Printers Alley

Lined with speakeasies, burlesque clubs, and neon-lit bars, Printers Alley—still one of Nashville’s most raucous entertainment districts—has long been a magnet for nightlife and filmic storytelling. With its ambiance—part Mardi Gras, part noir—it’s no wonder the alley has drawn filmmakers, and musicians, and for decades.

Originally the heart of Nashville’s publishing industry, the alley takes its name from the many print shops and newspapers once located here, including The Tennessean and the Nashville Banner. But in 1909, when the state government banned the making, selling, or consumption of alcohol, Printers Alley became a haven for booze and sex. The area was infamously named the “Men’s Quarter.”

By the 1940s, it was a hotspot for music but at least some mischief remained. Legendary performers like Boots Randolph, Waylon Jennings, The Supremes, and Jimi Hendrix played here. And in the 1960s and 1970s, one of its biggest stars wasn’t on a record label—she was a burlesque dancer named Heaven Lee. 

Another larger-than-life figure was David “Skull” Schulman, longtime owner of Skull’s Rainbow Room. Dubbed the “Mayor of Printers Alley,” Skull was a fierce protector of its culture until his tragic murder inside the club in 1998. After nearly two decades, Skull’s Rainbow Room was reborn in 2015 and it remains one of the Alley’s premier venues.

Cinematic history runs deep here, too. In 1978, Printers Alley starred in the NBC-TV movie Murder in Music City, with Sonny Bono and Lee Purcell as a newlywed detective duo stumbling onto a homicide. Filmed across downtown—including the Belcourt Theatre and War Memorial Auditorium—it featured cameos by Charlie Daniels, Barbara Mandrell, and Boots Randolph. Two years earlier, Nashville 99, a short-lived cop drama starring Claude Akins and Jerry Reed, helped cement Nashville as more than just a backdrop—it was a television character in its own right. The tradition continued in Nashville on ABC from 2012 to 2018. and music videos like Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” 

Want more? Printers Alley also stars in four Nashville Sites walking tours: Seedy Side and Printers Alley, Hidden History and Haunts, Food for Thought, and Art and Murals. Whatever your interest—music, mystery, or mischief—this alley has a story for you.

Now we’ll move on to one of the most iconic streets in Nashville: Lower Broadway. Walk down Printers Alley until you reach Commerce Street. On your left you’ll see the Country Music Television or CMT Headquarters. Turn RIGHT onto Commerce Street then LEFT onto 4th Ave N. Keep walking down the hill then turn RIGHT onto Broadway. You’ve made it! This stop will focus on Broadway before all of your favorite country singers had honky-tonks down here. Head to Layla’s at 418 Broadway to hear about the street’s salacious past.