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Bluebird Cafe To Be Bought By Nashville Songwriters Association
http://www.the9513.com/bluebird-cafe-to-be-bought-by-nashville-songwriters-association/

The Nashville Songwriters Association International will buy the famed Bluebird Caf� in Nashville to use as a songwriters venue, a source at the NSAI has confirmed. Details of the agreement are to be announced next week. Founded 25 years ago by impresario Amy Kurland, the club has hosted performances by virtually every major songwriter in Nashville. It has also attracted music publishers and record label executives in search of fresh talent. Capitol Records executives signed Garth Brooks after catching one of his Bluebird shows. So renowned has the tiny venue become that it was an inspiration for The Thing Called Love, a 1993 film starring River Phoenix and Sandra Bullock, in which singer K.T. Oslin played the club owner.

I wonder where Barbara will land when the dust settles? Thx for the post...MJ

VERY interesting. Wonder why that happened??

First Lyrix, now the Bird {my 2 favorite venues,not to mention having had the priveledge of PLAYING both of em'!} What the Hell's goin' on????

I'm gonna be in Nashville this weekend working on the house we bought. I thought I'd try to get in the Bluebird Sunday Night. I think Kim Char is playing.
I'll see what I can find out.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. There are some folks here in Nashville, some of whom frequent the Bluebird, who are anti-NSAI. I wonder how things will change?

Hmmmm, very interesting... Not sure how I feel about this...

Oh, and Bill's right... I will be playing there on Sun (11/11) if anyone wants to come out and show some luv!!!! Hugs, me

I don't know enough about NSAI to say for certain whether this is a good thing or not, I believe that it is, since the Blue Bird is an important part of Nashville's songwriting history.

Why not have it owned by a non profit?
I think that will assure that the Blue Bird will last beyond the life of it's creator. I believe that NSAI is a well funded organization.

It's news and I attempt to share news items that might interest community members.


I know NSAI does a lot of good for a lot of writers, they offer excellent events and opportunities for writers.

I beleive NSAI owns songramp.com

What are the issues and points of those who are anti NSAI?

Ande

Hmmmm
I would be curious to know more about NSAI. I was thinking of joining up with them. I have heard good things. I did not know there might be an anti NSAI group.
It would be interesting to know what they have against them.

I'm very pro-NSAI. I joined them in 1980 and found them to be very helpful to the songwriter. They've had me as a guest host twice for their "World's Largest Writer's Night." NSAI is a wonderful resource for the songwriter.

Without naming any names, there is some criticism in the Nashville songwriting community to the effect that NSAI has, in recent years, focused more on the pro songwriters, giving less help to the beginners. It has even been suggested that NSAI should take it on themselves to feed hungry songwriters.

Success often brings on "sour grapes." I'd recommend NSAI to any songwriter.

I would certainly hope that the tradition that the Bluebird has established for songwriters will be retained when and if the new owners take over. December will be my 9th time performing there, and, to tell you the truth, I enjoy that venue better than anywhere else I go. If the new owners are wise, they will ensure that the great reputation that has become the Bluebird is kept on.
j

I'm probably preaching mostly to the choir (sorry, choir!)... I joined NSAI in August. In every interaction, I have found everyone involved - staff, guest faculty, pro writers that share themselves with NSAI members - to be nothing but open, positive, and supportive. Considering the number of rookie songwriters that come in the door all the time at NSAI that don't have the first clue (and I think I myself qualify in some respects), that's pretty amazing.

I've been to a songcamp and the Songposium, and in addition to all the craft and biz stuff I learned, I had a chance to meet other writers and network. That's what it's all about, as far as I can tell.

As far as I am concerned, anyone that has a gripe about NSAI must not be working very hard to do anything for themselves, and therefore must have a 'reason' they can use to justify complaining. The NSAI isn't there to "just give" you success or opportunities to pitch or connections, that's completely up to you, 100%.

The only reason why anyone "doesn't succeed" is themselves, period. Am I stopping them? no. Is Mike Dunbar stopping them? no. Is JPF or Brian stopping them? nope.

So, why would the NSAI stop them? I can't imagine NSAI benefiting in any way by stopping them from succeeding; can you?

After all, it's songwriters paying NSAI membership dues that help foot the bill. So why would the NSAI want to alienate their revenue source? (I don't expect anyone to kiss my behind because I paid dues, either. It costs money to keep the doors open, after all).

