Ryman heads back to roots with gospel concert series
It's known as the "Mother Church of Country Music" — or just "the Ryman" for short. But soon, Ryman Auditorium will be embracing another nickname: "Sam's Place."
As the revered music venue prepares to embark on a $14 million expansion, the Ryman will tap into its century-old origins as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, as well as Nashville's thriving Christian music community, with a new monthly concert series starting in November.
"Sam's Place — Music For the Spirit" will be hosted by gospel star and Middle Tennessee resident Steven Curtis Chapman, who will share the stage with Christian artists from rock, pop, country, bluegrass and other genres. The series kicks off on Nov. 2 with Christian rockers Mercy Me and Tenth Avenue North. Future performers are to include Danny Gokey, Amy Grant and Ray Stevens.
The new series with a nod to the past will run during part of the time the Ryman will be expanding to add a cafe, multimedia history tour and new event space. The project, which will also involve renovating the box office, restrooms, concessions and merchandising area, is expected to be completed in early summer 2015.
Chapman told The Tennessean he "ran to the front of the line" to offer to host "Sam's Place."
"With 'Sam's Place,' the desire is to take (the Ryman) back to its original intended purpose as the Union Gospel Tabernacle," he said, "and make it a night about the glory of God and music from all different genres doing that."
Longtime Nashvillians may remember "Sam's Place" in its original run — the Ryman first hosted the concert series from 1994 to 1999. But its roots go back much further.
The series is named for Samuel Porter Jones, who was among the Southeast's most famed evangelists in the late 1800s. In 1885, Jones staged a tent revival in Nashville which was attended by riverboat captain Thomas Ryman. Ryman experienced a religious conversion that evening, and that moment, he and Jones "began a friendship and a correspondence," said Ryman curator Brenda Colladay.
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"From then on it was (Ryman's) life's work to build a place where all people could come and hear the word of God and get their souls saved, as his was."
Seven years later, in 1892, the Union Gospel Tabernacle opened its doors. Jones made annual stops there during his travels through the region, and in 1904, he delivered the eulogy at Ryman's funeral and proposed the tabernacle be renamed in his honor.
Even with its century-spanning history, the Ryman is still best known for being the home of the "Grand Ole Opry" from 1943 to 1974. Nashville's gospel musicians stand in a similar shadow. Though the Christian music industry has long had a stronghold here, country music is far more visible, with regular tourist-friendly showcases such as the "Opry." "Sam's Place" has the potential to help change that.
"We do shows together, but we don't really end up on stage at the same time, interacting," Chapman said of his Christian music peers. "That's going to be a big part of what this is, and (with artists) outside of my genre. Charlie Daniels and I wrote a song together years ago ("The Business of Love"), but we've never performed it together. My hope is to get Charlie Daniels to come do that song with me."
Like the "Opry," "Sam's Place" will be heard far beyond Music City. Starting next year, portions of the show will be broadcast on Christian radio network K-LOVE, which has more than 400 stations nationwide.
As the Ryman tips its hat to its beginnings, it's preparing to write its next chapter. In June, owner Ryman Hospitality Properties announced expansion and renovation plans.
When the announcement was made, the owners were quick to add that all construction would be done on the additions that were built in 1994. The original auditorium will be left as-is, preserving a history-steeped venue that, according to Chapman, is sacred ground in more ways than one.
"I think that's why there is that reverence and that sense of awe about this building," he said. As much as it is about the great artists, Hank Williams and those who stood on this stage, I think even those guys — I wasn't here, but I'm guessing — they felt it, too. Something's unique, something's special about this building. And I believe it's because it was built for the glory of God."
Contact Dave Paulson
at 615-664-2278 and on Twitter @ItsDavePaulson.
'Sam's Place' tickets
Dates: Nov. 2, Dec. 7, Jan. 11, Feb. 15, March 1,
April 5
Prices: Individual shows are $27.50, $34.50 and $39.50; season passes are $178 and $198. A portion of each sale will be donated to Show Hope.
On sale: 10 a.m. Friday at Ryman box office, ryman.com or 615-889-3060; groups: 615-871-5043.