Location: Demonbruen Street between 4th and 5th Avenues South, Nashville, TN 37203
Music City’s equivalent of getting your star on Hollywood Boulevard is having your star in the Music City Walk of Fame Park. While the stars in the Park have yet to achieve the same notoriety as the ones in Hollywood, there is a row of in-land granite sidewalk markers honoring some who have contributed towards making Nashville the Music City.
Launched in 2006, the Park is a project of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau and Metro Parks, and has recently reopened after a lengthy renovation. While not an absolute must-to-see on a visit to Nashville, its convenient location in between the Hilton Nashville Downtown hotel, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Country Music Hall of Fame and Bridgestone Arena makes it an easy stop.
Induction events are infrequent but free and open to the public. The first launch after the renovation was the joint induction of local musical collaborators Jack White and Loretta Lynn. In addition to the upgrade to the park area, the markers themselves also received a facelift and are now all black instead of their former red and black design. The markers are all the same except for the honoree names and their dates of induction.
The roster of stars makes one think that the local organizers may be guilty of showing favoritism to those able to attend their installation. While there are some great stars presented, there are some glaring omissions such as George Jones, Chet Atkins and Bob Dylan. I’d even cast a vote for Elvis Costello whose recordings here certainly opened country music’s doors to many new listeners.
Forgiveness granted, a trip through the park is worth the little effort it takes. What current artists might we see added in the future? The Black Keys, Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley are a few who come to mind. Watch the local news for future inductions.
Here is a current list of the 75 who are currently enshrined in order of their induction. (# denotes inducted posthumously)
November 2006
Reba McEntire
Ronnie Milsap
Kenneth Schermerhorn #
The Fisk Jubilee Singers
Boudleaux and Felice Bryant
Roy Orbison #
April 2007
The Crickets
Emmylou Harris
John Hiatt
Wynonna Judd
Frances W. Preston
Michael W. Smith
November 2007
Rodney Crowell
Bob DiPiero
Vince Gill
Jimi Hendrix #
Buddy Killen #
Barbara Mandrell
April 2008
Steven Curtis Chapman
Merle Kilgore #
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Steve Wariner
Kirk Whalum
Hank Williams Sr. #
November 2008
Martina McBride
Randy Travis
Little Richard
Jo Walker-Meador
Trace Adkins
Elvis Presley #
Michael McDonald
April 2009
Marty Stuart
Josh Turner
Cowboy Jack Clement
Mike Curb
CeCe Winans
Dr. R. H. Boyd #
November 2009
Kid Rock
Ernest Tubb #
Tootsie Bess #
Charlie Daniels
Dolly Parton
November 2010
Eddy Arnold #
Little Jimmy Dickens
Rascal Flatts
Bobby Hebb #
Kris Kristofferson
Mel Tillis
May 2011
Bill Anderson
Keith Urban
October 2011
Peter Frampton
November 2011
Manuel
Dan Miller
Dr. Bobby Jones
Dottie Rambo
Les Paul
Alan Jackson
Kix Brooks
June 2012
Bob Babbitt
Steve Winwood
September 2012
Kings of Leon
June 2015
Loretta Lynn
Jack White
October 2015
Miranda Lambert
Steve Cropper
E.W. “Bud” Wendell
Johnny Cash
May 2016
Alabama
Sam Moore
April 2017
Amy Grant
Martha Ingram