The "pro songwriters" are succeeding because they successfully network with other people, they wrote and continue to write good stuff, they work at it all the time, and they continue to do what is necessary to succeed.

As a good friend of mine says about people who complain, "consider the source".


I think it's fantastic that NSAI has the Bluebird; I can't think of a more positive way of ensuring the Bluebird stays a songwriter venue, than being owned by an organization of songwriters.

The bottom line on any venue is that someone has to make sure the rent and taxes get paid, etc, and that is probably why we lost Lyrix - not enough revenue to support the overhead.

John

So, is the Bluebird still going to have the same gatekeeper? I was so looking forward to being remembered the next time I came to town...

Moonless

Crap, Joe. What did you do to make them remember you in the first place?????????????

Bill, at Pineyfest I played "I'm Giving Mom a Dead Dog for Christmas," and had a bunch of 'em in the bar (Lyrix) singing along with the chorus. Barbara was running the sound system. When she asked me what I could do to top that, I played her "The Abomination Two-Step." I think (perhaps I just hope) she'd have a hard time forgetting me.

Joe

I think Joe answered THAT one..I know I'll never forget Pineyfest nearly peeing myself at some of his hilarious tunes...Joe,you ARE hard to forget!

Can anyone join NSAI? Would it be of much benifit to someone not living in or near Nashville?

Hey Everett

I think NSAI has chapters all over the country. Canada also. You might have one close to you. I think there is one in Toronto.

Walt Aldridge told me I should join and I did just recently. There are some benefits, I was contacted by a chapter leader who is running a group about 45 minutes away from where I live. They do an educational segment, and a critique segment in each meeting, same all over the country. There will be visiting hit writers and publishers to pitch to, you can also get pro evaluations, I think 12 a year. I also think you can send a cd to the pitch to a publisher night in Nashville and they will have the group listen to your song, I have heard of a few deals being done at these meetings. I just joined a couple of weeks ago, so I'm yet to see if it's worth it, I just knew I have a great deal od respect for Walt, he actually told me he wouldn't be surprised if I got a cut on a song I played for him, ya never know...Moker

I guess it is another sign of the changing music scene in Nashville. Good or bad I don't know. Maybe the money isn't there to keep it going.

The two times I was a member of NSAI I got the impression that it was run by a bunch of amateurs. You were supposed to get a bulletin every two months. I was lucky if I saw 4. I mainly joined because at the time I thought that was the only way to get my songs to a publisher. Critiques? Forget it. I believe it was students at Belmont University for the most part working to get a credit for a college course. It was easy to see that getting your song ripped apart was the only benifit you were likely to get from NSAI. If I want to get rejected let actual music industry types do it. At least your song is heard rather than being bottlenecked by someone not in a position to use it.

NSAI supposedly does testify from time to time before congress. Exactly what success they have had probably is helpful.

There was a chapter close to here at one time. However NSAI demanded that any members belong to NSAI as far as I can remember and the Chapter head had to travel to Nashville maybe once a year to keep the afiliation certified.

What good they do for the songwriter is up in the air.

Durin' My Formative Period in the '80's I think they were just NSA..Nashville Songwriters Ass'n. We had a very active Local Chapter here in Tampa, headed by Vicki & Richard McGuinness..a Kid-Song Writing Lawyer & his quite-talented at Organizing Wife.

The Group made Several Trips to Nashville..to attend CMA Shows..& I still remember a Learning Session they'd arranged for ASCAP to tell us What They Knew...(Met Tom Long through that, years ago.)

But, eventually, Richard's Practice had serious Slumping, Vicki took over with an Antiques Business, & the Chapter had to disband due to lacka Leadership..which was sad. I also took a Decade's Hiatus..later re-joined the Newer Version for a Year or two...Directly thru Nashville. Made several trips to NashCity to pitch Demos...their HQ kindly-provided a Critique of a few Songs, kept one for further-aid (Tho no later call-back), helped me with a list of places-to-pitch, AND a list of Places to Play (Which I don't, but it's nice knowing they got your back). They also had FREE Lyrics Xeroxing and helped me Run off a Batch of Labels (Those were the Cassette Days)..& I met a lot of The Local "Fellow Writers" while I did my Pre-Pitchin' Chores in their HQ.

Did I place any Songs? Nah...but I DID have a much more Positive Experience while Pitching Away in NashCity. I truly believe they are there to HELP you, in whatever way possible..and earn their Loot.

