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Bluebird Cafe Documentary

The Bluebird Cafe’s documentary BLUEBIRD is available digitally for audiences to enjoy in the U.S., Canada, and U.K.! Our film tells the origin stories of megastars like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift, while follow emerging singer-songwriters as they chase their dreams inside The Bluebird Cafe, an accidental landmark that altered the course of music history. BLUEBIRD is available to view on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and more.

Watch the trailer here. 
Watch the film here. 

Not available in your neck of the woods? We have region free DVDs and Blu-Rays available for purchase on our website store and onsite at our venue.

Accolades

#1 Documentary on iTunes/AppleTV

Official Selection of:

SXSW Film Festival

Nashville Film Festival

Newport Beach Film Festival

Woods Hole Film Festival

Circle Cinema Film Feestival

Dead Center Film Festival

CMA Week Open Houses

CMA Fest is 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 this year June 8-11. As a part of the festivities, we’ll be open for special daytime hours! Come on by to see The Bluebird, take pictures on our stage, and shop exclusive merchandise deals. We hope to see you there!

Free. All ages. No ticket required.

𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦:

June 7, 11 AM–3 PM
June 8, 11 AM–3 PM
June 10, 10 AM–1 PM
June 11, 10 AM–1 PM

Open House: Celebrating The Eras

Once upon a time, the planets, and the fates, and all the stars aligned to have a three-night Taylor Swift tour weekend in Nashville! 🎤Are you ready for it?! We’ve been scheming to plan special daytime hours May 5, 6, and 7 from 10 AM–2PM. Join us in ✨Celebrating The Eras✨as we open our doors for pre-show festivities. Come see where Taylor got her start, enter our daily giveaway, stop by our photo station, or search for the perfect Eras Tour outfit. The best *things* in life are free, and so are these events!

Free. No ticket required for entry. All ages welcome.

Bluebird Archival Recordings on WSM Radio

In December 2021, The Bluebird Cafe and NSAI partnered with Nan Kingsley and the estate of late radio icon Bob Kingsley to fund the preservation and distribution of historic songwriter performances. One of the goals of this partnership was to digitize historic Bluebird Cafe shows throughout the years that were captured in a variety of mediums. As The Bluebird continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary year, we are thrilled to be working with WSM radio, through the help of the Kingsley estate, to release Bluebird Archival Recordings live on Ryman Hospitality Classic Country WSM-AM/Nashville. This series, which will air every Saturday morning at 9 AM CT beginning April 1, will include memorable performances recorded live throughout the venue’s history. Following each one-hour show will be Bob Kingsley’s Countdown Classics. Future plans for the show are to incorporate audio engineering students from Weatherford College where Bob Kingsley’s infamous Bluestem Studios now reside. The Bluebird is a home to songwriters and we look forward to sharing these special recordings from our intimate venue to a new audience.

LISTEN LIVE ON AIR


Saturday, April 1:
Ashley Gorley, Chris DeStefano and Rhett Akins (recorded 1/31/2018)


Saturday, April 8:
Kelly Archer, Adam Hambrick and Marc Beeson (recorded 9/4/2021)


Saturday, April 15:

Foster & Lloyd (Radney Foster & Bill Lloyd) and Kennedy Rose (recorded 12/31/2004)

Saturday, April 22:
Tony Arata, Annie Mosher, Craig Carothers and Dave Berg (recorded 5/6/2022)


Saturday, April 29:

Lisa Brokop, Porter Howell, Paul Jefferson & Brady Seals (recorded 5/6/2022)


Saturday, May 6:

Harley Allen, Shawn Camp, Austin Cunningham & Dean Miller (recorded 12/8/1999)


Saturday, May 13:
Scotty Emerick, Leslie Satcher, Allen Shamblin & John Scott Sherrill (recorded 1/20/2009)


Saturday, May 20:
Phillip White, Mac Davis, Bobby Braddock & Steve Bogard (recorded 3/28/2007)


