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Oct 02, 2020 By Frank Valish

Nashville’s Music Row has firmly established its place in the pantheon of legendary song. Just the name conjures images of classic country and western and a Nashville that established itself over time as one of the preeminent places for American song craft. Yet many may not know the history of Music Row, how it developed, and how it changed as country music evolved over the decades.

Historian and author Brian Allison, songwriter/performer/author Elizabeth Elkins, and songwriter/musician Vanessa Olivarez, the latter two who perform as alt-country band Granville Automatic, rectify this in Hidden History of Music Row. Tracing the story from Timothy Demonbreun, the first non-Native American to settle in Nashville, to the chart-topping radio country of today and everything in between, Hidden History provides all the information one might need. Classic songwriting spaces are chronicled. Elkins writes about some of the famous non-country stars, such as Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Neil Young, who recorded classic albums in Nashville. Olivarez takes on the outlaw country movement. The ‘90s radio country boom is discussed in interviews with songwriters, performers, managers, producers, and the like. Classic songs are deconstructed in terms of songwriting process. All angles are covered.

Hidden History of Music Row is not a history of Nashville or a history of country music. Its aim is narrower, to illuminate the specific history of Music Row, and this tight focus makes the book better. Its chapters, each written by different authors, present distinct facets of Music Row that in sum present a sort of guided historical tour.

(www.historypress.com) (www.granvilleautomatic.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10