Over 70,000 people visit the venue annually, many of them as a result of seeing The Bluebird on television or reading about the club in publications such as Southwest Spirit, National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times or hearing it mentioned by the artists such as Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban, Kathy Mattea, Trisha Yearwood, Kim Richey, Dierks Bentley, Faith Hill and Vince Gill, all of whom have had career moments over the past 31 years at the tiny, legendary club.

- January 1, 1982
OPENING
OPENING
January 1, 1982Amy Kurland opens The Bluebird Cafe as a 100-seat restaurant in a small strip mall, five miles from downtown Nashville.While her focus was to serve lunch and dinner, Kurland adds a small stage and involves friends with music venue experience to help book bands after the dinner crowd. Music becomes a part of the Cafe's repertoire.
- January 1, 1983
FIRST RECORD DEAL
FIRST RECORD DEAL
January 1, 1983Kathy Mattea had been playing the Bluebird for several months and lands a record deal on Mercury Records.
- February 13, 1984
BLUE MONDAY
BLUE MONDAY
February 13, 1984Blue Monday, fronted by vocalist Roguie Ray, begins a weekly Monday Night blues band tradition at The Bluebird Cafe. During his time, Ray along with band members, Eddie Blakely, Jimmy Greasy, Billy Earl McClelland, Johnny Neel and Dave Pomeroy, hosted many of the music industry great players such as Greg Allman, Dickey Betts, Lenny Breau, Steve Cropper, Vince Gill, Jimmy Hall, Dave Mason, Dee Murray, David Olney & Wynonna.
- July 1, 1984
WRITERS NIGHT BEGINS
WRITERS NIGHT BEGINS
July 1, 1984The Bluebird Cafe adds their first official weekly Sunday Writers’ Night, featuring 8-10 songwriters chosen through an audition process. Don Schlitz was the special guest on the first show.
- July 12, 1984
T. GRAHAM BROWN
T. GRAHAM BROWN
July 12, 1984T. Graham Brown’s first performance.
- January 1, 1985
IN THE ROUND BEGINS
IN THE ROUND BEGINS
January 1, 1985The songwriter In The Round format, which is now known worldwide, gets its start at the Bluebird. Thom Schuyler (16th Avenue and Old Yellow Car), Fred Knobloch (Used to Blue and Meanwhile), Don Schlitz (he would collect his second Grammy a few years later for Forever and Ever, Amen), and Paul Overstreet (future co-writer of Forever and Ever, Amen as well as a slew of other hit songs) were the first to perform in this format. To this day, a typical nightly performance consists of four songwriters seated in the center of the room, taking turns playing their songs and accompanying each other both instrumentally and with harmony vocals.
- June 1, 1985
NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK TIMES
June 1, 1985The Sweethearts of the Rodeo appear for the first time with Don Schlitz. They get a record deal on Columbia Records. The Bluebird gets mentioned in The New York Times.
- September 24, 1985
RADNEY FOSTER
RADNEY FOSTER
September 24, 1985Radney Foster’s first show.
- March 26, 1986
INDIGO GIRLS
INDIGO GIRLS
March 26, 1986Carol Elliot brings a group of the best local talent from Atlanta. That group includes The Indigo Girls.
- June 18, 1986
KIX BROOKS
KIX BROOKS
June 18, 1986Although he’s played at The Bluebird many times before on Writers’ Nnights, this was Kix Brooks’ first appearance here with a band.
- July 7, 1986
THE SNAKES
THE SNAKES
July 7, 1986• Mike Henderson starts a weekly performance with The Kingsnakes (shortened to The Snakes after being signed to Curb Records), with Kenny Greenberg, Wally Wilson, Glenn Worf, John Gardner & Bill Swartz (later replaced by James Stroud).• A second incarnation, The Bluebloods, replaces the Snakes in 1986. Originally a trio featuring Henderson, John Gardner, & Glenn Worf, the addition of keyboards to the ‘Bloods brought such luminaries to the band over time including Al Kooper, Greg Wetzel, Reese Wynans and later, John Jarvis.• Currently on Monday nights, The Bluebird hosts The Mike Henderson Band with Henderson, Willie Domann and Kevin McKendree.
