Rising Stars: Meet Buddy Norris

Today we’d like to introduce you to Buddy Norris.

Hi Buddy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Macon, Georgia, and I was the youngest of five and the only boy in a big music-loving family! I have great memories of listening to all of the country music classics with my dad via his collection of vinyl records.

My love and passion for music is just something I came about naturally, and it’s always been an integral part of my life. Nashville was a favorite vacation spot as I was growing up, and I made the official move here in 2000 after several years of touring the country in the contemporary Christian music group called TRUTH.

In 2006, I participated in (and didn’t die doing) the Music City Half Marathon and went to celebrate with a group of friends – we had the world’s worst waiter who (like so many others in Nashville) was an aspiring singer-songwriter going for his dream. That chance meeting at a Texas Roadhouse literally changed my life!

That singer-songwriter became a good friend and introduced me to the world of songwriting here in Nashville! I met so many of his talented friends who were also working odd jobs and struggling to make ends meet any way they could while pursuing their dreams here in Music City USA! I always just assumed that recording artists wrote and recorded their own songs – that is just not the case all of the time, and I was blown away by the huge population of mega-talented songwriters creating music of all types that I enjoyed!

My friend shared a concept of “house concerts” he had heard about while playing shows around town. The concept is simple: Music lovers would invite their favorite musicians/indie artists/songwriters into their homes and invite their music-loving friends over to hear music and show some support to these artists! I thought this was a brilliant idea as I had always wanted to do something to help support these “starving artists” singer-songwriter friends of mine.

So, in January of 2011, I invited three of my new singer-songwriter friends—Paul Sikes, Jesse Terry, and Charlie Worsham—to bring their guitars to my tiny townhome in the Brentwood/Nolensville area just south of downtown Nashville to share some of their music with my friends! Twenty-four friends showed up, paid a cover charge donation at the door, and had finger foods and drinks to contribute to!

Our musical guests shared about their journeys and the stories behind the songs they played; it was incredible! The night was a hit and my friends wanted me to host another night! I was hooked and loved having music I love coming to my own home, but mostly I loved the opportunity I had to show a little support and encouragement to these talented friends of mine giving their all for their big dreams!

Quarterly shows became bi-monthly shows, and then I found myself hosting these growing nights of live music on a monthly basis—and I wasn’t complaining one bit! I was approached by a fellow music-loving friend and supporter (Ellen Huddleston), who also worked a full-time job like me, about forming a partnership and taking this to the next level so more people could experience these up close and personal magical nights of live music.

People were loving the opportunity to get to know the artist behind the music and go on the journey with their favorites, supporting them in any way they could! So, in July of 2015, Buddy’s Place was officially formed! Ellen came on board, and we built an official website — www.buddysplacenashville.com — designed a logo, and created merchandise too!

We continued with the monthly shows and over time saw several of our singer-songwriters see that first artist cut, a TV show placement, national commercial spots, a chart-topping #1 as a writer as well as several signing record deals of their own! They are now award-winning touring artists living their dreams out—all of our singer-songwriter alumni who have played at the shows over the years are listed on our website “artists” page—and I’m so proud of that list of special music-making friends!

We expanded over the years and hosted shows at Ellen’s home as well as several apartment complex clubhouses, and other music lovers’ homes! We celebrated our 50th show with a very special private event at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum and even provided music at several food truck festivals and private parties!

The big-time, long-term dream (if it is meant to be) is to one day open a small venue in a home setting or venue decorated just like an intimate living room space so everyone can come to experience these very special intimate nights of music! I’ve heard some of our regular attendees refer to our shows as “pure magic” or “the best night of live music around” and I have to agree, it’s something very special!

When the world shut down in the spring of 2020, we were faced with a big dilemma! We could no longer safely meet in our private homes due to gathering restrictions and COVID precautions and put Buddy’s Place on hold for several months with an uncertain future. One of our biggest supporters by the name of Shirlee Stevens literally came to our rescue late summer of 2020!

Shirlee is the owner and operator of the Cedar Springs Ranch located off of 24/840 in Lascassas, Tennessee, south of Nashville. This beautiful Airbnb and horse rescue property houses a rustic open-air barn/event-type space with a staging area and plenty of space for people to come and sit and enjoy a night of live music—and distance to their comfort level! Buddy’s Place was back in business, and our live shows resumed in August 2020! In a strange way, the pandemic was a blessing for us!

We’ve been able to open our shows to the public vs the smaller limited space in our living rooms! We’ve tripled our attendance and this means more support for the singer-songwriters coming out to share their stories and songs with more music lovers! We are still able to keep the quiet, intimate, up close, and personal feel where the artists and the song are the main focus!

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to host these special nights and be on this journey! I’m excited to see where it may lead for sure! Over 110 singer-songwriters of different styles and genres have shared their stories at Buddy’s Place since 2011 and we’re looking forward to celebrating our 100th show in 2023! Excited for the music still to come and thankful for the support of music lovers coming out each month – we can’t do it without them!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey to Buddy’s Place has been a fun ride. I’ve enjoyed watching the slow and steady growth as my music-loving friends have attended shows and then invited their music-loving friends to attend as well. The biggest issue was the limited space for events in our homes.

You can only squeeze so many people and chairs into a house! We spent a good portion of 2016 looking at properties all over the Nashville area as a possible permanent home for Buddy’s Place but that search was unrealistic in terms of the cost of real estate in this growing area.

We are so thankful to have landed at the Cedar Springs Ranch and love the great nights of music out there but would also like to present Buddy’s Place at other locations if other music lovers were interested in hosting a show.

These nights of music are all about the support of singer-songwriters on their journey and the more people who get to hear them play – the better!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I initially moved to Nashville to find a job in the music community here. A great record label job ended abruptly in 2004 with a company-wide spree of layoffs.

I currently work a full-time, nine-to-five corporate job in the healthcare industry. The bills still have to be paid! Buddy’s Place is definitely a labor of love and my happy place. I tell people all the time that it’s my “musical Disneyland!”

Creating the perfect lineup of artists while booking shows is like a fun puzzle in a way and promoting these events via social media and our website allows me a little creative freedom to sometimes put an art degree I earned to use here and there. I’m so very thankful and blessed to get to do this and don’t take it for granted!

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Go for it! You never ever know what can happen if you just give something a try! I never dreamed I’d still be hosting these fun nights of music 11 years after that first little show in my living room!

It’s growing and we can feel the momentum and excitement. I have a motto that I share sometimes when I approach artists about playing a show: “You never know if you don’t ask”. The same thing goes if you’re wanting to start a project or dive into a new venture – ask people about their experiences or invite their input.

Follow your passions and find something to do that you truly care about and that will make all the difference.

Pricing:

• $20.00 tickets are available via our website.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Adam Helton, Jamie Floyd, and Tokenbrit Photography