World Famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge
THIRTY-FOUR STEPS AND FIFTY YEARS!!

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will honor a Nashville institution, Tootsies Orchid Lounge, with a new photographic exhibition, Tootsies 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, Tootsies 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, Tootsies 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 reemergence of downtown Nashville as an entertainment district. Today, Tootsie’s provides a historic anchor amid a thriving entertainment scene.

Tootsies Orchid Lounge: Thirty-Four Steps and Fifty Years features a dozen photographs that capture memorable moments at Tootsies, 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.

www.countrymusichalloffame.org