Ernest Tubb Record Shop Art Print Painting - Nashville, Tennessee - Record Store

I grew up in what is considered to be the golden age of record stores between the mid seventies and early eighties and as a lifelong record collector,  I have a special place in my heart for record stores. 

I worked in a small independent record shop in throughout my high school years and worked in record shops throughout the entire decade of the eighties.   This was back in the day when there were record stores on every other corner and they were all unique.  Anytime I was visiting someplace I hadn't been before, the first thing I did was look to see where the record shops were.  

In 1974, Country star Ernest Tubb, already a major figure on the Grand Ole Opry, opened the original Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Commerce Street in Nashville.  The idea came partly from fans complaining to Tubb that they often couldn't find his records.  The business started as a mail-order company helping Country fans find records that were otherwise difficult to obtain.   This was significant as it was the first major retail business devoted entirely to country music.

In 1951 the store moved to its famous location on  Broadway and is to this day one of Nashville's most revered and iconic landmarks.