The Station Inn remains a popular spot for more than just Bluegrass musicians. (Alisa Murphy Provided Photo)
If you are a Bluegrass music fan, I have the right book for you.
“The World Famous Station Inn” truly was a labor of love for author Alisa Murphy in collaboration with owner Joshua Ulbrich.
The book has over 130 pages documenting the impact this iconic place had on Bluegrass music. Murphy obviously has a love for the story she is sharing because it has stories from more than 100 artists she talked to who all had their special memories to share.
“The Station Inn’s role in the development of bluegrass talent cannot be overstated, and its importance in maintaining an unbroken line of bluegrass presence in Music City cannot be denied. Being invited to play on that stage is an artist’s moment of arrival in the world of bluegrass,” Murphy said in a release about the book.
I had a chance to visit with Murphy to let her explain the many, many hours she put into this book and why it took her so long to get all the stories she wanted to be able to share about this iconic venue that has hosted everyone from the “Father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe to today’s popular picker, Billy Strings.
She explained to me that getting on stage at The Station Inn is on the do-list for any serious Bluegrass musician but also educated me on how many country music stars have also been on the stage.
Just consider some of the audience members over the years, including some who also performed: Dennis Quaid, Mel Gibson, Gweneth Paltrow, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Ted Danson, Kevin Costner, Sheryl Crowe, Reese Witherspoon, Minnesota Fats, Alan Jackson, Bill Murray, U2, Kacey Musgraves and John Oates. And this list could go on and on.
The book explains the history of Bluegrass music and how The Station Inn provided a venue for Bluegrass artists to have a place to call home.
Murphy talked to the A-list of personalities for stories about The Station Inn. She interviewed Dolly Parton, Marty Stuart, Larry Cordle, Jerry Douglas, Mark O’Connor, Sam Bush, Sharon White, Darrin Vincent, Jamie Dailey, Jenee Fleenor, Carl Jackson, Larry Sparks, Peter Rowan, Vince Gill, Charlie Worsham, Steve Earle, Patty Loveless, Ricky Skaggs and Dierks Bentley to let them tell how The Station Inn impacted their careers.
“I’ve always loved the small intimate room and stage at the Station Inn. It seems as though the music can penetrate into the heart and mind more easily being so up close and personal like that. I’ve always loved performing there. The Station Inn is a special place and holds a special place in my heart,” Parton told Murphy.
“I arrived in Nashville in 1974 and one of the very first places I went to was the Station Inn,” Gill told Murphy. “It is the perfect venue for Bluegrass because it’s music that is at its best when played in a close setting. … You play the Station Inn because you know the crowd truly loves the music.”
Just looking at the pictures in the book is a treat in itself, including one I liked of William Shatner
Murphy told me she spent over two years observing performances and interviewing musicians and Station Inn customers. That’s why it has a perspective you won’t find in any other book.
“It’s just musicianship at its best, an authentic listening room in a city often known primarily for its rowdy honky-tonks,” Murphy said.
The Station Inn is located in downtown Nashville’s Gulch district on the corner of 12th Avenue South and Pine Street. This trendy area of the city is filled with posh hotels and high-end eateries, where the Station Inn as the original resident provides an element of authenticity and heritage to an otherwise modern and chic esthetic.
The book is available at the Station Inn and on the Station Inn website at www.stationinn.com.
