Teaming up with Charlie Worsham and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium will kick March off with something a little different.
Taking place March 1, Rock the Ryman will see the Mother Church of Country honoring the legends of rock and roll. Hosted by Worsham, whose own Americana style is a testament to the link between country and rock, the event celebrates rock’s biggest moments in country music’s most hallowed venue.
Over the years, the Ryman Auditorium has welcomed many Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, from Aretha Franklin and Bruce Springsteen to Stevie Wonder and Blondie. Notable country greats Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, and Dolly Parton are all Rock Hall members, with this year’s list of potential inductees including Willie Nelson and Nashville resident Sheryl Crow. Worsham has enlisted some greats from both genres, including The War and Treaty, Gavin DeGraw, Maddie & Tae, and more, for a night of music education—and major jams.
“We’ve always had a friendship and a kinship,” Worsham says of the country/rock relationship. “We’re going to honor the rock and roll heritage of the Ryman Auditorium. It is the Mother Church of Country, but country and rock are pretty close cousins, and I feel like it’s the right kind of place with the right kind of spirit for a great night of music.”
Not-So-Hidden Truth:
I think we’re helping tell a story that’s been well-known for a long time within the music community and bringing the audience along for the ride for a change. So many of the people we are going to honor have performed at the Ryman, and whatever flavor of rock and roll you want to call it, that list includes everybody from James Taylor and The Staple Singers to ZZ Top and the Foo Fighters. My hope is that we can honor the full breadth of that.
Family Bonds:
Take the Eagles—even today with Vince Gill being tapped to help fill Glenn Frey’s shoes. But if you go back to the beginning of the Eagles, they were getting inspired by countrymusic.YoucouldpointtoTheByrdsandthe Sweetheart of the Rodeo album, or Bob Dylan making some of his best work here in Nashville. From my perspective, growing up in Mississippi and eating up country music, LynyrdSkynyrdfitrightinwitheverythingIwasloving.To this day, I’ve put on multiple Skynyrd tribute shows.
Non-Denominational Mother Church:
Once you step foot in there, how can you not fall in love? Some of my favorite concerts [at the Ryman] have been rock and roll shows, and it’s just a great-sounding room, whether you’re strapped up to a Martin D18 or a Marshall stack.
An Easy Ask:
I was at the ACM Honors (Academy of Country Music awards) at the Ryman, receiving my first award [2022 ACM Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year], and at the after party, I ran into the folks from the Ryman. They presented the Rock the Ryman idea to me there, and I went home with that idea racing through my head. I’m super proud of being part of the awards that year, but all I could think about was, “Oh my God, I gotta get my Skynyrd [tribute] band back together!” I’mcallingJarenJohnstonlike,“TheCadillacThreehasgotta do ZZ Top’s ‘I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide.’” Immediately, the ideas started to spark in my mind.
Perfect Man for the Job:
It goes all the way back to childhood for me. The first time I set foot on [the Ryman] stage I was 10 years old. It was bluegrass night and my banjo teacher was performing with his boss, Jimmy Martin, and he got me on Jimmy’s bus and had me play “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” and so the King of Bluegrass invited me to jump onstage for the encore that night. I stood right between him and Tom T. Hall, and the picture made the cover of The Tennessean. So, I’ve had the bug to get on the Ryman stage in some kind of host-type roll since then. There couldn’t be a more perfect way to celebrate this moment for me because it allows me to draw from all my inspirations.
Host with the Most:
I feel like the Every Damn Monday shows I’ve done at Basement East over the years have been unexpected training for this. The whole idea is that we put on a different theme each time, and I have to corral a band, curate a setlist, and host the show. But getting to do that at the Ryman? I’ll tell you what, I will be taking my notes from all those years that Vince Gill hosted the CMA Awards. For me, that was always the pinnacle of how to be a country music host. It may involve jokes, but I’m not gonna push it, because I’m hyper-aware as a relatively new dad how cringy that can be for people. What I always admired about the way Vince hosted was even when you could tell something didn’t go as planned, he was always so quick on his feet, and he had so much grace for the moment and people involved. If I can do half as good of a job as he did, I’ll be doing alright.
The Ultimate Mission:
I hope people walk out the doors of the Ryman that night hand in hand with their inner kid. Maybe it’s a 9-year-old who had never heard triple guitars on “Free Bird” before and heard it through an aunt or uncle. Maybe it was a punk rock phase that helped them find themselves and branch out and be a rebel. I just think we’re all our better selves when we’re more connected to our inner child, and music is such a powerful vehicle for that. There’s nothing better than a little rock and roll at the Mother Church to accomplish that mission.