The London inspiration behind Nashville's Musicians Corner and 4 things you might not have known

It's a monumental year for Nashville's free concert series, Musicians Corner. The program, which kicks off its fall season on Thursday is on its 15th year of shows in Centennial Park.

This season's headliners include Birdtalker, Kaitlin Butts, Michigander, Parker Millsap, Real Estate, Soccer Mommy, and for the first show, Lucinda Williams.

Upon the start of the fall lineup, The Tennessean sat down with the series' Executive Producer, Justin Branam, to chat about the story behind the Nashville staple.

Here are five things you may not have known about Musicians Corner.

More: Nashville's Musicians Corner announces 2024 fall series lineup: Soccer Mommy, Michigander

1. Musicians Corner in Nashville is based on London's Hyde Park

The concert series started in 2010 after one of the Centennial Park Conservancy's board members went to London and spent some time in Hyde Park.

"(He) experienced Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, which is something that's been going on for a really long time and it's a bit of a soapbox for poets, spoken word philosophers, and a lot of famous people over the years have spoken there," said Branam.

From there, the Conservancy decided that since Nashville is Music City, we should have something similar to London's Speakers Corner, but dedicated to music.

"So they started Musicians Corner," Branam said. "Initially it was kind of meant to be a bit of a soapbox for local musicians, and over time, it's evolved into what it is now."

2. Musicians Corner is put on by nonprofit Centennial Park Conservancy

Musicians Corner is a program of Centennial Park Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit support group for Centennial Park and The Parthenon.

The Conservancy puts on the free concert series, which over time, has evolved into a full-scale music festival that happens for five weeks in the spring and five weeks in the fall.

3. Greats like Chris Stapleton, Emmy Lou Harris have played Musicians Corner

Over the years, Musicians Corner has seen performances from over 1,500 musicians.

Some of the iconic performers to hit the stage in Centennial Park include Emmylou Harris, Chris Stapleton, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Vince Gill.

"Chris Stapleton played in 2015, right before 'Traveller' came out (Stapleton's debut studio album)," Branam said. "That timing, I feel like no one could have ever predicted how quickly and how big of a star he would become."

Emmylou Harris performed in 2018, which was a big moment for the program. While Musicians Corner pays market value to every artist who plays the stage, there are still some artists that are difficult to afford on their budget.

"Emmylou Harris is definitely an artist that we would not typically be able to afford," Branam said. "When she played it was, I think, definitely an act of understanding what we're trying to do as a community concert series and kind of a stamp of approval."

4. Musicians Corner went from a concert in a field to having a permanent stage in the park

In 2010, Musicians Corner started as a concert on a super small stage in a grassy field, Branam said.

In 2014, the Centennial Park Conservancy partnered with Metro Parks in the mayor's office to begin creating a permanent venue for Musicians Corner.

The space, located at the corner of 27th Ave N. and West End in the southwest corner of the park, opened in 2016. Now, for eight years, it has served as a cultural meeting place for music appreciation.

5. Here's the Musicians Corner Executive Producer's dream lineup

Branam handles the booking for Musicians Corner, and he said it's one of his favorite things about the job. "It's starting with a blank canvas and putting all the puzzle pieces together to curate a lineup that is diverse and reflects the entire music scene in Nashville," he said.

When it comes to a dream lineup, Branam wanted to dream big: Bob Dylan, Mavis Staples, Smokey Robinson and Jack White.

He said he'd also like some up-coming-artists on the lineup too, like indie singer Mk.Gee.

For more information on Musicians Corner, head to musicianscornernashville.com.

Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter for The Tennessean. You can reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville's Musicians Corner: How it came to be at Centennial Park