Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge

Separated by a small alley, Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge sit back to back. They seem an unlikely pair, the Ryman’s Victorian Gothic architecture and religious beginnings and Tootsie’s vibrant purple exterior—as wild as the bar scene inside. Yet the two are closely linked in Nashville’s music history. Hattie Louise Bess, or “Tootsie,” opened the Orchid Lounge in March 1960. Originally called “Mom’s,” the name changed after Tootsie painted the building a vibrant shade of orchid purple. The bar catered to musicians who played on the Grand Ole Opry and came in the back door of Tootsie’s after their shows. Loretta Lynn said that her husband often went to Tootsie’s while she performed next door at the Grand Ole Opry. During her breaks she would “go hang out at Toostie’s and share a cold one with him.” Other early customers include Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Roger Miller, Tom T. Hall, and Kris Kristofferson. Kristofferson once remarked that playing at Tootsie’s was “like coming home.”

Tootsie Bess helped many aspiring country singers and musicians and even accepted IOUs for food and drinks. Willie Nelson, for example, was the beneficiary of a few free burgers and beers early in his career. Now a country music legend, Willie Nelson fondly recalled many nights in his early career—writing and pitching songs from Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. One of Nelson’s earliest songwriting successes came in 1961 when popular singer, Faron Young, recorded “Hello Walls” – a song about living hard and falling fast. In a 2014 interview with Jimmy Fallon, Nelson said that the song “Red Headed Stranger” was about the night he met Patsy Cline’s husband at Tootsie’s. There’s one other important connection between Willie Nelson and Patsy Cline. Most know her rendition of the song “Crazy,” with its iconic chorus:

Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you

I'm crazy for trying and crazy for crying

And I'm crazy for loving you

But did you know that Willie Nelson wrote the song? In the PBS mini-series Country Music, Nelson said he originally titled the song "Stupid" but changed it after negative reaction from a crowd at Tootsie’s. 

Toostie Bess died in 1978, but her beloved bar and lounge remains more popular than ever. Pictures of Hattie Louise Bess adorn the walls as part of the Toostie’s Wall of Fame along with other pictures and memorabilia. Today’s bar features three stages for live music. This includes the more recent addition of a roof deck, which overlooks Broadway—in all its Honky Tonk glory. 

You are across the street from our next stop so look up to see the National Museum of African-American Music. Learn about this museum while we walk, press play as you continue down Fifth Avenue. Turn RIGHT onto Broadway and walk up Broadway to Seventh Avenue. Take a RIGHT onto Seventh Avenue and walk 1/2 block. You will see the Barbershop Harmony Society building on your right, the fourth stop on our tour.