How Did Nashville Rise to Become the Heart of Country Music?

The music industry recognizes only four globally-renowned music "capitals": New York City, Los Angeles, London, and Nashville, Tennessee. Which one stands out from the rest?

Despite Nashville's population being under 2 million, it outperforms those major global cities in music production per capita. A 2013 report shows Nashville boasts more music industry jobs (56,000) per capita than New York or Los Angeles, with the music and entertainment industry contributing $10 billion to the city's economy – a figure that has only grown since.

Nashville is widely known as the heart of country music, but it is also the undisputed capital of contemporary Christian music and gospel. Its vibrant and diverse music scene has paved the way for stars like Elvis, Jimi Hendrix, and Taylor Swift.

How did this relaxed Southern town, far removed from the bustling studios of New York, LA, and Chicago, come to be known as "Music City, U.S.A."?

The tale begins in the 1870s with the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a vocal ensemble from Nashville’s Fisk University made up entirely of freed black slaves. They embraced the operatic singing style of the era to perform negro spirituals. Their performances became a sensation, and they toured not only across the U.S. but also in Europe, showcasing a truly American sound.

After a performance attended by none other than Queen Victoria of Great Britain, it is said that Her Highness remarked, "You must come from the music city."

While it's a captivating tale, most music historians -- including renowned documentarian Ken Burns -- believe it’s likely apocryphal. Regardless, the Fisk Jubilee Singers undeniably played a pivotal role in establishing Nashville as a musical hub. They were also among the first musical acts to perform at the Ryman Auditorium, a ‘gospel tabernacle’ built in 1892 by riverboat captain Tom Ryman, and still considered Nashville's most cherished music venue (we’ll get into the Ryman shortly).

"We Shield Millions"

Strangely enough, most of Nashville’s rise as Music City can be attributed to an insurance company. In 1925, the National Life and Accident Insurance Company had the innovative idea of launching a radio station in Nashville to promote its brand. They named it WSM, inspired by their motto "We Shield Millions," and primarily played classical and easy-listening music. However, Saturday nights were reserved for the WSM Barn Dance, an evening featuring live (and spirited) country music.

The Barn Dance broadcast became such a hit in Nashville that people would gather downtown every Saturday night to catch a glimpse of the performers outside the WSM station. In response, WSM built an auditorium to accommodate the growing audience and, in 1927, changed the name of the weekly program to the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1932, WSM installed a new antenna (the tallest in North America at the time) and began broadcasting a 50,000-watt clear channel signal that reached households across the United States from coast to coast. The Grand Ole Opry became one of the most popular radio shows of its era, and in 1943, the live music revue moved to the Ryman Auditorium, where it would remain for the next 31 years.

Don Cusic, a Nashville-based country music historian and the Music City Professor of Music Industry History at Belmont University, believes that the period from 1945 to 1955 marked the Grand Ole Opry’s golden age.

"That was the time when every country artist dreamed of performing there," says Cusic.

Nearly every major country and rockabilly star of the 1940s and 1950s found their breakthrough by performing on the Opry stage at the Ryman, including Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, and Elvis. The entire genre of bluegrass music was literally born on the Ryman stage in 1945.

The Grand Ole Opry’s allure for country musicians is hard to overemphasize. The top performers flocked to Nashville to play on the Opry, and soon after, the recording studios and record labels followed. The emerging industry established itself in Nashville’s Music Row along 16th and 17th avenues, home to the iconic RCA Studio B, where Elvis recorded 260 songs, including his first number one hit, "Heartbreak Hotel" in 1956.

The story behind Nashville’s famous nickname is often credited to WSM radio announcer David Cobb, who spontaneously introduced a 1960 Opry broadcast by declaring that the music the audience was hearing was coming from "Music City, USA." The name stuck from there.

Cusic argues that Nashville outshines other Southern music cities like Austin and Atlanta because its vibrant, locally nurtured creative culture is supported by a robust industry presence. Nashville isn’t just a country music capital, but also home to Christian contemporary, gospel, alternative rock, and more. He notes that Austin may continue to vie for the title of music capital of the South, but its residents often dislike the business side of the industry.

"The music business is about the music, the business, and the technology all intertwined," Cusic says. "You can’t ignore the business side because that’s what makes it successful."

Among the musicians who call Nashville their home are Justin Timberlake, Sheryl Crow, Jack White, Paramore, Kings of Leon, Ben Folds, and many others. And even though the Grand Ole Opry moved to a new venue in 1974, the Ryman Auditorium continues to host sold-out performances over 125 years later.