Brother/Sister Bluegrass Duo “The Roys” To help Country Music Landmark Celebrate 51 Years!

Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge celebrates 51st Birthday with a big bash Nov. 23 !

Tootsie's Orchid Lounge (also known around the world to country music stars and fans alike as simply “Tootsie's) is a Honky Tonk bar located in on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee behind the Ryman Auditorium the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.

Originally named Mom's, Tootsie Bess bought the club in 1960.  The name however, came later when to her surprise a painter painted the lounge orchid. Subsequently, the name was changed to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and to date, the exterior of the lounge is still painted the same orchid color.

Singer/Songwriter Tom T. Hall, once-upon-a-time a regular fixture at Tootsies, said that when he came to Nashville in 1964 there wasn’t any place in town to play or hear live music.  Today, Tootsie's has two stages that host live local talent each night; covering modern day country music artists as well as original talent.

Now a world-famous honky-tonk crowded with tourists snapping photos amidst gulps of brew, Tootsie’s was once THE Place where creative types, who just happened to be phenomenally gifted, would hang out, size each other up, and maybe pitch a song, if the opportunity presented itself.   Opry announcer Grant Turner said, "You could leave Tootsie's at 7:58 and still be on stage at the Opry at 8 o'clock." Many Opry performers did just that.

Without Tootsie’s, musicians and performers like Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, Roger Miller, Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings or Hank Williams may not have reached the heights of stardom that they did. Willie Nelson got his first songwriting job after singing at Tootsie's.

This photo of Tootsies Orchid Lounge is courtesy of TripAdvisor**
Back then, Lower Broadway wasn't a place most respectable tourists wanted to be.  When Tootsie's opened its doors more than half a century ago, it wasn't in Music City —at least not officially; not yet.   Back in those days, the Orchid Lounge set up shop in the “Athens of the South”, a city whose elite social classes would have preferred it be known for higher culture — more for opera than the Opry.


The Roys, The Kentucky Headquarters and The McClymonts  (In association with Kid Rock, who is performing that evening a sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium as part of his nationwide tour giving money to and raising awareness for people in need) are among acts set to perform on the outdoor stage on Broadway starting at 12:00pm (noon) just ahead of the Kid Rock show at the Ryman.