I no longer have the funds..or drive..to keep zoomin' up to Nashville to personally-pitch my stuff. IF I did, I'd again join NSA-with-an-I after it...they were ALL Good Folks..some Further-Along than Others at The Game..but ALL were very Helpful AND saved me a Lotta Time perfecting my Learning Curve up there.

Think the Last Time I visited their HQ they had an office of CMT just Down-the-Hall from 'em. Ya can't make TOO Many "Connections" in NashCity..& every door-opened is prolly worth lots more than NSAI's dues, long-term.

Just one guy's opinion,
Big Guy-Hugs,
Stan

I haven't heard those but that's funny!

I joined NSAI when I moved to Nashville way back when. At that time, I felt they had little to offer songwriters outside the town. Now that has turned around. There are local groups springing up all over the place, especially the south. One of the NSAI folks who work with groups told me they like to keep groups 100 miles apart. In addition to local groups where you connect with other writers, they have webcast lectures and monthly chats. They also offer critiques of songs, which I think is better for some folks than others. However, I think if you're good enough, a critique could get you in some of the right doors you couldn't get into otherwise.

If you're in Nashville, you can use their office as your office. They have computers you can use, phones with free long distance, and writing rooms. They have a book section but you can't take the books out. You can buy some of the books though. By the way, if you're out there somewhere with a library that doesn't have books on songwriting, you can usually get them through what is called Interlibrary Loan (I.L.L.)

On the pro writer issue, at least years ago, NSAI had to keep a certain number of pro writers to qualify as a professional organization for tax purposes.

I've very high on NSAI. It used to be better for in town folks but now I think it's just as good as out of towners mainly because of the internet.

I was at an NSAI function tonight, Denny Sarokin's guitar clinic at the offices, and they mentioned that the sale of the Bluebird had hit the national news (Katie Couric apparently mentioned it).

We were told that the current "structure" wouldn't be changed, as far as the folks running the place.

On the NSAI website, anyone that's a member can view archived webcasts of some of the seminars held in the past. I saw one from Walt Aldrige that was fantastic, as well as the Dave Isaacs one about playing guitar. Those seminars are fantastic bene's for being a member, even if you're not in town you can view them. How cool is that?

Bill,I live 2000 miles from Toronto,but thanks just the same.

Hi guys and gals:

I can't say anything negative about NSAI except the membership fee is a little steep (unless you happen to be rolling in green from all those hit songs you've been writing... LOL!) and being Nashville based, they seem to push the Nashville line pretty hard. (There are other music centers you know!... like scenic Texarkana or Uncertain, Texas and Lick-Skillet, Louisiana.)

Not sure if the move into the old "Bluebird" will be a good or not-so-good thing. I don't perform in public so don't really have a "dog-in-the-hunt." Time will tell. I'd wager that big money is involved and that ultimately, the poor schnook songwriter is going to be the provider of the green.

All my best,

Dave Rice

(soon to be a citizen of Glen Rose, TX) Pop. 2427 + 43 dogs and 75 vicious cats)

I saw this on the CBS News last night: Bluebird Cafe

Friday, 11/09/07

Bluebird Cafe: Songwriters will own club they love
Nashville Songwriters Association International acquires Amy Kurland's gourmet restaurant-turned legendary club, effective Jan. 1

By NAOMI SNYDER
Staff Writer

The Bluebird Caf� has nurtured Nashville songwriters for 25 years. Now, the songwriters will nurture the Bluebird.

Amy Kurland, who started The Bluebird in 1982 as a gourmet restaurant, is selling the now-legendary club to the Nashville Songwriters Association International. The group promises not to change a thing.

"I wanted to retire, but I didn't want The Bluebird to go away,'' said Kurland, 52.

The Bluebird has served as a testing ground for countless songwriters and artists, including Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood. Capitol Records executives discovered Garth Brooks there in 1988.

Brooks found his 1990 hit "The Dance" while visiting the Bluebird one night. Club dishwasher/bartender Mark Irwin wrote the Alan Jackson hit "Here in the Real World."

"Something special happens in these walls that happens nowhere else in the world, and we would be fools to tamper with that,'' said NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison. The nonprofit group has about 5,000 members.

The sale, which was announced at a Thursday night performance by Country Music Hall of Famer Kris Kristofferson, takes effect Jan. 1.

"They didn't have a place like this when I was here" writing songs, Kristofferson said. "When I came, songwriters were at the bottom of the food chain. We were bugs. This Bluebird Caf� is a place where songwriters can show their stuff. When I was here, you had to go to somebody's house."

