The Ryman Auditorium first opened its doors in 1892 as a vision of Captain Thomas G. Ryman. With the coming of the Grand Ole Opry show in 1943, the Ryman found its identity as the Mother Church of Country Music. In 1974, the Opry moved to its current home by the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center and left the Ryman vacant. It was not until twenty years later in 1994 that the Ryman was restored to be the national showplace that it is today. Musicians ranging from Roy Acuff to James Brown and Patsy Cline to Sheryl Crow have performed on the Ryman stage, making it a historical as well as a current-day icon for people everywhere.

• The Ryman Auditorium seats 2,362  guests

• Named one of "America's 21 Wonders" by Life Magazine in 2007

• The Ryman Auditorium was built at the cost of approximately $130,000 in 1892 by riverboat captain Thomas Ryman as a church for his spiritual mentor, Reverend Sam Jones.  It was orignally called the Union Gospel Tabernacle.  When Ryman died in 1904, more than 4,000 people attended his funeral and, led by Jones, voted to rename the building the Ryman.

• The Grand Ole Opry called the Ryman home from 1941 to 1974.  The Opry now returns to the Ryman for four months of every year, from November through February.

• The Ryman was renovated and reopened in 1994. 

• The building was named a National Historic Landmark in 2001

• Experts say the Ryman's acoustics are second only to the Mormon Tabernacle, surpassing even Carnegie Hall

• In 2006, the Ryman was designated the "Birthplace of Bluegrass" by the State of Tennessee

• The impressive list of artists who have graced the Ryman stage include: Sarah Bernhardt, Katherine Hepburn, Roy Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, George Jones, Ray Charles, Vince Gill, James Brown, Elvis Costello, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Neil Young, Norah Jones, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, The Black Crowes, Emmylou Harris, Coldplay, Robert Plant, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Van Morrison, David Byrne, REM, and Etta James.

Ryman Auditorium

116 Fifth Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37219

Phone
615-889-3060

www.ryman.com

Media Relations
Amy Lewis
615-458-8715