Our Photos Of Nashville Songwriters & Singers

by Lynnette

Bluebird Cafe, Brad Paisley, Grand Ole Opry, Jim Reilley, Matt King, Music And Songwriters, Sara Evans, Vince Gill

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Here’s a growing collection of photographs of singers and songwriters that we’ve crossed paths with in some musical setting — like at the Bluebird Cafe, or the Grand Ole Opry, or even at a Rock Concert!

The Bluebird Cafe on a quiet afternoon

Some are up-and-comers. Most are already famous for one or more hit songs.

 

 

Steve Seskin On Keyboard At The Bluebird
Steve Seskin performing live at the Bluebird Cafe.
Steve Seskin (who’s had megga hits by Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, John Michael Montgomery, and Mark Wills) just happened to be in the audience on this night at the Bluebird, so Vince Gill invited him to come up on stage. He played Phil Vassar’s keyboards while he sang the song “Grown Men Don’t Cry” that Tim McGraw made a big hit.

 

 

Matt King And Vince Gill At The Bluebird Cafe
Matt King was invited to sing a song.
Vince opened up the whole show to other songwriters he knew who were in the audience at the Bluebird on this night. Here, Matt King was invited to sing a song or two.

 

 

Michael Peterson At The Bluebird
Michael Peterson was a guest of Vince Gill at the Bluebird.
Michael Peterson was a guest of Vince Gill. He performed his song, “Right About Now” at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

 

Jimbeau Hinson Puts His Heart & Soul Into It At The Bluebird
Jimbeau Hinson - a very energetic performer at the Bluebird.
Jimbeau Hinson really puts everything he’s got into his performances!

 

 

Jimbeau Hinson At The Bluebird Cafe In Nashville
Jimbeau Hinson at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.
Jimbeau Hinson met Loretta Lynn when he was only 14. She introduced him to her manager and publishers the Wilburn Brothers, who signed him on the spot. Since then, he has followed his own path… where he follows the beat of a different drummer! On this night, he was the headliner at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville.

 

 

Marc-Alan Barnette At The Bluebird Cafe
Marc-Alan Barnette at the Bluebird Cafe.
Along with his former backup singers, The Kinley’s, Marc-Alan Barnette has opened concerts for the likes of Garth Brooks, Patty Loveless, John Anderson, Tanya Tucker, Charlie Daniels, Confederate Railroad Cheap Trick, Ricochet, and many others.

 

 

Jennifer Hicks & Some Nashville Stars At The Bluebird
Jennifer Hicks and Jim Reilley at the Bluebird Cafe.
At the end of the night, after all of Jim Reilley and his friends had sung their songs, told their jokes, and strummed on their guitars, one of the singer/songwriters (Jennifer Hicks) presented Jim with a cake on this, his 40th Birthday. I bet Jennifer could never have guessed that just 3 years later, she’d be one of the Top 5 finalists on the hit singer/songwriter talent show called Nashville Star!

 

 

Whisperin’ Bill Anderson At The Grand Ol Opry
Bill Anderson at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
This guy’s a classic… a frequent performer at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Whispering Bill Anderson was one of the “legends” we saw this night.

 

 

Eric Heatherly At The Grand Ol Opry
Eric Heatherly performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
Eric Heatherly in his shiney Manuel jacket at the Grand Ole Opry – Nashville, Tennessee.

 

 

Sara Evans At The Grand Ol Opry
Sara Evans performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sara Evans (“Born To Fly”) also performed at the Grand Ole Opry this night.

 

 

BR-549 At The Grand Ol Opry
BR549 performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Believe it or not, the Grand Ole Opry shows which are filled to the brim with 2-1/2 hours of live performances also feature an “opening act” during the summer months. Just outside the Opry auditorium, at the band shell, lesser-known bands perform for the crowd waiting to enter the Opry. We saw a local fave: BR-549 one night. They are “Country’s most explosive hillbilly band.”

 

 

Jamie O’Neal At The Grand Ol Opry
Jamie O'Neal at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Jamie O’Neal was another up-and comer who was topping the charts with “When I Think About Heaven, I Think About You”. This was Jamie’s Opry debut.

 

 

Charley Pride At The Grand Ol Opry
Charley Pride performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Charley Pride (“You’ve got to kiss an angel good morning”) was one of the legendary talents at the Grand Ole Opry this night.