Saturday, May 27:
Casey Beathard, Buddy Cannon, Marla Cannon Goodman & Mac McAnally (recorded 3/29/2019)


Saturday, June 3:
Chuck Cannon, Dean Dillon & Paul Overstreet (recorded July 29, 2004)

“Bob loved and supported the Nashville songwriter community…He supported them on the air too, by using his platform to recognize and promote the individuals behind the songs.”
–Nan Kingsley

ABOUT BOB KINGSLEY

Widely acknowledged as the most listened-to radio voice in country music history, Bob Kingsley began his career in 1958 while stationed with the Air Force in Keflavic, Iceland. Upon returning to his native California, he became a disc jockey at KUTY/Palmdale in 1961, subsequently working at stations in Las Vegas, Tijuana, and Oxnard, California.

In 1964, Kingsley joined KEEN/San Jose, where he honed his interviewing skills. Two years later, he moved to KGBS/Los Angeles, where he became the station’s program director and won the first of three Academy of Country Music Awards. He later worked at Los Angeles stations KLAC and KFI, while also establishing a national reputation as the programmer and voice of Drake-Chenault’s Great American Country format.

In 1974, Casey Kasem and Tom Rounds hired Bob to produce their new syndicated series, American Country Countdown. In 1978, Bob began a 28 year run as host; during that time, he received 16 consecutive Network/Syndicated Program of the Year awards from Billboard.

In 2006, Kingsley left Countdown to launch Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 with his wife and partner Nan. He has received three Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB)/Country Aircheck awards, the CRB President’s award and the Grand Ole Opry Living Legend Award. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2016.

Bob Kingsley passed away on October 17th, 2019.

Tennessee Songwriters Week Finale Showcase

In 2019, a state statute declared the last full week of February to be Tennessee Songwriters Week (TSW). TSW supports music venues, supports songwriters with live performances in all genres of music, drives visitation and inspires travelers to experience the state’s music stories, history, attractions and venues. More than 1,200 songwriters performed at qualifying rounds in February at over 50 venues, museums, attractions and cafes to advance to the showcase events around the state where seven finalists were named the winners. Each of the finalists won a branded commemorative Taylor guitar, two-night stay in Nashville, $100 gift card for travel and one-year membership to Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). In addition, they all performed on a showcase at The Bluebird Cafe on March 26, 2023.

Meet the finalists:

Garrett Boys (winners @ The Palace Theatre in Gallatin)
GarrettBoys.com
Instagram: @GarrettBoysMusic

Garrett Boys is a collaboration of the Garrett brothers, Stephen and Russell. After growing up on a small rural farm in middle Tennessee, both Stephen & Russell set out for Nashville to pursue their passion for music. This led to several years of various roles in the music industry throughout multiple genres. Garrett Boys is a reflection of an inevitable longing for home, history and heritage that finds the brothers Garrett discovering a deeper and more personal perspective of their music than ever before. Joined by Stephen’s son, Carter, they look to further explore their Folk Americana roots with Garrett Boys.

Elijah Wise (winner @ Ole Red in Gatlinburg)
ElijahWiseMusic.com
Facebook: @ElijahWiseMusic
Instagram: @ElijahWiseMusic

Elijah Wise of Cosby, Tennessee began singing in local churches and small festivals at the age of five. As he grew his voice followed as he developed a unique style in his twangy country and western singing voice. In 2015, at the age of 20 he started learning to play acoustic guitar because he didn’t want to be a singer who didn’t play an instrument. This motivation came from his dad, who was a singer as well but never played an instrument. Elijah chose to take it a step further and go to East Tennessee State University to further his abilities as a singer and guitar player. Taking lessons from Bluegrass extraordinaire Wyatt Rice, who is a brother to bluegrass legend Tony Rice, he quickly started to make ground as a guitar player. Elijah now plays at all sorts of venues such as theaters, festivals, music halls, and honky-tonks all over the south. He displays an electric performance and stays true to his roots playing traditional country music. Elijah says, ” Bro Country will die out and history will repeat itself and people like us will start to crave traditional story- telling country music. When that happens I want to be ready to step in and help in a much needed restoration.” Elijah never disappoints and it would be a great investment of your time to catch him live, especially if you enjoy real heartfelt country music.

