Veteran country music artist Marty Stuart once declared, “If country music had a Vatican, it would be the Ryman.” The venerated venue in Nashville has attracted a multi-generational cornucopia of music biz names to play its hallowed hall, which is known for its great acoustics. Everyone from Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs and Robert Earl Keen to Aretha Franklin, ZZ Top and the Zac Brown Band has played there. It is often called the “Mother Church of Country Music” with good reason, and a recent expansion will help keep it an alluring Mecca for tourists and music fans alike.
The key crew personnel at the Ryman combined have over 70 years of experience. Technical services manager Jon Mire has been there for the last 22 years since the building re-opened following its major renovation in 1994. Audio engineer Les Banks has been there equally as long. Stage manager Bud Phillips has logged in 15 years, and lighting director Dylan Mire has been there for 12 years.
Sacred Origins
Originally built as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892 by successful businessman Tom Ryman, its name was changed to the Ryman Auditorium following his death in 1904. The initial intention for the structure was to be a sound-carrying tabernacle for Reverend Sam Jones, but by the turn of the 20th century it expanded into political rallies, community events and music and theatrical productions, which soon led to it being called the “Carnegie Hall of the South” with guests as prominent as John Philip Sousa, Enrico Caruso, Harry Houdini, Charlie Chaplin, Mae West, president Theodore Roosevelt and many more luminaries appearing on its now famed stage.
After creating the widely successful Grand Ole Opry radio show, George D. Hay needed a place for its live radio broadcasts of the burgeoning country music movement that developed in the south since the 1920s. By 1943, the Opry began a residency at the Ryman that would last until 1974. Legendary performers like Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Minnie Pearl played there. The Ryman underwent a major $8.5 million renovation in 1994 as well as upgrading the audio and lighting technology and finally providing central heat and A/C. A 14,000 square-foot support building was added for ticketing, offices, concessions and a gift shop.
The Ryman recently underwent another expansion for two reasons, as explained by general manager Sally Williams: “To improve overall patron experience and to upgrade our daytime tour product. We reconfigured our lobbies so flow would be easier on concert nights. We widened the lobby, added more points of sale for concessions and increased the number of restrooms. We also expanded our retail shop and added an exterior door, which has improved the shopping experience and allows us to stay open even when we have events taking place. We also added Cafe Lula which is a great chef-driven breakfast, lunch and dinner option for both the downtown community and Ryman guests.”
Their daytime tour facility, which is located adjacent to the historic auditorium, is a new experience for a visitor that begins with the Soul of Nashville, which is “a completely immersive movie experience that kicks off the tour,” says Williams. “Inside, visitors will see all new exhibits covering our history from 1892 to present.”
Public response so far has been positive, according to Williams. “Everyone who takes the new tour tells us how moving and fantastic it is,” she declares. “ We often hear people clapping at the end of the Soul of Nashville screenings which is very rewarding. We worked tremendously hard behind the scene for over a year to prepare the new film and exhibits. We’re very excited to finally be sharing these with our visitors.” While most of these exhibits are permanent, some new features will be rotating in during 2017, which coincides with the venue’s 125th anniversary.
Despite the Opry having shifted to a new venue, they still hold concerts at the Ryman from time to time, including their “Opry at the Ryman” concert series that was held last month and included Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers and Mel Tillis, among others. While the Ryman has a solid rig all its own, the Opry brings in its own gear to supplement what is already there (including PAR cans, Source Four Lekos and Altman 1K Fresnels).
“The Opry brings in 11 Vari-Lite VLX Wash fixtures and 70 Chauvet COLORrado 1 Tour fixtures to cover its signature barn set piece upstage,” explains Dylan Mire, lighting director at the Ryman. “The Opry relies on the Ryman lighting rig for all other needs.” The Ryman has “knowledgeable and focused stagehands” to assist incoming crews. The control for the recent Opry at the Ryman shows was a grandMA1, but Mire said the Opry would move to a grandMA2 when the production returned to the Opry House this month. “The show is a variety show, so its design and control are aimed at being able to accommodate a diverse array of acts seamlessly and often without rehearsal.”
According to stage manager Bud Phillips, the Opry does about 53 shows at the Ryman every year, including a Thursday night version called Opry Country Classics. “Just the number presents a challenge working with the rest of our schedule,” says Phillips. The Grand Ole Opry moves in during the first week of November and goes through the middle of December, presenting shows every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, with the latter night doubling up with two two-hour shows, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., with a 30-minute house changeover.