 

 

Pam Tillis At The Grand Ol Opry
Pam Tillis at the Grand Ole Opry.
Pam Tillis (daughter of Mel Tillis) performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

 

Mark McGuinn At The Grand Ol Opry
Mark McGuinn at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Mark McGuinn (“Mrs. Steven Rudy”) made his Grand Ole Opry debut on this night. Pitiful update: We saw him 2 years after this at a free outdoor concert, and there were only a handful of people sitting around the stage listening to him sing. It was so sad. We’ve also seen him quite a few times out and about – like at the movie theater & restaurants.

 

 

Brad Paisley At The Grand Ol Opry
Brad Paisley at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
We were surprised to see then up-and-comer, Brad Paisley at the Grand Ole Opry.

 

 

Jimmy C. Newman At The Opry
Jimmy C. Newman, also known as 'The Ragin' Cajun' performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
Jimmy C. Newman is also known as “The Ragin’ Cajun” and we’ve seen him a couple of times at the Grand Ole Opry.

 

 

Hal Ketchum Wins Award From The Opry
Hal Ketchum receiving an award as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Hal Ketchum has had 15 Top Ten hits, countless songwriting awards, and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1994.

 

 

The Whites At The Grand Ol Opry
The Whites performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
If there’s one group of singers who’s at the Opry even more than Little Jimmie Dickens… it’s The Whites!

 

 

Mark Wills At The Grand Ol Opry
Mark Wills performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
We were lucky to find so many “big names” all performing at the Grand Ole Opry on the same night! Here, Mark Wills is performing his song “Don’t Laugh At Me” at the Opry.

 

 

Tammy Cochran At The Opry
Tammy Cochran performing at the Grand Ole Opry.
Tammy Cochran (“Angels in Waiting”) was one of many up-and-comers this night at the Grand Ole Opry.

 

 

Bubba’s Stand Up Routine At The Grand Ol Opry
Comedian T. Bubba Bechtol performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
T. Bubba Bechtol is a down-to-earth humorist whose quick wit crosses all regional, gender, generational and class lines. Though he comes across as down-home Country.

 

 

Mandy Barnett At The Grand Ol Opry
Mandy Barnett singing at the Grand Ole Opry.
Mandy Barnett was a young girl with a big voice!

 

 

Radney Foster At The Grand Ol Opry
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They call Radney Foster “a songwriter’s songwriter”… He got a very unique style.

 

 

Shannon Brown At The Opry
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Shannon Brown was a new artist, and this was her Opry debut.

 

 

Porter Wagner At The Grand Ole Opry
Porter Wagner at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Porter Wagner and the Grand Ole Opry backup singers. He’s a regular at the Opry, frequently hosting the show. And he always wears a lot of glitter and glam. Porter Wagner may be most famous for his glittering rhinestone stage costumes.

 

 

Chad Brock Takes Center Stage At The Fair
Chad Brock at the Beulah Sausage Festival.
The other “star of the show” was Chad Brock at the Beulah Sausage Festival near Pensacola, Florida. He’s a University of Florida grad who’s mostly famous for his hit, “She Said Yes!” Years later, we also saw him at the Bluebird Cafe after we moved to Nashville.

 

 

Kenny Wayne Sheppard At A Festival
Kenny Wayne Sheppard at the Mobile Bayfest in Alabama.
When we lived in Pensacola, we drove an hour to Mobile, Alabama to attend their annual music bash called Mobile Bayfest. The first person we saw was Kenny Wayne Sheppard. Jim has enjoyed his music for years. He’s a reknowned guitar player for his youth.

 

 

Lionel Cartwright at Bellevue Community Church
Lionel Cartwright leading the music at Bellevue Community Church.
Lionel Cartwright is a remarkable singer, songwriter, musician, and performer.
He is the full-time music leader at Bellevue Community Church, and he frequently writes “hit songs” on the spur of the moment — for the purpose of illustrating a particular point that Pastor Dave might be talking about on a given week. Even more remarkable than that is the fact that he can play virtually ANY instrument, and he’s self-taught at them all! (Check out Lionel’s bio.) We are privileged to see him play everything from the acoustic guitar to steel guitar, or the mandolin and drums at BCC each week. Our favorite is to watch Lionel work his magic on the keyboards. He plays with such passion, it resembles the incredible fingerwork of master keyboardist, Phil Vassar.