Melanie Lafoy (winner @ The Bijou Theatre in Knoxville)
Instagram: @Lanie.Lafoy

Melanie LaFoy produces unique and profound pieces that draw from her experience as a traveling folk artist, a background in classical piano, studies in poetry, and the French Touch electronic scene in Nantes, France. It is there she began writing songs for her current project, nightjar in 2019. Her upcoming album « Supine Sea » is an ode to different kinds of loss and attempts to harness the grief that comes with finding oneself simply existing. She brings a wide array of stylings to her keys that, coupled with an at times grungy, at times spacey guitar duo by her side and her vast vocal range, creates a sound that is thoughtful, rich—and a little bit out of this world.

Ron Short (winner @ The Down Home in Johnson City)
Facebook

Ron Short is a singer, musician, songwriter, playwright, and actor. He is the son of a coal-miner and was raised on a hillside farm in Dickenson County, Virginia. He has carried on his family’s singing tradition that dates back to the 1800s. In addition to family music, electricity brought American music into his home on the radio and he was the family’s “radio player.” Ron absorbed it all—the slide guitar phrasings of Mississippi blues; the power of a-cappella lined-out hymns; the spirit of the Conjunto sounds of Texas; Zydeco and Cajun; the youthful energy of rock ‘n roll; and the timelessness of the Scots-Irish fiddle tunes and frailed banjo styles of central Appalachia. Ron joined Roadside Theater in 1979. As the ensemble’s leading playwright/composer/musician, he wrote and performed in more than a dozen main stage Roadside plays, all of which toured nationally and internationally There have been 12 major recordings of his music an he has been the Producer of four collections of Appalachian music for PBS. He lives on the side of a mountain in Duffield, Virginia with his wife, Joan Boyd Short, and plays in his “hobby band,” Ron Short and the Possum Playboys which plays American music of every shape, color and denomination.

HARZEE (winner @ Lafayette’s Music Room in Memphis)
Website
Instagram @HarzeeOfficial

Honing a deep interest in music at the age of 12, 17 year old HARZEE’s original music has accumulated an increasing fanbase, thousands of streams, consistent radio play, and local recognition for its space-like ambience, beautiful harmonies, catchy tunes, and meaningful lyrics since 2019. Formerly known as ALYX, the rebranding of his artistic sound and repertoire has exceeded his own expectations by providing opportunities for him he would have never thought possible. With two singles under his belt after the rebrand, his anticipated third single is set to drop on the 24th of this month. HARZEE is currently working on an album, as well as sharpening his craft to become the best performer he can be.

Sarah Hardwig (Winner @ The Franklin Theatre in Franklin)
SarahHardwig.com
Instagram: @SarahHardwigOfficial

Sarah Hardwig, 20, is a country singer-songwriter and a sophomore songwriting major at Belmont University. Sarah has performed on stage with such artists as Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum, Lauren Alaina, and Locash, and also sang with Steven Tyler. She has performed in songwriting rounds at the Bluebird Cafe, The Local, Live Oak, Tin Roof Broadway and Tin Roof Demonbreun, the Commodore Grille, Fifth + Broadway, Belcourt Taps, Alley Taps, and Cabana Taps. Sarah has sung the national anthem over 250 times, including at the Music City Bowl in Nashville on Dec. 31 after winning the Amazon Voice of the Bowl contest at Ole Red. She released her debut single “Who I Am” this past November.

