Formerly: Mom's
Nashville, Tennessee · Founded 1960
Nashville's purple Broadway honky-tonk, transformed by Tootsie Bess in 1960 and bound by alley to the Ryman story.
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge was formerly Mom's until Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess bought it in 1960. The bar became famous for its orchid-purple exterior and its position across Ryman Alley from the Ryman Auditorium, then home of the Grand Ole Opry. It remains an active Broadway live-music bar under owner Steve Smith.
Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess purchases a Broadway bar then known as Mom's.
Source: WKRN, "How Tootsie's Orchid Lounge became one of Nashville's most famous honky-tonks," May 18, 2023; Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, "Our Legacy"
Local accounts say a painter unexpectedly coats the building's exterior in orchid purple; Bess keeps the color and the venue becomes Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.
Source: WKRN, "How Tootsie's Orchid Lounge became one of Nashville's most famous honky-tonks," May 18, 2023; Clio, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge"
Patsy Cline is photographed at Tootsie's shortly before her death, according to the Clio historical entry.
Source: Clio, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge"
The Grand Ole Opry leaves the Ryman Auditorium for its new Opryland home, ending the era in which Opry performers could directly use Ryman Alley to reach nearby Broadway bars.
Source: Clio, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge"; Trolley Tours, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge Nashville Information Guide"
Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess dies after owning the lounge from 1960.
Source: Clio, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge"; Trolley Tours, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge Nashville Information Guide"
Local businessman Steve Smith purchases or reinvests in Tootsie's, beginning the current ownership era and a period of broader Lower Broadway revitalization.
Source: The Boot, "64 Years Ago: Tootsie's Orchid Lounge Opens in Nashville," March 29, 2024; Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, "Our Legacy"
Tootsie's remains an operating Broadway honky-tonk, with Steve Smith identified in recent reporting as its current owner.
Source: WKRN, "How Tootsie's Orchid Lounge became one of Nashville's most famous honky-tonks," May 18, 2023; Tootsie's Orchid Lounge current business materials
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
WKRN, Clio, The Boot and the lounge's own history agree that Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess purchased the bar known as Mom's in 1960. The sources establish the start of the Tootsie's identity, not the original opening date of the preexisting bar or the construction date of the building.
Multiple sources recount that Bess hired a painter and returned to find the exterior painted orchid purple; she kept the color and it became the lounge's visual identity. The repeated story is credible local history, but this review did not locate a 1960 invoice, photograph, newspaper item, or firsthand contemporaneous account.
Historical summaries describe performers walking the alley between the Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie's, and the alley is strongly associated with Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Chet Atkins and others. The candidate's claim of reviewed memoirs and Ryman security logs was not substantiated in this audit.
The story is widely repeated in venue and tourism histories, and Clio says Nelson credited Tootsie Bess for helping his early career. This review did not locate a contract, publisher file, Nelson interview, or archival source establishing the exact job and date.
WKRN identifies Steve Smith as the current owner, the lounge's official legacy page says he reinvested in Tootsie's in 1992, and current business material refers to him as owner. This establishes business ownership/operation, not personal title to the Broadway building.
The active Tootsie's website and current Nashville tourism coverage identify the bar at 422 Broadway as an operating live-music venue.
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge was named and operating in the early 1900s.
The pre-1960 bar was called Mom's. Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess bought it in 1960, and the Tootsie's Orchid Lounge identity emerged during her ownership.
Source: WKRN, May 18, 2023; Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, "Our Legacy"; The Boot, March 29, 2024
The building's age or prior use proves Tootsie's Orchid Lounge was founded before 1960.
The sources reviewed establish only that Mom's operated before Bess bought it. They do not establish the building date or a pre-1960 founding date for the Tootsie's Orchid Lounge identity.
Source: WKRN, May 18, 2023; Clio, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge"
Ryman security logs prove that named country stars regularly used Tootsie's back door between Opry sets.
The alley connection is well-supported local history, but the candidate's alleged security logs and memoir evidence were not verified. The relationship should be described as an established tradition rather than a specific archival-log finding.
Source: Clio, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge"; Atlas Obscura, "Ryman Alley"; WKRN, May 18, 2023
Willie Nelson's first professional songwriting contract is documented as occurring at Tootsie's in 1961.
The claim that Tootsie's helped Nelson obtain an early songwriting job is widely repeated, but this review found no primary contract, publisher record, or reliable evidence for the exact year and event.
Source: Clio, "Tootsies Orchid Lounge"; Trolley Tours, May 27, 2026
Tootsie's survived because it became a recognizable meeting place between the Ryman and Lower Broadway, tying its identity to working performers as well as tourists. Steve Smith's 1992 purchase and reinvestment preserved the name, purple exterior, and music-centered tradition through Nashville's later commercial transformation.
The bar became Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in 1960, when Hattie Louise "Tootsie" Bess bought a preexisting Broadway bar known as Mom's. The sources reviewed do not establish when Mom's first opened or when the building was constructed.
Local history says a painter unexpectedly covered the building in orchid-purple paint after Tootsie Bess bought the bar in 1960. Bess kept the color, which became the lounge's signature visual identity; the story is well repeated but not independently documented here with a contemporaneous record.
Historical accounts say performers used Ryman Alley between the Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie's, making the lounge a common gathering point during the years the Grand Ole Opry was based at the Ryman. This is strong local history, though this review did not locate the candidate's claimed Ryman security logs.
Tootsie's histories widely say Willie Nelson received an early or first songwriting job after performing there, and accounts credit Tootsie Bess with helping his career. The exact job, contract, publisher, and date were not verified in primary records during this review.
Steve Smith owns and operates Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. Recent reporting and the lounge's official legacy page identify Smith as the owner who acquired or reinvested in the bar in 1992.
Yes. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge remains open at 422 Broadway in Nashville as a live-music honky-tonk. Check the venue's current site for show times, hours, entry rules, and rooftop access.
422 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 726-0463
Tootsie's is an active live-music bar on Broadway; check current hours, cover charges, entry rules, and rooftop access directly before visiting.