A small, scruffy rock club on Elliston Place near Vanderbilt, open since 1971. Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Muddy Waters, Tom Waits, and (in his post-Police early solo days) Sting all played small breakthrough shows here. The room has the genuine layered grunge of a real music venue: signed photographs cover every available wall, the floor is sticky, the bar runs along one side, and the sight lines from the back are not great.
Today's bookings span indie rock, alt-country, punk, and the occasional country headliner who wants to play a small room. The neighbouring The End and The 5 Spot in Hillsboro form a small constellation of dive-rock venues for those whose Nashville interests do not stop at the Ryman.