Hidden History of Nashville


Book Description

This collection uncovers the fascinating past of Tennessee’s legendary Music City from true tall tales to larger than life characters and much more. Perched on the banks of the Cumberland River, Nashville is best known for its role in the civil rights movement, world-class education and, of course, country music. In this unique collection of columns written for The Tennessean, journalist and longtime Tennessee native George Zepp illuminates a less familiar side of the city’s history. Here, readers will learn the secrets of Timothy Demonbreun, one of the city's first residents, who lived with his family in a cliff-top cave; Cortelia Clark, the blind bluesman who continued to perform on street corners after winning a Grammy award; and Nashville's own Cinderella story, which involved legendary radio personality Edgar Bergen and his ventriloquist protegee. Based on questions from readers across the nation, these little-known tales abound with Music City mystery and charm.




Historic Photos of Nashville


Book Description

By the mid-nineteenth century, the city of Nashville was a vibrant cultural center of the South. Through the Civil War reconstruction, two world wars, and into a modern era, Nashville has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong independent culture of its citizens. This volume, Historic Photos of Nashville, captures this journey through still photography from the finest archives of the city, state and private collections. From the Civil War, Exposition and the great fire of 1916, Historic Photos of Nashville follows life, government, education, and disasters throughout Nashville's history. The book captures unique and rare scenes and events through the original lens of hundreds of historic photographs. Published in striking duo tone these images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city.




Nashville Then and Now®


Book Description

Originally known as Nashborough, Nashville was named as the capital of Tennessee in 1843. The city’s economic recovery after the Civil War was slow, hampered by two major cholera epidemics. However, the Centennial Exposition of 1897, for which a reproduction of the Greek Parthenon was built, led to the city’s gradual establishment as one of the finest cities in the South.Although Nashville was known as the home of the Maxwell House Coffee empire in the early twentieth century, it was the Grand Ole Opry, established in 1925, that turned the city into a major country music venue. Using some extraordinary images from the city’s past, paired with the same views today, Nashville Then and Now shows how the city has evolved into a bright, modern city that is synonymous with country music.Locations include: State Capitol, Hotel Hermitage, Maxwell House Hotel, Ryman Auditorium, Union Street, James K. Polk Home, Germantown, Watson House, Woodland Street Bridge, Broad Street, Union Street, Market Street, Customs House, Union Station, Fisk University, Country Music Hall of Fame, the Parthenon, Tennessee Centennial, Vanderbilt University, Hillsboro Turnpike, Fort Negley, East Bank.




Nashville Portraits


Book Description

Expanded book version about "Nashville portraits," including the sixty photographs in the traveling exhibition and new materials: five additional photos, an essay by folklorist/historian WIlliam R. Ferris, and biographies and quotations to accompany the photographic project.




Dust & Grooves


Book Description

A photographic look into the world of vinyl record collectors—including Questlove—in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.







The Secrets of the Hopewell Box


Book Description

"A sometimes eye-goggling history of political corruption in one corner of the postwar South. . . . [Squires'] grandfather was a sheriff's deputy who carried a gun and a clenched fist, a man . . . [who] was also, Squires relates, one of the muscle men behind a vicious cabal of power brokers headed by one Boss Crump. . . . That machine involved, for a time, much of Nashville's leading citizenry. It engineered elections, stole votes, organized lynch mobs, ran an illegal gambling empire, and in the 1950s, when it appeared that the traditional Democratic Party was going soft on civil rights, brokered the advent of Republicanism in one corner of the South." —Kirkus Reviews "His richly textured narrative charts the Nashville machine's rupture with the state's top political boss, Edward Crump of Memphis, and traces the sweeping reforms that shattered rural white control of the state legislature. Squires dramatically reenacts the downfall of Nashville lawyer Tommy Osborn, convicted of jury tampering in 1964 after defending Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. He follows Nashville's transformation into a crucible of the civil rights movement in this stirring chronicle of the South's coming-of-age." —Publishers Weekly




An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein


Book Description

THE STORIES: Welcome to the darkly comic world of Shel Silverstein, a world where nothing is as it seems and where the most innocent conversation can turn menacing in an instant. The ten imaginative plays in this collection range widely in content,




Nashville Like a Local


Book Description

This isn't your ordinary travel guide. Beyond Nashville’s legendary music venues are charming farmers' markets, hidden patio bars, and joyful street art murals that locals love. Whether you're a restless Nashvillian on the hunt for a new hangout or a visitor keen to discover a side you won't find in traditional guidebooks, Nashville Like A Local will give you all the inspiration you need. Turn the pages to discover: The small businesses and community strongholds that add character to this vibrant city, recommended by true locals 6 themed walking tours dedicated to specific experiences, such as brewery hopping and musical history A beautiful gift book for anyone seeking to explore Nashville Helpful what3word addresses so that you can pinpoint all the listed sights A thoughtfully updated second edition, including new places to visit Compiled by two proud Nashvillians and revised and updated for 2024, this stylish travel guide is packed with Nashville’s best experiences and secret spots, handily categorized to suit your mood and needs. About Like A Local: These giftable and collectible guides from DK are compiled exclusively by locals. Whether they're born and bred or moved to study and never looked back, our experts highlight what it means to be a local: pride for their city, community spirit, and local expertise. Like a Local will inspire readers to celebrate the secret and the iconic - just like the locals who call the city home.




The Other Side of Nashville


Book Description

Ever since WSM-AM radio announcer David Cobb first called it the "Music City" back in 1950, Nashville has been known as the center of the country music universe. While some may also be familiar with Nashville for its gospel and CCR industry, few recognize the Music City as a hotbed of rock 'n' roll, rap, and blues music. Since the mid-1970s, when indie rock pioneer R. Stevie Moore released his self-produced Phonography album, a diverse and creative rock music scene has developed in the Music City. From Jason & the Scorchers, the White Animals, and Afrikan Dreamland to Jeff the Brotherhood and the Kings of Leon, there can be no doubt that Nashville rocks! The Other Side of Nashville is an incomplete history and discography of the Nashville rock underground circa 1976-2006. Documenting the growth and evolution of the Music City's non-country music scene, The Other Side of Nashville includes entries over 500 artists, and features over 100 interviews and album reviews, as well as comments and insight from the "Reverend of Rock 'n' Roll," Rev. Keith A. Gordon. An award-winning music journalist with decades of experience, Rev. Keith A. Gordon was there for the "big bang" moment of Nashville's fledgling rock scene, and spent 30 years documenting and championing Music City rockers in both local rags like The Metro, the Nashville Scene, and the Nashville Intelligence Report, as well as national publications like Creem, Rolling Stone, and High Times. Gordon is the author or co-author of seven books on music, is a former contributor to the All Music Guide website and book series, and is currently the Blues Guide for About.com.