While Nashville’s contributions to country music have been documented extensively, the city’s far-reaching rhythm & blues legacy is not as well known. The pioneering R&B activity played a significant role in building Nashville’s worldwide reputation as “Music City” in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, and the influence is still felt today. This program, recorded on October 12, 2024, was offered in support of the exhibition “Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues Revisited” and in partnership with Lovenoise and the National Museum of African American Music, with support from WNXP.

Moderated by music journalist and “Making Noise” podcast host Jewly Hight, Lovenoise founder Eric Holt and musicians Frank Howard, Regina McCrary, Joey Richey, and Bryant Taylorr discuss their experiences developing and performing in Nashville and talk about the communities that encouraged them. Following the panel, Levert Allison, Ca$h K, William Davenport, Howard, the McCrary Sisters, and Richey perform a collection of songs from across decades of pop and R&B music, backed by a house band led by Elijah “DD” Holt. The program concludes with Howard leading the group in a performance of the Robert Knight hit “Everlasting Love.”

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