Tuned In Broadcasting (Lightning 100), bought the club, redecorated, improved the sound system and started booking an interesting slate of acts. The Exit's weekly programming now includes Billy Block's Western Beat Roots Revival and a writer's night organized by Hugh Bennett, who helped develop the idea in Music City in the '70s. Combined with sister club The End, across the street, The Exit/In has brought the Elliston Square Rock Block back to life. ‹Lucas W. Hendrickson

FIDDLE & STEEL BAR
212 Printers Alley, Nashville - (615) 251-9002
This room is just what the name says, a bar dedicated to music. Live country music cranks up every night at 7pm, with Monday dedicated to the open mic. The bare bones decor sports a few tables, a stage so small the keyboardist sets up on the floor, and a cash-only bar. It's a friendly, low-key place with a few regulars, so be prepared to be stared at on your first visit.

GRAND OLE ORPY HOUSE
2804 Opryland Drive, Nashville - (615) 889-6611
It might be the world's most famous radio studio. Visitors from around the world flock to the Grand Ole Opry House every weekend to get a glimpse of their favorite country music stars: past, present, and future. The facility also frequently houses general meeting sessions and multimedia shows, as well as concerts, business theater productions, and nationally televised awards shows (such as the Country Music Association's annual shindig). The 45,000-square-foot building features pew-style seating for 4,400 people, and a 110-foot-wide by 68-foot-deep stage, floored with beechwood imported from Denmark, save a circle in the center of the stage lifted from the stage of the Opry's original home at the Ryman Auditorium.--Lucas W. Hendrickson

LONG HOLLOW JAMBOREE/RESTAURANT
3600 Long Hollow Pike, Hendersonville, TN - (615) 824-4445
What started out as a jam session at a neighborhood grocery store in the mid-'70s grew into one of the most popular old-time jamborees in the Nashville area. People come from all over the country to enjoy the country music and family entertainment at the Long Hollow Jamboree & Restaurant, which remains smoke- and alcohol-free. On Tuesday the music starts at 7pm with open mike/amateur night. On Friday and Saturday the music starts at 7:30pm with the Jimmy Heap Band. Guests get a treat as Ernest Tubb's former drummer leads the music for two-stepping and square dancing. As for the dining, the menu varies, but you can count on good home-cooked southern food. Located just 11 miles from downtown Nashville, take I-65 North to exit 97, turn right, and it's 4.5 miles on theleft. --Missy Baker

NASHVILLE PALACE
2400 Music Valley Drive, Nashville - (615) 885-1540
Restaurant & Dinner Theatre. Tel: (615) 885-1540, Fax: (615) 885-0528. You never know who you'll see on stage at Nashville's favorite nightspot located right next to the Grand Ole Opry. Just a few of the many stars who have performed at The Nashville Palace.: Randy Travis, Lorrie Morgan, Ricky Van Shelton, Alan Jackson, Johnny Russell, Porter Wagoner, and countless others.

RYMAN AUDITORIUM
116 5th Avenue North, Nashville - (615) 254-1445
The "Mother Church of Country Music" was Renovated in the early '90s, the 2,200 seat hall is the premier place to listen to music in Nashville. Period. Every performer who walks onto the famed stage, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry, seems to have an almost only bad seats in the house are the ones directly behind one of the support beams on the first floor, but even then, the fantastic acoustics might make up for it. The Ryman opens every day for tours, and also plays host to long-run shows like the Everly Brothers' biograpghy production, "Bye Bye Love," and the gospel music-driven "Sam's Place" series. ‹Lucas W. Hendrickson

STATION INN
402 12th Avenue South, Nashville - (615) 255-3307
Let's be honest. On the outside, the Station Inn doesn't It doesn't look like much. It's a little out of the way, and if you're not looking for it, you will miss it. The standard reaction I've gotten, when showing people where it is, has been, "That's the Station Inn?" Their confusion is warranted because they expect the club, with it's reputation for great bluegrass music, to be a little more high profile, when it's really a hole-in-the-wall kind of joint. But once you get inside, and the music of regulars The Sidemen or Kentucky Thunder washes over you, it just doesn't matter. Mandolins, banjos, guitars, and more merge to transport you to another musical era. --Lucas W. Hendrickson

TOOTSIE'S FAMOUS LOUNGE
422 Broadway, Nashville, TN - (615) 726-0463
What makes it World Famous? Back in the days when the Opry was king of downtown entertainment, performers used to slip out the Ryman's back door and slip into the Lower Broad establishment for some, shall we say, between-show refreshments. While they were there, your struggling songwriters mingled freely with your Opry regulars, and sometimes, country music history was made in the form of either a great song or a gargantuan bar tab. Today, Tootsie's has a fresh coat of purple paint on the outside, but the vibe inside remains the same, up-and-comers looking for that next big break but without the benefit of the Opry folks. --Lucas W. Hendrickson

