Ryman Auditorium joins rock history with new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame landmark
Country music's most celebrated concert hall earned a place among some of the best venues to uplift another genre — rock 'n' roll.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unveiled Thursday a historical landmark for the Ryman Auditorium, the 130-year-old tabernacle in downtown Nashville known for often hosting world-class artists in an intimate setting.
Organizers for both institutions unveiled the landmark Thursday afternoon at a ceremony featuring Nashville mayor John Cooper, a handful of city council members, hitmaking country group Old Dominion and prepared remarks from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt.
As the spiritual home of country music, the Ryman represents a foundational piece of youth culture represented by the Hall, said Greg Harris, president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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"Rock 'n' roll isn't a specific sound; rock 'n' roll is an attitude and it does comes out of gospel and country and blues," Harris said. "It's always been this important voice, especially this voice that's driving young America. Those things happen on these stages — whether it was Johnny Cash, whether it was Hank Williams, whether it was The Byrds."
The Ryman as part of the Rock Hall? It makes sense, said Old Dominion frontman Matthew Ramsey.
"Country and rock 'n' roll are so in bed with each other," Ramsey said. "You can't have one without the other. It makes sense to me that [it's part] of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, just like Dolly Parton and Hank Williams."
In addition to an outdoor landmark, the Rock Hall and Ryman confirmed a multi-year partnership that begins in the coming months with an exhibit inside the so-called Mother Church that celebrates Rock Hall members who once played the famed stage.
For the exhibit, visitors can expect rock memobeila inside the Ryman vestibule overlooking Rep. John Lewis Way, said Peter Weien, chief operating officer of Ryman parent company Opry Entertainment. Future projects could include collaborative merchandise or a Rock Hall-themed concert, he said.
More than 100 Rock Hall inductees — from Bruce Springsteen to Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Wanda Jackson, Foo Fighters, Neil Young and Brenda Lee — have played the Ryman.
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"We want to really create something where people can say, 'Yes this is the Mother Church of Country Music,' but on the other side, just think of all the tremendous rock 'n' roll acts that have played here," Weien said.
The Ryman becomes the 12th venue to earn a Rock Hall landmark, joining Austin City Limits in Austin, Texas, the Troubadour in Los Angeles and Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa.
This year, venue leadership celebrates 130 years of the Ryman, which hosted its first concert — four nights with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra— in May 1982. The Ryman toasts 130 years with an ongoing series of multi-night residencies in 2022, including runs from Billy Strings, Dwight Yoakam, Vince Gill and more.
Tennesseans can visit the Ryman for a free daytime tour Sunday as part of the venue's annual Community Day.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ryman Auditorium makes history with new Rock & Roll Hall of Fame landmark