Barn Raising
“The Opry has a large physical barn set with additional lighting which has to be set first. This requires about two hours to build and an hour and a half to strike,” says Phillips. “We have to determine the extent of the Opry strike for each Tuesday and Saturday according to the needs of the shows we have in between, and there are always shows in between. We try to work around the barn as much as possible, but if it has to go, then it just has to go. We can’t tell a tour they can’t use their lighting rig because we have the Opry. Much of the time we can strike the Opry backline to the Opry truck. Some years we get lucky, and some we seem to be striking the barn and resetting every week. Of course, this brings much whining among the crew, generally good-naturedly. To me, it’s just another load-in and -out, but when the Opry is at the ‘Big House,’ they get to walk away after each show. We also have more gear stored here, and I have limited space so it always feels a bit crowded. The Opry Country Classics comes in at the end of March and runs through May and again the end of September through October on every Thursday night. It’s a slightly different set, with a backdrop instead of the barn, and the show has a different format so it’s a bit easier. All of this comes in our busiest season so we don’t get many days off around here.”
While the historic portion of the auditorium has not undergone any major renovations since 1994 — it remained untouched during the recent additions — Mire acknowledges that there have been some minor changes to it done over the last 22 years in terms of both layout and configuration. He also notes that the Ryman has limited in-house video capabilities but does host television and film productions of all sizes.
“The building was not designed with modern touring in mind,” he says, “but with the added battens and hanging positions added in the 1994 renovation, most shows can be accommodated or adapted to fit. All downstage battens are suspended over the 100+ year-old wooden pews and make for a challenging position to access and focus even with motorized battens. In 2012, the funds were approved to add 17 Vari-Lite VL110 TSD fixtures to improve safety and speed of focus for downstage key light positions. The idea was to replace our existing DS Leko positions with an automated fixture that still offered a tungsten source and did not create an added challenge for visiting LDs.”
At the same time, Bandit Lites installed an ETC Paradigm house light control system, and an ETC ION console with 80 faders was also integrated. “All control is now run via ETCNet and allows us to offer control of our system to guest designers in a number of different configurations,” says Mire.
An LED Update
In 2013, the Ryman started going green and integrating energy efficient technology where possible. Since then, they have purchased 70 Chauvet COLORado 1 Tours, 15 Chauvet Batten144 cycs, eight Robe DLXs and 11 GLP X4s fixtures “to complement our conventional hang,” says Rime. “In 2015, we completed exterior renovations to the building and at that time our ETC Paradigm system was upgraded further to add additional zones and exterior LED lighting as well as control of newly added screens and projectors in the auditorium. All additions or changes to the lighting rig are done with flexibility in mind and always considering the needs of the many [150+] touring shows we will accommodate throughout the year.”
“We are very artist oriented and will go out of our way to make things happen for the crews and artists,” says Phillips. “We don’t use the word ‘no’ very much. If a request is within our power we will make it happen. I repaired an amp for B.B. King here! No charge! And fixed guitar stands, repaired drum hardware and even rewired a guitar players’ Les Paul just before an Opry. Most of our crew are road guys and are very experienced with just about anything that can be thrown our way. The bottom line is the Ryman Auditorium is a great venue with great people inhabiting it.”
The Ryman continues to attract top tier talent when it passes through town, and their website features testimonials from the likes of Sheryl Crow, Taylor Swift, Beck and Kid Rock. There has certainly been a sustained interest in visiting and playing the historic venue. “Artists love to perform here and audiences love to see them here,” says Mire. “For most crews with larger shows, it can be a challenge to make all elements fit into our unique space, but it is rewarding and something special when it all comes together.”
“The building is known for its wonderful acoustics, at one time being second only to Carnegie Hall,” says Phillips. “Many bands and artists will do a portion of their show downstage and sing totally a cappella, taking advantage of the room. It’s pretty damn amazing to hear 2,000 fans singing here! Typically it’s the history that keeps bringing artists back. I’ve heard many artists mentioned say they sat ‘right over there when I was young and I knew I wanted to be on that stage’. I heard rockers come up and say their parents didn’t believe they had actually made a career of music until they told them they would be playing the Ryman.”
