Nashville, Tennessee is the ‘quintessential centre of the country music genre’, the heart and soul of Southern America ‘s musical experience (Sanjek, 22). So it comes as no surprise then that a television show that explores this world of country music is titled Nashville (2012). Created by Callie Khouri, Nashville chronicles the lives of fictional country stars in the very real country music industry, easily intertwining fiction and reality in order to embrace the iconic genre into the show’s narrative world. By embracing recognizable images, reflecting industry and community ideals of country music and mixing original and cover songs, Nashville becomes part of the iconic idealism that is country music.
 |
| Britton at 2014 CMA |
In fact due to the show shooting in music city itself, the stars are now embedded in the genre acting as a surrogate between the fictional world of Nashville and reality. Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere and Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Wife of country’s Brad Paisley) have all presented at the Country Music Awards while the actors who play Britton’s daughters Lennon and Maisy Stella have actually performed on the award show. It is this meshing on the two worlds that creates an authenticity in Nashville. The idea that if the capital of country music and country’s most prestigious award is acknowledging them as part of its musical community then the show must be doing something right in how it is represents country.
Not only does shooting on location in Nashville allows the show to become part of the city’s community but also allows production to utilize some of the historic sites the city has to offer. Two of these sites that frequent Nashville’s shooting schedule are the Bluebird Café and the Grand Ole Opry. For lovers of country music, the Grand Ole Opry is a large part of the genre's history, a place where many musicians had their big break; Patsy Cline, Garth Brooks, and Dolly Parton, just to name a few. Being ushered into the Grand Ole Opry as member of its hall of fame is every country musician’s fantasy. Hill suggest that the Opry is engrained in its own traditions and resistant to many of the changes that occurred in modern country music, that see itself as representing ‘the genre's true roots' (92). Perhaps this why the Opry often is featured in Nashville when their younger characters are trying to prove themselves as legitimate country artists. Both Juliette Barnes (Panettiere) and Layla Grant (Aubrey Peeples) performances on the Opry stage are attempts to make themselves appear less like modern country crossover artists and more like the serious traditional country singers of the past, Layla trying to shrug off her reality television persona and Juliette proving that her reputation doesn’t mean she isn’t committed to her country music roots.
The Opry doesn’t just feature in Nashville’s storyline performances but it also takes a leading role in its live specials. “Nashville: On the Record” a special that has been shot for the past three season of show, shot in front of a live audience at the Grand Ole Opry, cast members of the show perform and give an intimate look into the making of Nashville. The Opry seems to have a large place in Nashville’s heart, it’s even where most of the cast spent the night their series finale aired after the show was canceled.
Bluebird Café, an iconic music club is used in nearly every episode of Nashville and is another recognizable image like the Opry that aligns it with the country genre. However what is interesting about the use of the Bluebird in Nashville is that production replicated it exactly on their sound stage because of it featuring in so many of its episode, unlike the Opry. The Bluebird is not only a performance space where we are introduced to many of Nashville’s characters Scarlett, Avery and Gunnar, but it also is important to one of the shows main plot lines involving Deacon (Charles Esten) and Rayna (Connie Britton), it’s almost the third member of their relationship. We see it in flashbacks, in present time, each time the couple performs together or separately the Bluebird allows us to learn more about their relationship. The Bluebird Café has a space that has birthed so many country music artists provides Nashville with a regular performance space for their characters as well as anchoring it to the reality of the genre’s history.
 |
| Claire Bowen & Sam Palladio as Scarlett and Gunnar at the Bluebird |
Aside from situating itself in Nashville’s geographical community as a way of asserting its relationship to country music, Nashville also addresses many issues and ideas that are related to the country music community. Nashville deals with industry issues such as breaking into the business, retaining authenticity, singer-songwriter relationships as well as bigger ideas of country in relation to themes of Americana and religion. Holt argues that ‘country music is a vital component in expressing the lives and traditions of working class’, Due to the genre residing in America’s south there is an emphasis on this country being the heartland of America’s music, representing the working class and their beliefs, a strong attachment to Christianity being one of them (63).
 |
| Peeples & Carmack as Layla and Will |
Layla Grant (Peeples) and Will Lexington’s (Chris Carmack) overarching storylines on Nashville echo these two larger ideas held by the country community. Layla shows up in season two, the runner-up in a reality singing competition (think American Idol) trying to the use the stardom the show gave her to generate her country career. She is the epitome of the working-class who listen to country music and dream of making it big. The core working-class American values are to pursue your dreams. A show like American Idol highlights this Americana spirit, supporting our brothers and sister as they pursue their dreams and watching it play out on national television. Some of the most famous American Idol contestants are those associated with country music Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Scotty McCreery it is symbolic of country as America’s homegrown music and its value system. There is a sense of pride and national identity that is entrenched in Americana and country music. By having Layla associated with this idea though her working class/reality TV roots the idea of homegrown Americana can be applied to Nashville.
Now in terms of Will Lexington, the closeted by talented country singer allows Nashville to address associations country music has to Christianity and how it’s beliefs are enforced on those who participate in the community. Just as much as the South is tied to it’s Americana identity, it also is linked to conservative values when it comes to sexuality. After Will publicly outs himself, the show explores the repercussions of having a rising country star come out as gay in a still very conservative community. Though it isn’t unheard of country artists coming out as gay, it is still very rare occasion even in 2016. By having Will come out and deal with so much hate and bigotry from the country community it appears Nashville is attempting to shine some light on this behavior and encourage acceptance. Through its final season, Nashville explores the hardship Will goes through after coming out, radio stations refusing to play his music, his label considering dropping him, being physically and verbally abused by fans. However by the series finale, Will confronts his critiques and is even thanked by a fan for having the courage to be a southern man and come out as it has given him the same. Instead on just embracing and incorporating Will coming out as a way to show the religious aspects of country music, Nashville uses it to critique the community, highlighting a bigger public statement about acceptance and sexuality.
 |
| Panettiere & Esten as Juliette and Deacon; Writing 'Undermine' |
You really can’t have a show take place in country music city without incorporating some of the genre’s biggest hits. By utilizing pre-existing country music as well creating its own original tracks Nashville provides an intertextual blend of its fictional world to the reality of the country community yet again (Reay,41). On screen Nashville uses the songwriting experience to build relationships, express emotions as well as highlight its role in country music; being able to write you own songs makes you seem more authentic in the industry (Peterson, 5). Off screen, the show has it's own music producers and composers to create music specific to each character's style which once performed on the show are released on iTunes and CD, even a tour. There is also a sense of respect that some from the country community towards Nashville for being able to produce their own country songs as well as have all their actors singing them, much like in a music biopics there is a great sense of authenticity when an artist sings their own songs (Marshall & Konsgaard,357). The use of covers in the show advances the narrative and most likely has an economical purpose as well but also cements the show in relation to country music. By featuring songs by artists such as June Carter, Blake Shelton & Willie Nelson, it is though the show is gaining an endorsement from the genre itself. When it comes to royalty’s artists or their estate still have to approve the use of the song, so allowing it on Nashville shows just how embraced by the country music community they are. The show also meshes its fiction and reality by having real country music artists like Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan guest starring as themselves performing with these characters. Country music is a much as a character in Nashville as the characters or the city itself.
Without country music, the industry or its community, Nashville could not exist. By capturing iconic ideas, sounds and images of the American South, Nashville highlights the importance of this music genre, working-class American ideals and dreams. In being situated directly in the heart of country music, Nashville is completely accepted by the country genre and its community. 