- January 1, 1987
MONDAY OPEN-MIC
MONDAY OPEN-MIC
January 1, 1987The Bluebird Cafe adds early shows and the Monday Open-Mic nights, stops serving lunches to concentrate on music and songwriters.
- December 19, 1987
GARTH BROOKS
GARTH BROOKS
December 19, 1987• Jonell Mosser’s first appearance at The Bluebird Cafe. • Garth Brooks performs at The Bluebird. Due to a cancellation, his performance is moved up in the program and Lynn Schults from Capitol Records is in the audience. Shults takes Garth into the kitchen and asks him to come to Capitol the next day to offer him a deal. Years later, Garth says, “The Bluebird is the beginning and the mecca, the end.”
- January 1, 1988
WOMEN IN THE ROUND
WOMEN IN THE ROUND
January 1, 1988• First “Women In The Round” show, with Ashley Cleveland, Karen Staley, Pam Tillis and Tricia Walker.
• Jeffrey Steele showcases at The Bluebird with Boy Howdy.
• Gary Burr passes his Bluebird audition - January 2, 1989
COWBOY JUNKIES
COWBOY JUNKIES
January 2, 1989The Cowboy Junkies come through on their first tour.
- February 4, 1990
DEANA CARTER
DEANA CARTER
February 4, 1990Deana Carter passes her Bluebird audition.
- June 16, 1990
JANIS IAN
JANIS IAN
June 16, 1990Janis Ian performs her first Bluebird ITR.
- October 10, 1990
HAL KETCHUM
HAL KETCHUM
October 10, 1990Hal Ketchum’s performs his first feature show at The Bluebird.
- March 3, 1991
KENNY CHESNEY
KENNY CHESNEY
March 3, 1991Kenny Chesney passes his Bluebird audition.
- January 1, 1992
LES KERR
LES KERR
January 1, 1992Songwriter and café regular Les Kerr performs his first Mardi Gras concert at the Bluebird featuring original songs about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, beginning Nashville’s longest running Fat Tuesday Celebration.
- January 1, 1993
THE THING CALLED LOVE
THE THING CALLED LOVE
January 1, 1993• The Bluebird Cafe is the setting for the movie The Thing Called Love starring River Phoenix, K.T. Oslin, Samantha & Sandra Bullock. Amy Kurland is quoted several times by Oslin’s character.• Keith Urban passes his Bluebird audition.
- January 1, 1994
GARTH BROOKS
GARTH BROOKS
January 1, 1994Barbara Walters interviews Garth Brooks at The Bluebird about his career.
- January 1, 1996
DISNEY
DISNEY
January 1, 1996The Bluebird Cafe partners with the Disney Institute to present songwriters performances on the Disney property in Orlando, FL.
- May 25, 1996
CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON
CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON
May 25, 1996Carolyn Dawn Johnson passes her Bluebird audition.
- January 1, 1999
FREEDOM SINGS
FREEDOM SINGS
January 1, 1999Nashville’s First Amendment Center begins an annual “Freedom Sings” show, a celebration of freedom of expression through music.
- February 13, 2000
DIERKS BENTLEY
DIERKS BENTLEY
February 13, 2000Dierks Bentley passes his Bluebird audition.
- January 1, 2001
LIVE FROM THE BLUEBIRD CAFE
LIVE FROM THE BLUEBIRD CAFE
January 1, 2001Turner South network begins broadcasting a program called “Live from the Bluebird Cafe” which features songwriters performing many well-known original works. The show runs for five years, although is never broadcast in Nashville.