Aaron Bucks (winner @ Songbirds in Chattanooga)
AaronBucks.com
Instagram @BucksMusicOfficial

Aaron Bucks has established a reputation as a vocalist and a writer, with songs he’s written charting on Billboard, played on Terrestrial and Satellite stations like Kenny Chesney’s No Shoes Radio, along with with performances around Nashville at venues such as the legendary Bluebird Cafe, Listening Room Cafe, Pucketts, Kimbros Pickn’ Parlor along with various Hotels (Hilton, Marriott) and Golf Clubs (Vanderbilt, Franklin). Along with winning the John Lennon, Unsigned Only and International Songwriting Contests as well as Bluebird Cafes Golden Pick contest. Songs from Bucks have also received songwriting recognition from other organizations like, Indie International, Unsigned Only, ISC, and JLSC. His style has been described as Country Soul, it is representative of Bucks himself: laid back, positive, and full of life. Away from music, Bucks can be found spending time with his wife and two children. He is an advocate for the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee (DSAMT) in memory of his youngest son Tobias.

Bluebird on 3rd 2024 Shows

The Bluebird Cafe is partnering with 3rd & Lindsley to once again present the very successful Bluebird on 3rd series (at 3rd & Lindsley Bar & Grill). The fall Bluebird on 3rd shows takes place every Monday from September 9, 2024 to October 28, 2024. Shows are from 12:30 PM–2:30 PM.

Bluebird on 3rd shows feature both up-and-coming and established songwriters on the 3rd and Lindsley stage, blending two long-standing independent music venue icons. Come by to grab a delicious lunch and hear some amazing music

Tickets are on sale NOW:

Monday, September 9 (Dean Fields, Lacy Green & Adam Wright, with Paige Davis & Carson Davenport)

Monday, September 16 (Leslie Satcher, Tony Arata & Phil Barton, with Madeleine Kelson & Jesse Felder)

Monday, September 23 (Mark Irwin, Jenn Schott & Adam Hambrick, with Meagan Allen & Ezra Jordan)

Monday, September 30 (JT Harding, Matt McKinney & Marv Green, with Kris Crepeau & Katrina Barclay)

Monday, October 7 (Deric Ruttan, Gordie Sampson & Madison Kozak, with Kelley Cole & Grenon)

Monday, October 14 (Brinley Addington, Emily Earle & Emily Landis, with Kapali Long & Sarah Hardwig)

Monday, October 21 (Gabe Dixon, Marshall Altman & Dylan Altman, with Katelyn Myers & Olivia Farabaugh)

Monday, October 28 (Don Henry, Annie Mosher & Dave Berg, with Mallory Johnson & Michelle Pereira)

*This series is located at 3rd & Lindsley Bar & Grill–NOT The Bluebird Cafe*
3rd & Lindsley
813 3rd Ave. S
Nashville, TN 37210

Spring Open House

Join us for a festive Spring Open House on Sunday, March 12 from 10 AM–2PM for spring savings on your favorite Bluebird goodies and a chance to see inside The Bluebird Cafe! No reservations needed.

Alive & The Bluebird’s 30 Anniversary

December 20, 2022: For three decades, The Bluebird Cafe and hit songwriters have come together in January to support Alive, the only nonprofit hospice in Middle Tennessee. This year’s 30th Anniversary lineup of Alive & The Bluebird includes Tom Douglas, Kathy Mattea, Brett Young, Liz Rose, Chris DeStefano, and The Warren Brothers with more star songwriters being added daily.

Alive provides approximately $1.5 million dollars of care each year. Proceeds from the Alive & The Bluebird concert series support Alive’s services for the entire community, including grief support, financial assistance for patients when insurance doesn’t cover everything, education for families and professionals, grief camps for kids, and more. This year’s Signature Sponsor is Amazon.

“January is a special month here at The Bluebird where the songwriting community comes together to support Alive and the phenomenal services they provide,” said The Bluebird Cafe’s COO and General Manager Erika Wollam-Nichols. “Their mission to care for those at the end of life, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, is such a blessing to the community, and we’re honored to support them year after year. It’s incredible to feel the warmth that overtakes our tiny room, nightly, during January; a beautiful representation of the gratitude that we all feel for the work that Alive does.”