WILDHORSE SALOON
120 2nd Avenue North, Nashville, TN - (615) 726-0463
You might say this was the cornerstone of the 2nd Avenue entertainment district, but it's right in the middle of the block, and middleoftheblockstone really doesn't look good spelled out. The Wildhorse, one of Nashville's hottest dance clubs, features a 3,300-square-foot dance floor, a full-service restaurant. And, because it's Music City, Wildhorse sports a pretty big souvenir/gift shop to boot. The club can accommodate more than 1,400 shows. Opryland's River Taxi on the Cumberland River gives guests access to Opryland USA from the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville. --Lucas W. Hendrickson

TEXAS

THE BACKYARD/LIVE OAK
13101 W. Highway 71 at Bee Caves, Austin, TX - (512) 263-4146
AMPHITHEATER. One of the most beautiful and pleasant live music venues in the area, it actually is the backyard of a little restaurant out in the Hill Country, complete with deck seating and a grassy area to the side for lounging during the concerts. Several tremendous oak trees tower over most of the spectator area, offering much-needed shade on those hot summer afternoons. All flavors of musicians come to the Backyard, usually the club features live music only when major acts come through town.

BROKEN SPOKE
3201 S. Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX - (512) 442-6189
The flashing sign in front says it all: "dine and dance Texas style," so be prepared for the real deal. Started in 1964 by James White, this combination restaurant and converted lumber warehouse turned dance hall has been host to the best country music dancers in the world. The dance hall is around back and seats 400 people. It's the sort of place where after a few beers, you wouldn't be surprised to see Hank Williams Sr. sitting in the corner. Drop in for some two-stepping on Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Be sure to check out the unofficial country music hall of fame hat collection in the back, and if you're here on one of the rare nights without live music, you might play number 110 on the jukebox for old times sake.

THE CATCUS CAFE
24th & Guadalupe, Texas Union, Austin , TX - (512) 475-6515
night. Daytime patrons can snack on muffins, cookies, empanadas, or various sandwiches. Night owls get to feast on a bounteous selection of live music Monday through Saturday. The Cactus Cafe has a full bar and carries 40 brands of beers. Closed on Sundays.

DESSAU MUSIC HALL
13422 Dessay Road, Austin, TX - 512-246-8810
Open again, Dessau Hall, located near Pflugerville, has a great dance floor for country and western dancing. Come dressed in your best western wear.

DONN'S DEPOT
1600 W. 5th Street, Austin, TX - 512-478-0336
Donn Adelman - Mon - Fri 2:00pm- 2:00am -- Sat 6:00pm- 2:00am -- All aboard! One of Austin's most unique and exciting nightclubs is housed in an old Missouri-Pacific train depot with train cars and a real live red caboose. It is called DONN'S DEPOTand features great drinks, moderate prices, two dance floors, and your favorite music performed by some of Austin's most talented musicians.

GEUENE HALL
1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, TX 78130 - (210) 606-1281
DIRECTIONS: Take IH-35 south from Austin to New Braunfels, exit to CR306. Head west toward Canyon Lake. Take a left at the second traffic light, go one mile to land directly in front of Gruene Hall.

OLD COUPLAND INN & DANCEHALLL
116 Hoxie, Coupland, TX - 512-856-2226
"It's Just a Two-step Back In Time" - Welcome to the home of the eatinest, drinkinest, dancinest place in Texas! Located 25 minutes from Austin or Round Rock, come experience the genuine taste of the kind of food, entertainment, and hospitality that Texas made famous.
Thu -Sat 6:00pm-10:00pm
Tel: (512) 856-2226 - Fax: (512) 856-2619
Dance Hall Hours: Fri 7:00pm-12:00am -- Sat 7:00pm-1:00am

SAXON PUB
1320 S. Lamar Boulevard, Austin, TX - (512) 448-2552
The Saxon Pub is legendary when it comes to original music, an outstanding listening room, and a great Texas bar. Every night of the week you can hear live music and enjoy a great atmosphere. Whether it's blues, rock, or country, the Saxon Pub offers the best in Austin music.

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TRADITIONAL COUNTRY HALL OF FAMEs
Bob Timmers, site editor
P.O. Box 639
Burns, TN 37029
Ph. 615-740-7625
Fax. 615-740-8181