Music Row

Music Row was developed in the 1950s by the music industry. Nashville at that time was becoming known as one of the major music centers in the U.S. and Music companies wanted to have a presence in the city. In a 1950s radio broadcast, David Cobb referred to Nashville as, “Music City USA” and from that moment on Nashville became the home for country music as well as for rock & roll. Elvis signed with RCA Victor in 1957 and that event prompted RCA to open an office in Nashville and other labels began to open offices on the same street. Elvis recorded his first series of songs for RCA on what’s now known as Music Row. The Everly Brothers, Brenda Lee, Chet Atkins, Roy Orbison, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and hundreds of other artists have made their recording debut using the recording studios located on 16th Avenue, better known as Music Row.

Music Row is actually sections of 16th and 17th Avenues in Nashville, which are in the same area as Vanderbilt University and Peabody College. The Country Music Hall of Fame was located just off Music Row until a new 37 million dollar building became its home in downtown Nashville. The area around Music Row is a lively college area that is filled with restaurants, shops and hotels. Anyone associated with music has a presence on Music Row and this historic strip in Nashville continues to attract thousands of tourists each year, because most of the studios offer tours that bring back memories of the “good old days.”