How Nashville Became Music City U.S.A.—50 Years of Music Row

How did a medium-sized Southern river town become arguably the most important music center in America? Michael Kosser tells its story with the help of the men and women who made it happen. From a single studio in a small house, Music Row grew into a ten-block area populated by hundreds of talented people whose job was to simply make music. Evoking a sense of "being there," in How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A. Kosser's subjects come alive, drawing us into the studios, publishing companies, record label head sheds, and promotion offices that sprang up and down the Row.

How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A. counters decades of media stereotyping of Nashville as "Hillbilly Heaven." It's where Elvis ushered in the commercial rock 'n' roll explosion by recording "Heartbreak Hotel"; where Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and Willie Nelson taught mainstream America to love soulful ballads; where Bob Dylan recorded three of his most important albums; and where Joan Baez, Dan Fogelberg, Jimmy Buffett, Simon and Garfunkel, and dozens of others came to make great pop music. To this day, pop stars sneak in and sneak out to take advantage of Nashville's sudios and musicicans.

Of course, Nashville is still the place where almost all significant country music is recorded. While most popular music has left America behind, Nashville's music industry continues to move world-wide audiences with timeless songs they can love and understand. —How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A.: 50 Years of Music Row