Songwriters often say they get spoiled playing at The Bluebird because the well-behaved, adoring audience is hard to replicate anyplace else.

"I love to play here," said singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell. "Whenever we're working on a new record, I bring my band here to rehearse in front of an audience. You can do that kind of thing here."

'Real boost for NSAI'

Neither Kurland nor Herbison would discuss terms of the deal, saying only that the price was in the low hundreds of thousands � less than the business is worth. Kurland said she will retain ownership of the real estate and lease it to NSAI.

Gary Smith, an owner of music business accounting and management firm Smith Wiles & Co. in Nashville, said the Bluebird as a business could be worth millions of dollars.

"I would tend to think the owner has a soft spot for songwriters, and she's gone out of her way to help the songwriters," he said. "That's probably reflected in the price."

The sale was billed as a way to keep the songwriting spot alive for many years to come, even as the location in Green Hills has become increasingly valuable and high-end developments are crowding out locally owned shops.

Kurland was offered $1 million two years ago from a developer for her space, in a strip shopping center. Her parents bought the location in 1982 for less than $100,000 and transferred ownership to her in 1994.

NSAI also hopes to use its own marketing department to expand the profit-making abilities of the Bluebird, perhaps with more TV shows and performances for conventions that come to town.

"It's a real boost for NSAI," said songwriter Gary Nicholson, whose songs have been recorded by artists such as Vince Gill and Montgomery Gentry. "The Bluebird is known as the home for songwriters."

Kurland said the business makes a profit of less than $100,000 per year.

"This has not been about getting rich,'' she said. "I wouldn't ruin the Bluebird so I can have a fancy car."

Cafe won't move soon

She said the NSAI eventually may move to a larger location, but not in the short-term. Herbison said the Bluebird will stay where it is for at least five years.

The shows at the Bluebird often are sold out with just 96 seats in the audience, shoved between sky-blue walls covered in posters of performers who have played there. But Kurland said she wanted to keep the place small so new songwriters could play, even if they couldn't fill out a large room.

"It has the worst sound system, but it's beautiful,'' said Karen Staley, a songwriter who was one of the original female players in the 1980s. "Newcomers come there and think, 'This is the Bluebird?' They expect the Taj Mahal, and it's this little dive."

But that was what made it unique, said Staley, whose songs have been recorded by artists such as Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes and George Jones. Business got done at the Bluebird as publishers showed up to listen to new talent, she said.

Jody Williams, the vice president of writer/publisher relations at record label BMI in Nashville, has previously worked as one of those talent scouts.

"Over the last 25 years, it became the mecca, the centerpiece for songwriting,'' he said. He and others expressed confidence that the NSAI would be able to take care of its new responsibility.

"The NSAI is the steward of all things precious to songwriting,'' Williams said. "They're going to take care of it."

Nov 8, 10:38 PM EST

Bluebird Cafe Changes Hands, Not Mission

By JOHN GEROME
AP Entertainment Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- After 25 years, the Bluebird Cafe, the songwriters club where Garth Brooks and Faith Hill were discovered and where many hits were first performed, is changing ownership.

The Nashville Songwriters Association bought the club in a deal that ensures it will keep operating as a hub for songwriters, founder and longtime owner Amy Kurland told The Associated Press.

The ownership change, which was announced Thursday night before a performance by Country Music Hall of Famer Kris Kristofferson, takes effect Jan. 1.

"It's a lot to give up, but by giving it up for so many of the right reasons, I know it's the right thing to do," Kurland said.

After all those years of fixing toilets, worrying whether the ice machine is working and the dozens of other chores that go with running a nightclub, Kurland, 52, wanted a change and had been searching for an "exit strategy" when she thought of selling to the NSA.

"I couldn't think of anybody else other than the Songwriters Association that would have the same mission, the same love in their heart for songwriters," she said.

The not-for-profit group has about 5,000 members and bills itself as the largest organization of its kind in the U.S.

Kurland didn't disclose the sale price, but she described it as "extremely reasonable - even unreasonable." Bart Herbison, executive director of the NSA, said he views the sale essentially as a contribution.

"The goal is not to make a bunch of money off this, but to give them something they can continue and prosper with," Kurland said.

Herbison said the club will continue operating as it always has, down to the existing staff.

"We wrote in the contract that the Bluebird remains a songwriters venue," Herbison said. "Something magic happens in those walls that doesn't happen anywhere else in the world.