“Amazon values opportunities to support programs that have a lasting, positive impact,” said Courtney Ross, Senior Manager, Community Engagement. “We’re proud to sponsor this longtime Nashville tradition that we know means so much to our community.”

Performances take place throughout January at The Bluebird Cafe. Additional events will be held later in the year at Amy Grant’s Hidden Trace Farm and Green Door Gourmet. Tickets for the Alive & The Bluebird series can be purchased at bluebirdcafe.com. Please check there for on sale dates and times. Some shows will offer advanced ticketing and will go on sale as early as December 23 at 8 AM CT.

Learn more about the Alive & The Bluebird concert series and sponsorship opportunities at: https://www.alivehospice.org/news-events/annual-events/alive-bluebird/

“We look forward to this special event each year and the opportunity it provides us to connect with the Nashville music community,” said Kimberly Goessele, Alive’s President/CEO. “It is also an important fundraiser for us. Every ticket helps support a family when they need it most.”

Alive & The Bluebird Art

Each year, a local artist creates the designs for our series. This year’s art was designed by The Bluebird Cafe’s COO and General Manager Erika Wollam-Nichols.

About Alive

Alive is the only nonprofit provider of hospice care and end-of-life services in Middle Tennessee. Its mission is to provide loving care for people with life-threatening illnesses, support to their families, and service to the community in a spirit of enriching lives. This includes in-home and in-patient hospice care, grief support, advance care planning, outreach, support to underserved communities, education, financial assistance, a comprehensive volunteer program, and professional training through the Alive

Institute. A pioneer in the “good death” movement, Alive established the third hospice in the nation in 1975. Today, it remains true to its roots as an innovator and leader, helping individuals Adapt to Life Limiting Illnesses Very Effectively (ALIVE). To learn more or volunteer, visit AliveHospice.org or call 615-675-9578.

About The Bluebird Cafe

Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe is a small but mighty venue where up and coming songwriters and artists build their careers and rise to fame. Over the past 40 years, the tiny room has developed into one of the most significant music venues in the world where all songwriters are welcomed and supported, from novice to established hit-makers. Artists such as Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill and Taylor Swift have had career moments along with countless hit songwriters whose music is represented on a wide range of charts.

A typical show at The Bluebird features three or four songwriters performing ‘In the round,’ a format made famous at the club where the performers take turns playing their original music, sharing the stories behind their songs, accompanying each other instrumentally, and vocally. The venue’s “SHHHH” policy establishes it as a listening room where audience members are encouraged to pay attention to the song itself – and since it accommodates only 90 people per show, the demand is high, and the room sells out in minutes.

Over 80,000 people visit the venue annually; many of them from seeing the Bluebird on television, in news pieces, The Foo Fighters’ documentary, Sonic Highways, the feature film, The Thing Called Love, or on the ABC hit drama, Nashville. The Bluebird Cafe has been featured in publications such as Southwest Spirit, National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine where the club was voted one of the Top 10 Best Clubs in America. Most recently, the venue’s story was featured in the 2019 documentary, BLUEBIRD, available on streaming channels including iTunes and Amazon.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, follow @AmazonNews.

Bluebird Cafe at Bishop’s Lodge

Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection, the historic luxury resort and thoughtfully restored landmark in the UNESCO Creative City of Santa Fe, today announces it has partnered with Nashville’s legendary listening room, The Bluebird Cafe. While the venue is known as a haven to songwriters, The Bluebird Cafe brings its magic to a limited number of off-site locations. A deeply rooted destination for art and creativity, Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection is known to curate one-of-a-kind experiences in a spectacular natural setting, and the partnership with The Bluebird Cafe will be no exception. For two nights on February 18 and March 18, 2023, the renowned venue, which has gained worldwide recognition for launching the careers of Maren Morris, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, and many others, will bring its signature ‘In The Round’ songwriter show format to the intimate setting of the resort’s Bunkhouse.

