Ryman Auditorium Named Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Landmark

Nashville, Tenn.'s iconic Ryman Auditorium has been declared the twelfth Rock & Roll Hall of Fame landmark. The auditorium first opened as a place of prayer, the Union Gospel Tabernacle, in 1892 and became famously known as the Mother Church of Country Music as years went on.

In 1925 it became the one-time home of the Grand Olde Oprey and welcomed rock and roll icons as early as the '50s – Elvis Presley famously played the Ryman stage in 1954, to an unenthused audience.

“The Ryman is one of the most storied music venues in the world. With an unmatched role in popularizing country music — one of the pillars of rock & roll — its legendary stage has hosted performances by a staggering number of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees and continues to do so today,” said Rock & Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Greg Harris in a statement.

Since its opening, the Ryman has welcomed over 100 of the 351 members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Along with Presley, the Ryman has hosted B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Aretha Franklin, Yes, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Hall & Oates, Blondie, and R.E.M and many more.

Upcoming events include Sigur Rós, comic Chelsea Handler, Belle and Sebastian, and American Aquarium.

Other Rock Hall landmarks include Austin City Limits, Whisky a Go Go, and the famed Crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Read more about the Ryman’s history here.