Nashville Floods Claim Grand Ole Opry House

Grand Ole Opry

The devastating floods in Nashville have inundated the Grand Ole Opry House, the most famous country-music venue in the world, and damaged cherished equipment of country artists across Music City.

Songwriter Aimee Mayo posted a photo to Twitter on Wednesday, sent to her by country star Kellie Pickler, showing the flooded main hall of the Opry, which sits five miles northeast of the entertainment district. Many instruments, costumes, audio tapes and other historic paraphernalia are feared lost or damaged at the site. However, Opry performances have been moved to other Nashville venues.

Other facilities are also swamped, including Soundcheck, a rehearsal space on the Cumberland River where Keith Urban and many other artists keep their gear. “I’ve probably lost all of my road equipment, and all my guitars, and amp and everything,” Urban tells CNN.

Other musicians posted updates on the flooding of their community to Twitter:

• Chuck Wicks posted a photo and wrote: “2 of my bandmates cars are in this parking lot..or river..whichever.  U can see the tops of their trucks. Sucks.”

Michelle Branch: “Just realized what was left of my indie album Broken Bracelet (6k) is all submerged under water along with my vintage pink sparkle Wurlitzer.”

Brad Paisley: “I think all my road guitar gear, amps, effects, are under 3 ft of river.”

Kenny Chesney knee-deep in floodwater.

Add Kenny Chesney to the list of celebrities who’ve been affected by the severe Tennessee floods.

On Wednesday, the country star demonstrated just how serious the situation is by posting a photo on Twitter of himself nearly knee-deep in water. He can be seen clutching a white electric guitar while standing next to a small motorboat filled with several items, including a plastic storage box and a guitar case.

“Sending Anderson Cooper footage of my house under water,” the singer, 42, Tweeted Wednesday, a few hours before he was scheduled to appear on CNN to discuss the damage.

“TN is a mess with floods,” Chesney wrote on his Twitter page Sunday. “If you’re fortunate enough to help out, hit up the mid-TN Red Cross. Stay safe, everyone.”

While the Grand Ole Opry has moved this week’s shows to other venues, the Country Music Hall of Fame is closed due to basement flooding – though its collections reportedly have not been damaged.

Originally posted at People.com.

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One Response

  1. A real shame all the loss of life, and property and music… sad that Michelle Branch’s indie debut album masters were destroyed… I have a signed, unplayed copy of the CD framed in a shadow box on the wall. I keep hoping we could get all her albums and the Wreckers album on vinyl release.

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