Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, Charlie Daniels, Kid Rock and "Tootsie" Bess, the owner and founder of the landmark Nashville honky tonk, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, have been announced as the seventh class of inductees into Nashville's Music City Walk of Fame. They will be honored with the unveiling of commemorative sidewalk medallions on Sunday, November 8 at the Hall of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. Each stainless steel medallion will display the artist's name in a star-and-guitar design.
Including this induction class, 42 stars have been honored by the Music City Walk of Fame, which was created in 2006 as a tribute to artists from any musical genre who have contributed to the unique musical heritage of Nashville. Former inductees include Hank Williams, Elvis, Little Richard, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell and Jimi Hendrix.
The really notable inductee in this class is Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess, who in 1960 purchased a bar called Mom's right across the alley the Ryman Auditorium, which for decades was the home of the Grand Ole Opry. The bar's name was changed to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, and it quickly became a favored watering hole and small venue for some of country's biggest singer-songwriters to mingle and air out new material on stage. Legends like Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings all spent countless hours at Tootsie's, which still packs in locals and tourists for cold beer and great music to this day.
Put Tootsie's on your short list if you're ever in Nashville!
Photo © Matt Carr/Getty Images
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