Located in a small strip mall outside of downtown Nashville, the 90-seat Bluebird Cafe is unassuming in appearance. Still, some of the most significant songwriters and artists have performed in its room, taking turns playing, collaborating, and telling stories behind their songs. On any given night, the audience may hear from artists like Lee Brice, Vince Gill, or Carly Pearce, “heroes behind the hits” like Tony Arata (“The Dance” / Garth Brooks), Chris DeStefano (“From The Ground Up” / Dan+Shay) and Liz Rose (“All Too Well” / Taylor Swift), or perhaps a budding singer-songwriter just beginning to make their mark. It is a captivating experience that few forget, and one that reflects why Nashville is known as Music City.

In true Bluebird fashion, three world-renowned songwriters will take a seat in the center of the Bunkhouse’s Great Room, a warm setting that brings friends and family together around a two-story stone fireplace. On February 18th (featuring Kelly Archer, Deric Ruttan & Adam Hambrick) and March 18th (featuring Kent Blazy, Danny Myrick & Leslie Satcher), the songwriters will share their chart-topping music and stories behind how the songs came to be. This unique musical experience and collaboration intends to cultivate and inspire Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection’s community.

Performances on both nights will begin at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5 p.m. We will have inspiring beverages in the Bunkhouse before the show begins. The VIP tickets will entail a brief post-show gathering with the songwriters before heading over for an artful dinner prepared by Executive Chef Pablo Peñalosa.

Tickets are available through a one-night VIP Overnight Package, which can be built upon additional nights for travelers or serve as an ideal staycation for locals. The package starts at $1,319++ and includes room accommodation, two show tickets, access to the pre-show reception and after-show dinner, The Bluebird Cafe poster signed by the songwriters, a welcome amenity, and another surprise takeaway.

About Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection
A legendary landmark re-imagined, Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection is a luxurious and soulful retreat steeped in heritage in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Set on 317 secluded acres bordering Santa Fe National Forest and just minutes from downtown, the 100-room resort invites guests to connect with nature with organic adobe architecture that invokes rich New Mexican heritage and conveys a genuine sense of place. Amenities include a collection of exhilarating outdoor experiences, horse stables, fitness center, pool, onsite stream for fly fishing casting lessons, healing arts experiences at Stream Dance Spa and several dining venues, including the resort’s signature restaurant SkyFire. Expansive indoor and outdoor event space includes The Hall with 3,200 square-feet of meeting space and the historic Lamy Chapel and Garden, featuring dramatic views of the Tesuque Valley. A restored Bunkhouse is ideal for family gatherings with 12 individual bedrooms and personal butler service.

For more information: aubergeresorts.com/bishopslodge
Follow Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection on Facebook and Instagram @BishopsLodgeAuberge

About Auberge Resorts Collection
Auberge Resorts Collection is a portfolio of extraordinary hotels, resorts, residences and private clubs. While each property is unique, all share a crafted approach to luxury and bring the soul of the locale to life through captivating design, exceptional cuisine, innovative spas, and gracious yet unobtrusive service. With 24 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts, Auberge invites guests to create unforgettable stories in some of the world’s most desirable destinations.

For more information: aubergeresorts.com
Connect with Auberge Resorts Collection on FacebookTwitter and Instagram @AubergeResorts and #AlwaysAuberge

Holiday Open House

We’re opening our doors for a special open house Sunday, November 27th from 11-2 and celebrating with exclusive deals on Bluebird Cafe merchandise. If you’re visiting Nashville for Thanksgiving or plan to have family in town, swing by and take a look inside. Witness the 40 years of history within our walls and get ahead on your holiday shopping with gifts everyone will love. We hope to see you there! No reservations needed.