There are 18 tables, 8 bar seats and 8 church pew seats available for reservation. The remaining pew seats for this show are not reserved in advance. These seats are available on a first come/first served basis when doors open.
Ticket reservations at The Bluebird Cafe are an agreement to pay the cover charge and applicable taxes/fees and to meet the $15.00 per seat food and/or drink minimum. There is a 6 seat maximum per ticket order.
Ticket holders may cancel their reservation for a full refund of the ticket price and applicable tax (excluding ticketing fees) if the cancellation is made at least 48 hours before the scheduled showtime. Cancellations made within 48 hours of the show are non-refundable. To cancel, please email [email protected] or call 615-383-1461. Phone line hours are Monday-Friday, 12-4 pm.
Note: When making reservations, choose the table you would like and then add the number of seats you need to your cart by using the + button. You are NOT reserving an entire table if you choose 1 (by choosing 1, you are reserving 1 seat). We reserve ALL seats at each table. If you are a smaller party at a larger table, you will be seated with guests outside your party.
Artists
Tony Arata
Tony Arata was born in Savannah, GA and grew up on nearby Tybee Island. While studying for a journalism degree from Georgia Southern University, he began performing his original songs in local bands. In 1986, he and his wife Jaymi moved to Nashville where his unique, soulful style began to get the attention of people like Allen Reynolds and Garth Brooks. Garth, to date, has recorded seven of Tony’s songs, and “The Dance” won song of the year at The Academy of Country Music and received both a Country Music Association and a Grammy nomination, as well as a most performed song in Radio and Records Magazine.
Tony is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (2012). He has also had No. 1 records with “Here I Am” for Patty Loveless, “I’m Holding My Own” for Lee Roy Parnell, and “Dreaming With My Eyes Open” for Clay Walker. Other artists who have recorded his songs include Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Trisha Yearwood, Delbert McClinton, Don Williams, Reba McEntire, Suzy Bogguss, and Hal Ketchum.
Tony has also recorded four solo albums featuring new songs, covers, and guest appearances by many of Nashville’s finest musicians as well as folks who have recorded his songs, including Garth, Patty, and Lee Roy.
Monty Holmes
"I'm gonna keep doing this until they run me off!" says Monty Holmes. After 25 years of writing country music in Nashville, running Monty off doesn't seem very likely. Monty's love of traditional country music was first instilled in him as a child growing up in Lubbock, Texas. With a rich musical history, Lubbock provided a nurturing environment for young Monty. His grandfather (who played fiddle, guitar, and piano) exposed him to a great record collection and artists like Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. Half asleep in the back seat of a green Ford Torino, somewhere between Lubbock and Louisiana, an 18 year-old Monty heard the voice of Merle Haggard on the radio. Then and there, he decided country music would be his life's work. From Ray Price to the Rolling Stones, Holmes songs reflect his varied musical influences. As a young adult, Holmes formed a band and moved to Austin, where he recorded the song “In the Arms of a Beautiful Woman” and earned a Texas radio hit.
In 1983, Monty took the plunge and moved to Nashville. There he took a job as a respiratory
therapist to pay the bills, but he also worked diligently as a staff writer and singer on demo recordings. Through his demo work, Holmes quickly gained a reputation for his voice, but it was songwriting that he really loved. Throughout the years, Monty has worked with and learned from the best: Whitey Shafer, Hank Cochran, Glenn Martin, Don Sampson, Donnie Kees, Tony Mullins, Gerry House, Kent Blazy, Leslie Satcher, Scotty Emerick, Brice Long, Al Anderson, Jon Randall, Norro Wilson, Wynn Varble, Buddy Cannon, and Shane Minor to name a few. Monty has been a staff writer for country music institutions Acuff-Rose Publishing Company, Combine Music, and Malaco/Peer Music.
Holmes has penned several hit songs for George Strait, including the chart topper “I Know She Still Loves Me,” the top five “When Did You Stop Loving Me,” and the Grammy nominated “Troubadour” and “House of Cash” from the Grammy award winning Album of the Year. Monty co-wrote Lee Ann Womack's debut single, “Never Again, Again,” as well as “What I Do the Best” for John Michael Montgomery. He has had cuts by Clay Walker, Neal McCoy, Lane Turner, Laura Bryna, the legendary Johnny Bush and George Jones. Holmes is currently an ASCAP writer, but is a multiple BMI “million-air”-an honor for writers of songs with over 1 million broadcast performances. Monty is now signed with EMI Music Publishing, one of the largest publishing companies in the world.
Don Sampson
Don Sampson was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Falls Church, VA. When Don was 22 years old, he moved to Nashville from San Antonio, TX, where he had been playing guitar in the honkytonks. Don signed his first publishing deal in 1985 with New Clarion Music. After various successful publishing deals, Don signed with Sea Gayle Music in 2000.
His songwriting credits include the #1 singles Brad Paisley’s “Waitin’ On A Woman,” Gary Allan’s “Tough Little Boys,” Alan Jackson’s “Midnight in Montgomery,” and Bryan White’s “Rebecca Lynn.” “Waitin’ On A Woman” also received the NSAI Song Of The Year honor in 2009.
Don has won numerous ASCAP awards, seven NSAI awards, and the TNN Music City News Songwriters Award.
Other artists that have recorded Don’s songs include Darius Rucker, Josh Thompson, Jimmy Wayne, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Josh Turner, Tim McGraw, Charlie Daniels, John Conlee, Joe Nichols, and Charlie Pride.
Jelly Roll Johnson
Kirk “Jelly Roll” Johnson’s distinctive, soulful style of harmonica has earned him critical acclaim, numerous awards, and a place among Nashville’s top session musicians.
A native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Jelly Roll’s career has spanned 49 years. He began playing harmonica at age 19 in Cleveland, Tennessee. After touring with several rock, blues and country groups, he settled in Knoxville to work with the Tommy Cole Band. From 1979 to 1989, Jelly Roll played concerts and club dates all across America with Warner Brothers recording artist Con Hunley. The group opened for acts such as Alabama, The Oak Ridge Boys, Loretta Lynn and Emmylou Harris.
Since moving to Nashville in 1984, he has recorded with Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Rogers, Etta James, Guy Clark, Lee Ann Womack, Travis Tritt, Shania Twain, The Judds, Alan Jackson and many others. His unique sound has been heard on over 60 gold and platinum albums, including three Grammy winning albums by Randy Travis.
Jelly Roll has made numerous television appearances with various artists, including Faith Hill on “Late Show with David Letterman,” Alan Jackson and Jamie O’Neal on “Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Trisha Yearwood and the Judds on the “Country Music Association Awards Show,” and Con Hunley on “Austin City Limits” and “Soundstage.”
In 1998, Jelly Roll won the Nashville Music Award for Best Wind Instrumentalist. After receiving nominations for 1998 and 2000, he won the best Specialty Instrument Award for 2003 and 2008 from the Academy of Country Music.
Jelly regularly performs at Nashville’s world-famous Bluebird Cafe with hit songwriters Fred Knobloch, Thom Schuyler, Tony Arata, and Don Schlitz.
Jelly Roll Johnson is an exclusive endorser of Hohner Harmonicas. In 2017, Hohner awarded Jelly the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, Jelly Roll Johnson received the Pete Pedersen Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica (SPAH).
