Nashville gets most of the spotlight as “Music City,” but if it wasn’t for the iconic diamond-shaped vertical cantilever antenna visible from the interstate off Concord Rd. in Brentwood, WSM could never have broadcast the stars of the Grand Ole Opry into the homes of half the country. Thanks to that 84-story tower, on a cold winter night before the airwaves were jammed with other stations, a young Hank Snow discovered the incredible talents of singers like Eddy Arnold and Earnest Tubb while listening to his radio in Nova Scotia, Canada, inspiring his own journey to eventual Opry membership.
WSM’s tower was also designated as an emergency naval communications hub during World War II, standing ready to provide shore-to-ship and shore-to-sub communications in case the primary military transmitters failed.
That radio tower is hardly the only significant contribution Williamson County has made to music history. Here are some fun facts you might not have heard that will make you seem like an expert when you drop them into conversation at your next dinner party.
Locals take pride in “The Nashville Way,” the custom of polite minimal recognition when someone famous walks into the same coffee shop as you or passes you in the grocery aisle. While a quick kind word or a knowing nod is OK, making any sort of scene is definitely not cool. That attitude of polite nonchalance extends across the county line to locales like Brentwood, Franklin, and Leiper’s Fork, and is a big reason why so many music stars settle in the area.
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Famous names like Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Kathie Lee Gifford, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Sheryl Crow, Steve Winwood, and David Mustaine either currently live in the area or have resided there in the past. You might even run into Luke Bryan cheering on his son at a Battle Ground Academy football game where he’s the starting quarterback. (Just don’t bother Luke while the BGA is on offense …)
Many of those same celebrities have been known to drop in at beloved area music venues for a surprise set or to sit in with the band for a few songs. Before Andy Marshall became Williamson County Mayor, he purchased the original Puckett’s in Leiper’s Fork and added live music to the intimate venue in 2002. Fans traveled from far and near to enjoy the great Southern food and possibly catch a future superstar like Thomas Rhett playing as part of a writers’ round or members of Aerosmith crashing a show to jam with the band. Lennon and Maisy Stella were regulars at open-mic Nights before they hit it big on the ABC nighttime soap “Nashville.”
After an ownership change, the venue changed its name back to its historic name, Fox & Locke, and the stars kept coming, including luminaries like Carrie Underwood and Wynonna, who both made the short trip from home to Puckett’s stage to delight surprised fans with unexpected performances. Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has also graced the stage at Fox & Locke, as has blues innovator Keb’ Mo.
When Marshall opened a new Puckett’s in downtown Franklin, it became even easier for stars to drop in to try out new material or get close to their fans. Since 2004, a cavalcade of famous musicians has appeared on the cozy stage, including Carly Pearce, Kelsea Ballerini, Brett Young, Vince Gill, and many others.
Here’s a fun fact you can drop on fellow guests at the next cocktail party you attend: Did you know that not just one, but two castles in Williamson County have important connections to musical history?
The first is Castle Gwynn, the multi-turreted replica of a 12th-century Welsh frontier castle that is visible from I-840 in Arrington. A private residence most of the year when it’s not playing host to the annual Tennessee Renaissance Festival, the castle has served as a filming location for various productions through the years. That’s why when a young Taylor Swift and her creative team were searching for a romantic locale for her “Love Story” video shoot in 2008, they were pleased to discover that they didn’t have to haul the entire film crew to Europe.
Castle Gwynn was the perfect setting for the then-18-year-old’s dreamy ode to young love and Romeo and Juliet, but with a much happier ending. While the castle is a private residence, the property is open for the Renaissance weekends in May and Memorial Day. The owners have also been working to transform parts of the castle into a wedding venue so that Swifties can celebrate their own love stories where Taylor did.
The other area castle with an important musical history also hosts weddings and other events, while still operating as a working recording studio. Castle Recording Studios was constructed on Old Hillsboro Rd. between 1929 and 1932 by John P. Welch, a notorious underworld figure from Chicago. Mob king Al Capone’s major operations revolved around his homes in Chicago and Miami, and Middle Tennessee happened to be about midway between those two cities along the old Dixie Highway that connected those two big cities.
Capone also dabbled in extra-legal liquor distribution in the clubs of Prohibition-era Nashville, specifically Printers Alley, so he was a frequent visitor. Legend says that Welch built The Castle as a safe stopover for Capone’s crew, complete with thick walls and a clandestine casino. It was also converted into a high-end public restaurant for a few years.
Long after Capone was finally put away for tax evasion, The Castle was resurrected as a music studio by Jozef Nuyens, a member of a famous European bluegrass family, in 1983. Equipped with two modern recording studios and the unique acoustics of a stone fortress, Castle Recording Studios hosted sessions for more than 500 gold and platinum records. Among the breakthrough tracks laid down at The Castle were 2005’s CMA Song of the Year “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” by John Michael Montgomery, and “I’m Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin’ Song)” by Brad Paisley.
Other artists who have recorded at The Castle include nearby neighbors Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Faith Hill, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, along with out-of-state visitors like Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.
While it’s not quite a castle, there is yet another opulent lodging option in Franklin with a deep musical history. The Manor at Dark Horse Recording Estate is a massive 14,000-square-foot property that can sleep up to eighteen guests overnight in seven bedrooms plus ten bathrooms.
The manor shares the grounds with an operating recording studio, Dark Horse Recording, which has produced more than 65 gold and platinum albums over the past three decades. From old-school country stars and rock n’ rollers like Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, Peter Frampton and Foghat to today’s hitmakers ranging from Taylor Swift to Jason Isbell, the roster of clients who have spent time at Dark Horse is epic!
One last fun little tidbit you may have been wondering: if you’ve ever walked by The Factory at Franklin and wondered why many of the window panes are painted red, the answer is related to the most famous redhead in country music, Reba McEntire.
She filmed a music video for her 1997 single, “What If?” inside the former stove factory, and the film crew painted the windows to create a dramatic, moody ambiance for the scene. The video premiered during a Thanksgiving NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and our local team, which was then known as the Tennessee Oilers. Almost 30 years later, many windows at The Factory still display a tint of “Reba Red.”
Consider yourself well-armed for the next music trivia night you attend!
