You would be forgiven for driving straight past this seemingly ordinary café located in a strip mall in a suburban neighbourhood. But any fan of country music, or the hit TV show, Nashville, will immediately understand the significance of the Bluebird Café. Now in its 36th year, the café is one of the world’s preeminent listening rooms and is recognised as a songwriter’s performance space. An evening at the Bluebird consists of ‘songwriters in the round’ – three or four talented songwriters seated in the centre of the room performing their own songs and accompanying each other and telling stories. The 90-seat venue has hosted country music stars including Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Kenny Chesney and GRAMMY-award winning Gordon Kennedy. Just days before TLTB was there, Taylor Swift had returned to the café to perform a surprise perform – showing how much love and respect this little café holds in the hearts of so many country music stars and fans.