- January 1, 2002
BIG AND RICH
BIG AND RICH
January 1, 2002• Bluebird Cafe receives “Night Club of the Year” Award from the Academy of Country Music.• The Bluebird Cafe Scrapbook, chronicling important Bluebird events and the people involved in them, is published.• The duo of John Rich & Kenny Alphin performs officially as “Big and Rich” in an acoustic set at The Bluebird.
- January 1, 2002
KELLY COLLOM
KELLY COLLOM
January 1, 2002Kelly Collom proposes to owner Amy Kurland in the round with a song he co-wrote with Billy Dean.
- January 1, 2003
SUMMER SONGWRITERS PERFORMANCE
SUMMER SONGWRITERS PERFORMANCE
January 1, 2003The Bluebird Cafe begins an annual summer songwriters performance series at Robert Redford’s Sundance Resort in Utah.
- January 1, 2004
TAYLOR SWIFT
TAYLOR SWIFT
January 1, 2004• Dreamworks Records’ Scott Borchetta sees 15 year old Taylor Swift perform for the first time and invites her to be a part of his new venture – a label to be called Big Machine Label Group.• The Bluebird Cafe partners with Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory to present an annual outdoor concert series, Bluebird on the Mountain.
- November 11, 2007
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
November 11, 2007Kris Kristofferson performs his first BB show with members of his original band including Billy Swan, Stephen Bruton Chris Gantry and Donnie Fritts to announce the pending sale of The Bluebird to the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). Katie Couric interviews Amy on on CBS news about her retirement and sale of The Bluebird to NSAI.
- January 1, 2008
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
January 1, 2008Original owner and founder Amy Kurland transfers ownership of the legendary venue to the Nashville Songwriters Association International. More of a donation than a corporate sale, Kurland saw NSAI’s mission to “educate, elevate and celebrate songwriters” as a way to continue the Bluebird’s relationship to songwriters and to the community.
- January 1, 2010
COUNTRY THROWDOWN
COUNTRY THROWDOWN
January 1, 2010The Bluebird Cafe Stage is featured on the new Country Throwdown Tour presented by 4fini, creators of the Warped tour.
- April 6, 2011
GARTH BROOKS
GARTH BROOKS
April 6, 2011Garth Brooks is inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York where he is quoted as saying, “You might think this [induction] is it, but trust me, the way The Bluebird is run, the songwriters are king. If the whole entertainment world understood that, we’d all be so much better off, because they get it.”
- April 6, 2011
THE JOHNS
THE JOHNS
April 6, 2011“The Johns” (John Rich & John Anderson) perform at The Bluebird Cafe as part of The Birdsongs series, benefitting the club.
- April 6, 2011
TOBY KEITH
TOBY KEITH
April 6, 2011Toby Keith performs at The Bluebird Cafe with co-writers Scotty Emerick & Bobby Pinson as part of The Birdsongs series. The show was a benefit for The Bluebird – the proceeds provide needed bathrooms upgrades.
- October 10, 2012
NASHVILLE TV SHOW
NASHVILLE TV SHOW
October 10, 2012The Bluebird Cafe is featured in the new ABC-TV series “Nashville”, starring Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere, Robert Wisdom, Powers Boothe, Clare Bowen, Charles Esten and Jonathan Jackson.
The Bluebird Cafe is a magnet for Nashville visitors from all walks of life…some of our more well-known visitors:
Supreme Court Justice David Souter, T-Bone Burnett, Lauren Bacall, Peter Jennings, Helen Hunt, Mary Steenbergen, Ted Danson, Hal David, George Benson, George Stephanopoulis, Neil Sedaka, Carole King, David Crosby, Barbara Walters, Donna Summer, Katie Couric, Susan Stanborg, Bono, John BonJovi, Don Everly, Johnny Cash, Minnie Pearl, Chet Atkins, Mark Knofler, Billy Gibbons, Roy Blount Jr., Al Gore, Patricia Eaton, Jim Varney, George Lindsey, Cher, Bonnie Raitt, Leslie Stahl, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Melissa Etheridge, Jerry Jeff Walker, Stephen Schwartz, Bill Medley, Mose Allison.