Early Musical Influences
There has always been music in the roots of the city of Nashville. From the original settlers and their fiddle music in the 1700's, to hymnal publishing and the famous Fisk Jubilee Singers in the 1800's century [1], music has been influencing the city for centuries. These early musical influences helped Nashville earn the nickname "Music City."
The Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University worked to help fulfill their school's mission of education freed slaves after the Civil War. This world-renowned group helped alert the rest of the world to the musical importance of the city of Nashville [2]. Here is an example of what the Fisk Jubilee Singers might have sounded like: [3].
Confederate veterans held a reunion at a former tabernacle in 1897, and in order to hold the vast numbers, a new balcony had to be built inside to hold everyone. This venue later became known as the Rymann Auditorium, which went on to become the site of the Grand Ole Opry. Even before the Opry, this building became known as the "Carnegie Hall of the South"after Enrico Caruso, John Phillip Sousa and the Vienna Orchestra all gave spectacular performances there [4].
Rymann Theater in 1892 [5].
1."History of the Music Business in Nashville."(Nashville.gov. Accessed January 12, 2016. )
2. "The Story of Music City." (Nashville Music City. Accessed January 31, 2016.)
3.Fisk Jubilee Singers. Down By the Riverside. (2003, MP3.)
4."The Story of Music City."
5. Rymann Auditorium in 1892. (Digital image. Rymann Auditorium. Accessed May 15, 2016.)