"There are a lot songwriter venues, but not like the Bluebird," he continued. "I think we learned a lesson from other great venues. There have been other legendary nightclubs that when they sold or changed what made them famous, they were not famous anymore. We'll never do anything but grow on what she's built."

Most of the changes that do occur won't be noticeable to patrons, Herbison said.

"There are a lot of efficiencies we can bring to it and a lot of utilization in terms of using it during the daytime, which they don't do now, plus more showcases and corporate-type things," he said.

Kurland opened the Bluebird in 1982 as a restaurant with some live music, but began adding writers' nights within a few years. The club soon evolved into a place where songs, often performed by the writer sitting in a circle with three or four other writers, take center stage.

The place is small and intimate - it only seats about 105 people - and if you talk during the performances, someone is sure to shush you or at the least shoot you a dirty look.

"We don't even offer them a free drink, but they do get the one thing that really means something to a performer, and that is a listening, appreciative audience," Kurland said.

Though off-the-beaten path in a nondescript shopping center several miles from Music Row, it draws lots of industry folks, from record label executives to all level of songwriters to established stars like Kristofferson, Brooks and Vince Gill.

Brooks found his hit "The Dance" while visiting there one night. Songwriter Don Schlitz tried out many of his songs that Randy Travis recorded ("On the Other Hand," "Forever and Ever, Amen") at the Bluebird. Club dishwasher/bartender Mark Irwin wrote the Alan Jackson hit "Here in the Real World."

The club was also the setting for the 1993 movie "The Thing Called Love," starring River Phoenix, K.T. Oslin, Samantha Mathis and Sandra Bullock.

While some new performers come in with the unrealistic notion of being signed on the spot, Kurland said she can assure talented tunesmiths of one thing.

"One of the magical things that happens at the Bluebird is your songs get noticed by somebody. Sometimes it's just a guy who has an appointment with a publisher and says, 'Hey, let's write together.' There's a very communal thing that happens. A publishing company will come down here to see someone they're interested in, but they have to hear three other guys they've never heard of, so they might be exposed to something they wouldn't have heard."

After Jan. 1, Kurland will stay on at the Bluebird for at least six months, maybe more. After that she'd like to take some classes, maybe travel a bit.

The one thing she doesn't want to do is step away entirely from the music scene she helped foster.

"I think that living in Nashville with the songwriters who are writing and performing now is like living in New York during the Gershwin era or the Tin Pan Alley era," she said.

---

Songwriter group buys Bluebird Caf�
Nashville Business Journal -
by Cynthia Yeldell Nashville Business Journal

Todd Stringer, Nashville Business Journal

Bluebird Caf� owner Amy Kurland was looking for a buyer who would ensure its legacy would be honored.

The legendary Bluebird Caf� is being sold to Nashville Songwriters Association International for an undisclosed sum.

Owner Amy Kurland says after 25 years of running the performance music venue at 4104 Hillsboro Road she is looking to retire.

She approached the songwriters association with a deal that will allow them to lease the building from her and buy the business.

The deal was structured so the association would gain revenue from the caf� from the first day the deal is finalized.

"I wasn't looking for a purchaser who could pay the most," Kurland says. "I was looking for a deal that could make sure the Bluebird could survive and thrive."

Kurland says she chose the organization because she knew it would operate the Bluebird without any changes.

"If I have a mission statement for the Bluebird it is: We help songwriters," Kurland says. "I felt if they were to continue to run it they could continue to do that."

The Bluebird Caf� opened in 1982. Kurland had plans for a restaurant and at the time she was dating a songwriter.

His friends suggested she add a stage and the rest is history.

Many singers and songwriters got their start there and the caf� has been featured on television and film.

Among the highlights:

Kathy Mattea landed a record deal in 1983 after playing at the Bluebird.
Garth Brooks was signed by Capital Records after he played there in 1987.
The Bluebird put its show on the road in the 1990s taking its songwriters to festivals, clubs and other venues such as The Bottom Line in New York City.
River Phoenix's last film, "A Thing Called Love," was filmed at the Bluebird in 1992.
Bluebird songwriters have written for artists such as Faith Hill, Patty Loveless, Randy Travis and Garth Brooks.
Bart Herbison, executive director of Nashville Songwriters Association International, says his organization won't make any changes. The 26 Bluebird employees will remain with the company.

The association is a not-for-profit organization.

