In 1960, Hattie Louise Bess, known to many as “Tootsie,” bought a building on Lower Broadway in Nashville and opened the now famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. The purple paint on the exterior of the building remains a mystery to many; however, rumor has it that this now-signature color to Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge was a mistake made by the original painter.

During its early years, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge served as a gathering place for musicians performing in the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. After performances, musicians often crossed the alley and walked down the back steps into Tootsie’s to escape from the congestion and heat backstage at the auditorium. Willie Nelson, who moved to Nashville in 1960, described Tootsie’s as the place where he “hung out with the other broke pickers who were trying to sell songs.”

Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge was known to many as the unofficial “green room” of the Ryman Auditorium, and when the Grand Ole Opry moved from the Ryman Auditorium, business at Tootsie’s suffered. However, Tootsie Bess continued to operate the lounge until her death in 1978. Tootsie Bess welcomed many struggling, up-and-coming musicians into her establishment, including frequent visits from artists such as Faron Young and Kris Kristofferson. Tootsie’s fame even extended onto the silver screen when scenes in 1980’s Coal Miner’s Daughter, based on the life of Loretta Lynn, was filmed at the Lounge.

Today, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge is a popular tourist spot in the Broadway Historic District of Nashville. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the historic venue continues to serve the community as a place known for good food and live music.

Script written by Michelle Richoll.

Credits and Sources:

Diane Diekman, Live Fast, Love Hard: The Faron Young Story (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007).

Taylor Sims, “Famous Country Music Alley in Nashville Gets Facelift,” last modified September 27, 2011, http://blog.utc.edu/TheLoop/2011/09/27/famous-country-music-alley-in-nashville-gets-facelift/.

Library of Congress, “Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, 422 Broadway, Nashville, Davidson County, TN,” accessed April 8, 2015, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/tn0433/.

“Footnotes A Walking Tour Of Downtown Nashville,” accessed April 8, 2015, http://v2.nashville.gov/mhc/docs/historic/FOOTNOTESbrochure_BW.pdf.

“National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Broadway Historic District,” last modified July 18, 1980, http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/80003785.pdf.