Statues at Ryman Auditorium

Captain Ryman’s daughter Daisy said of her father, “He was as much at home on the water as he was on the land.” It was true. Born Thomas Green Ryman in 1841, he grew up in the fishing camps on the Cumberland River helping his father, who ran a fishing business. His father died before Tom was twenty years old, but he kept the business going to support his mother and four siblings. He managed to save $3,000 and traveled to New Orleans in 1867 to buy his first steamboat. Despite the extremely hot and long trip, Captain Ryman never took off his coat as he sewed the cash into his coat to avoid robbery. He eventually grew his fleet to thirty-five boats carrying both goods and passengers. They also bought, transported, and sold quite a bit of alcohol while traveling up and down the Cumberland. Upon their return to Nashville, Ryman and the river men “had a glorious time doing the town, and as the town had plenty of saloons, they got plenty drunk."

In 1885, Captain Ryman attended a tent revival meeting led by Reverend Sam Jones. Standing in a crowd of nearly 5,000 people, Ryman was preparing to heckle the preacher when, instead, the message moved him and he converted. After this religious experience, he shut down his distribution of whiskey and made it his mission to build a tabernacle large enough to hold all of Reverend Jones’s followers. Using his own funds and raising money with local Nashville business men, Ryman oversaw the construction of the Union Gospel Tabernacle, which opened in 1892 as a place for all to come and worship. He was regarded as a local inspiration and a man of great generosity until his death in 1904. On Christmas Day, people from all over the city gathered at his funeral to mourn, and Reverend Jones suggested that the tabernacle be renamed in honor of Captain Ryman. Today, the copper statue of Captain Thomas Ryman, at the helm of his boat, stands on the plaza in his memory. This sculpture was created by artist Steve Shields of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

Adjacent to Captain Thomas Ryman stands the life-size bronze statue of Little Jimmy Dickens, who was most known for his short height, rhinestone outfits, and comical country songs. He may have been small in stature, at four feet eleven inches, but he was larger than life. He belted out early country hits such as “Country Boy” in 1949 and “Hillbilly Fever” in 1950. He was an original member of the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman and appeared on Hee Haw, a television show that blended country music and humor. He successfully transitioned from old “hillbilly” country to new country—called “rockabilly.” Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1983, Dickens uniquely influenced country music for nearly seventy years. He passed away on January 2, 2015 at the age of 94. At a memorial service held at the Ryman, Carrie Underwood said, “I know why it's raining in Nashville [tonight]. Little Jimmy is in heaven now making the angels laugh so hard, they're crying.” We will leave you with some classic lyrics from Jimmy Dickens:

I'll be eatin' that cornbread and buttermilk, a country boy's delight

I eat it ev'ry mornin', I eat it noon and night

Some people like fried chicken while others like their ham

But cornbread and buttermilk made me what I am

Walk down the sidewalk between the Ryman and the parking lot to reach the opposite corner of the building. On the corner of the Ryman and Fifth Avenue stands a bronze statue of Bill Monroe. Hit pause on the narration and press the play button when you reach the statue to continue the tour.

Known as the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe represents the roots of country music and was a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry starting in 1939. By the 1960s, the Folk Revival was in full swing and as his music reached a wider audience, Monroe and bluegrass experienced a revival too. To be honest, it never stopped. Bluegrass remains very popular today, and Monroe is considered the “Father of Bluegrass.” Monroe is one of the very few musicians inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Both statues of Little Jimmy Dickens and Bill Monroe were sculpted by Ben Watts of Columbia, Mississippi. They were commissioned in 2017 to celebrate the quasquicentennial, or 125th anniversary, of the Ryman.

From the statue of Bill Monroe, turn RIGHT and walk up Fifth Avenue North. Cross Commerce Street, and continue up Fifth Avenue until you see the mural on the side of the Blush Boutique building, on your right. This is our next stop.