"We were flabbergasted when Amy approached us a few months ago that she would entrust us with the legacy," Herbison says. "Amy has created a home for songwriters there and we will continue to honor and guard that legacy."

cyeldell@bizjournals.com 615-846-4250

What happened to Lyrix?

Donnie,

According to posts from Tonya or Tammie on their myspace, they lost their lease. (everything from this sentence on is guessing)... I interpret that to mean whoever owns the building either was planning on raising what they were charging, or have a more "suitable" (my word here) tenant they want in there.

John

I'm also very pro-NSAI. They provide great services for helping new songwriters improve their craft. And I don't even write country! I'm almost entirely pop-rock.

I was at the Bluebird last night and the folks there did not seem bothered by it at all.
They said basically nothing would change.

video interview with amy
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3476875n

Official Press Release regarding the entrustment of The Bluebird Caf� to the NSAI:

Nashville Songwriters Association International
To Assume Ownership of Famed Bluebird Cafe

Amy Kurland Announces Extraordinary Contribution
and Will Remain As Founder

Kris Kristofferson Kicks Off Celebration with Private Performance

November 9, 2007, Nashville, TN-- Bluebird Cafe founder Amy Kurland will
entrust ownership of the legendary songwriter venue, effective January 1,
2008, to the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). NSAI is
a trade organization committed to protecting the rights and future of the
profession of songwriting, and to educate, elevate the songwriter.

Through the announcement it was revealed that Kurland structured the
transfer to ensure that the Bluebird will provide financial support for
NSAI's mission, and allow the organization to continue the their important
work on behalf of the songwriting profession.

Thursday night, November 8, one of NSAI's founders, the legendary Kris
Kristofferson, with original band members Donnie Fritts, Billy Swan, Stephen
Bruton and friend Chris Gantry, performed at the Bluebird to celebrate the
historical moment.

"As the Bluebird turned 25, I looked back through the years of wonderful
music and started to consider the next 25 years," said founder Amy Kurland.
"By partnering with NSAI, I feel sure that The Bluebird will always be here
as a home for new and accomplished songwriters."

The NSAI Board of Directors agreed that the Bluebird Cafe would remain a
venue for songwriter performances.

"The NSAI Board meeting fell into stunned silence at the announcement of our
acquisition of the Bluebird Cafe," recalled board president Steve Bogard.
"Twenty-five of Nashville's best and most experienced songwriters were
literally speechless, humbled at the honor and responsibility of carrying on
the tradition of America's premier acoustic songwriting venue. The terms of
Amy Kurland's transfer of the Bluebird to NSAI can only be described as a
gift to songwriters everywhere. We know that this is a sacred trust and a
brilliant opportunity to create a synergy that will allow us to better serve
America's songwriters in Nashville, Washington D.C. and across the country."

NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison noted that "no changes" were planned
for the Bluebird Cafe. He said the same staff would remain along with the
format that Kurland started.

"Bluebird Founder Amy Kurland created something that simply does not exist
anywhere else. The musical magic created nightly over the years has earned
the Bluebird Cafe a place in songwriter history," said Herbison. "We, at
NSAI, intend to carefully guard the legacy of the Bluebird Cafe and protect
the special atmosphere Amy created."

Kurland opened the cafe in 1982 as a casual gourmet restaurant with some
live music. Since those early days, the Bluebird has become a showcase and
home for songwriters. In 1985, Sunday writer's nights were added as a
chance for new writers to audition and perform. Dinner
shows followed in 1987. The Bluebird Cafe is the setting for the 1995 film
"The Thing Called Love," starring River Phoenix, K.T. Oslin, Samantha Mathis
and Sandra Bullock.

Kathy Mattea, T. Graham Brown and Sweethearts of the Rodeo were discovered
at the cafe. Superstar Garth Brooks played Open Mic and Sunday Songwriters
shows, and nailed down his recording contract with Capitol Records at The
Bluebird.

Notable songwriters including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Janis
Ian, Tony Arata, Bill Lloyd, Danny Flowers, Don Henry, Don Schlitz and many
others have worked their magic in the room.

About the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) NSAI is the
world's largest not-for-profit songwriters trade organization. Established
in 1967, the membership of more than 4,000 spans the United States and five
other countries. NSAI is dedicated to protecting the rights of and serving
aspiring and professional songwriters in all genres of music. For more
information, visit www.nashvillesongwriters.com
<http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com>; <http://www.nashvillesongwriters.com>;