Lower Broadway went car-free Sunday as Tootsie's Orchid Lounge marked its 66th anniversary with a free, all-day street party stretching from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The celebration filled an outdoor stage set up between the Apple Store and Bridgestone Arena with a lineup of country acts, bringing the scene to life in the heart of downtown Nashville's honky-tonk district.
To make room for the stage and the crowds it pulled in, Metro Nashville authorities closed Broadway to all vehicular traffic between 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue, according to Metro Nashville. As News Channel 5 Nashville reports, the birthday bash lineup included Brantley Gilbert, Montgomery Gentry, George Birge, Randy Houser, Chase Mathew and DJ Silver, all performing across the twelve hours of programming.
A Tradition Rooted in Tootsie's 50th
The station's report notes that the street-party format has become an annual highlight for the bar, a tradition that began with Tootsie's 50th anniversary celebration and has grown alongside the venue's stature on Broadway. What started as a milestone-year event has since turned into a recurring fixture on the Lower Broadway calendar, drawing performers and fans back year after year.
Tootsie's own history stretches back well before the modern street parties. The building was originally purchased in 1960 under the name Mom's by Hattie Louise “Tootsie” Bess. A painter painted the whole place orchid, after which Mom's became known as Tootsie's, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. That orchid paint job gave the bar its name.
Seventeen Steps From the Ryman
Part of what made Tootsie's legendary is its location: the bar sits behind the Ryman Auditorium, which hosted the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. Nelson himself landed his first professional songwriting job in 1960 after performing at Tootsie's. His songs became hits in 1961, including “Crazy” and “Hello Walls,” according to the Times News.
Proprietor Tootsie Bess was known for keeping a cigar box under the counter full of unpaid IOUs from struggling musicians, regularly slipping cash into their pockets while plastering artist headshots across the walls to build the bar's famous Wall of Fame, per Visit Music City.
Lower Broadway wasn't always the glittering strip it is today. Businessman Steve Smith had bought Tootsie's and acquired all rights by 1997, at a time when the corridor was plagued by urban decay, and later revived the bar, according to The Boot. Smith now owns multiple major venues along the strip he once helped rescue.
Still a Magnet for Surprise Star Power
Beyond its scheduled festival lineups, Tootsie's has a reputation for surprise guest appearances.
Today, the venue features live music on its first, second and third floors, according to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Sixty-six years after Tootsie Bess first opened the doors, the bar remains both a working honky-tonk and a living piece of Nashville's country music history, still standing near where the Opry once played.
