We had the good fortune of connecting with Buddy Norris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Buddy, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?

“Make Good Choices” is one quote I’ve always jokingly shared with friends and family! This is nothing earth shattering or life-changing, but I’ve had a motto that I’ve applied in all aspects of life but especially when I’m working on booking a show or event – “You Never Know If You Don’t Ask”. Not the most “inspirational” or moving quote  I know, but to me it’s very applicable in my life. There have been times when I talked myself out of asking someone for help or to get involved in a project or special event by just assuming they’d say “no”. I’ve learned that people are willing to step up and get involved and sometimes just simply need to be asked. Applying the motto to my work in my live music series called “Buddy’s Place” has proven very successful as well! Over the years  I’ve been able to book some bigger more established artists for shows that I could have easily assumed would say “no” – but you never know if you don’t ask….right?

What should our readers know about your business?
“Buddy’s Place” is a monthly series of live music events supporting singer songwriters. I wanted to find a way to show some support and encouragement to my circle of friends who were working odd jobs of all kinds while pursuing their dreams in the music business. One of those songwriter friends shared about a concept of “house concerts” he had heard about. So in January of 2011 I had 24 of my friends pay a little cover charge at the door of my tiny townhome just south of Nashville and they were treated to a night of live music, stories and songs from three of those music making friends of mine. The night was a big hit and quarterly events morphed into monthly events and nights of live music in other music lover’s homes all over the area! My friend and business partner Ellen came on board in 2015 and an official logo was designed, a website built and merchandise created too – “Buddy’s Place” was an official LLC continuing it’s mission of supporting the best singer songwriters in town! The 2020 pandemic forced us into a period of big transition as limits on group gatherings were being enforced. We could no longer continue with our intimate living room shows and shut down for a few months until a big supporter offered us an open air event space she had available on her horse rescue/Airbnb property south of Nashville! Buddy’s Place was back in business with a socially distanced show in July of 2020 and since then we’ve seen our crowds continue to grow. The pandemic actually proved to be a big blessing for us as we had been trying to figure out how to expand and take things to the next level. We’ve been able to triple our attendance at the ranch shows. We’ve experienced an obvious growth and surge in momentum and recently celebrated our 100th show with a sold out show at the historic Woolworth Theatre in the heart of downtown Nashville! It was an incredible night of music featuring 25 of our 132 alumni singer songwriters who have been a part of our shows since 2011! We’re excited for a big summer as we begin a 5 month residency at the new Eric Church music venue called Chief’s! A phone call invitation to bring Buddy’s Place to the heart of downtown was a big unexpected surprise that I was quick to reply to with a big “YES!”. We’re excited for this great opportunity to continue the 13 year tradition I’ve shown support to some of our favorite singer songwriters in town!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Well, Nashville is known as “Music City USA” and there is no shortage of live music to be heard in the city, that’s for sure! I’m really big into music history and have been a volunteer at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for the past 13 years, so a tour of that world class facility is a must see. I always encourage visitors to check out the historic Ryman Auditorium in the heart of downtown – it was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry in the mid 1920’s to 1970’s and they offer a great backstage tour of the world famous venue. Tourists love to venture down Broadway downtown where all of the honky tonks and celebrity owned bars and establishments are located – no shortage of live music there! The Grand Ole Opry is the world’s longest running live radio show and they continue to do live shows and radio broadcasts each week from the current Opry home as of 1974 just a little drive from downtown. It’s a music history experience and hosts a great variety and artists and music with each broadcast. I’d recommend checking out the Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline museums downtown as well while visiting. Take a dinner cruise tour on the General Jackson Showboat and enjoy a live show during your cruise too!

Nashville is a big foodie town with tons of dining options from several world famous top chefs. The brand new Fifth & Broadway area hosts great shopping as well as a huge food court setting hosting alot of local spots in one area with live music in the mix as well!

For the sport enthusiasts – Nashville offers football, soccer, hockey and baseball viewing options all the time. You can visit Top Golf downtown or do some bowling at Marathon Music Works!

TPAC – Tennessee Performing Arts Center always hosts the best of Broadway shows on tour while the state capital us just a block away. There’s a thriving local theatre world in town with ongoing shows to take in too! The FRIST art museum is a must see on Broadway as well! Nashville is home to some great parks and nature reserves and some great hiking just a short drive outside of the downtown area.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I’d love to give a shoutout to my incredibly supportive friends and family and music lovers in general and of course my business partner Ellen! Our monthly shows that started as a little gathering of friends in my living room back in 2011 has certainly grown over the years. It wouldn’t happen without my amazing circle of friends coming out to shows and bringing their friends and fellow music lovers along! My family has always encouraged and supported me in my ventures and they get to shows from out of state when they can and are always proudly wearing their “Buddy’s Place” merchandise! That means more than they know! a big shoutout to the music lovers who come to our shows and continue to share about it and invite their friends along – we can’t do it without them there!

Website: buddysplacenashville.com

Instagram: buddysplacenashville

Facebook: Buddy’s Place

Other: Buddy’s Place has a Spotify account that features 10 different playlist featuring music from all of our alumni – Christmas, duets, cover tunes, songwriter cuts recorded by other artists and more. It’s an easy way to show support to there talented music makers as well. Come give us a “like” and a follow and enjoy a big variety of music from some of Nashville’s best! “Buddy’s Place Nashville”

Image Credits
Tokenbrit Photography Cooper Smith Productions

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