Road Trip: A Music Fan's Guide to Clarksville, Tennessee

A Music Fan's Guide to Clarksville, Tennessee

.
It's no surprise that the city of Clarksville, Tennessee is a magnet for fun-loving visitors. Located about an hour's drive from Nashville, the city has a thriving downtown full of art galleries, cool shops, unique places to eat, breweries and nods to pop culture like a statue of Frank Sutton, the Clarksville native who portrayed the brusque but lovable Sgt. Carter on the television program "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C." There are historic homes and buildings, and in the area around the city Civil War history can be explored, and lovers of the great outdoors will find walking and biking trails galore as well as places to indulge in rock climbing and all sorts of watersports. What might come as a surprise is that there's a significant amount of fun to be had with music and music history in Clarksville, including something having to do with the late rock guitar god Jimi Hendrix. Here we'll delve into some of the things that music fans may want to experience while in Clarksville, beginning with that oh-so-famous hit song by the Monkees.

"Last Train to Clarksville" by the Monkees

Written by the famed songwriting duo of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, "Last Train to Clarksville," released in 1966 by the Monkees, is a pop gem that eventually went to the #1 spot on the Billboard Singles Chart. Despite its bouncy and catchy melody, the song was actually quite dark as it reflected a young soldier's thoughts as he shipped off to war (the Vietnam War was raging at the time.) The song title was initially "Last Train to Clarksdale," inspired by a tiny town in Arizona. But while in the studio recording the song, everyone agreed the lyrics would flow better if the name was changed to Clarksville. So the song was not written about Clarksville, Tennessee (or anyplace in particular) but, since no other locale had, Clarksville "adopted" the song as their own; with a nearby military base, Fort Campbell, and an operating train station in the '60s, the song's lyrics fit too. Visitors can hear this story or read about it in many places throughout town and a fantastic mural commemorating the actual last train to Clarksville, created by local artist Rick Cavaness, is on display at 136 Commerce Street. The last passenger train to operate in Clarksville left the L&N Depot on August 31, 1968.

Music History in Clarksville: Jimi Hendrix, Roy Acuff

When Jimi Hendrix was in the military he served at the Clarksville-adjacent Fort Campbell. Not a whole lot is known about the famed guitar god's music at the time but it is known that while at Fort Campbell Jimi formed his first band, The Casuals. He also met bassist Billy Cox, a fellow soldier at Fort Campbell, and would form a lifelong musical partnership with the bass man. A placard commemorating Jimi's time in the area can be found in downtown Clarksville and it has purposely been placed across the street from where the now defunct Newt's Record Shop was located. A large "ghost sign" remains on the wall of the former record store and visitor's minds can run wild thinking about how Hendrix undoubtedly spent as much time in the store as he could.

Another famed musician connected to Clarksville is Roy Acuff. The late country music legend once owned Dunbar Cave, now a State Park, and he often held concerts there (outside the cave!) Dunbar Cave is an amazing place where visitors taking the cave tour can see ancient pictographs and petroglyphs on the cavern walls that were left by Native Americans. As far as where Acuff and his fans partied, there is a large area just outside the cave entrance where bands would set up and fans would dance the night away. While plain today, this area is in an attractive setting and visitors can just imagine the fun that was had when Roy hosted shows here by the likes of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey. There is more information about Acuff's tenure as owner of Dunbar Cave inside the Dunbar Cave Visitor Center. Note, tours of the cave are given only from May through September. More information is here.

Where to Hear Live Music

Music is a big part of the fun in Clarksville and visitors can experience it live at many different venues. Big shows by nationally-known touring acts take place at F&M Bank Arena. The arena has about 6,000 seats with various premium seating options available and has recently hosted famed rock band Styx and Tennessee native rap artist Moneybagg Yo. Upcoming shows include MercyMe in late March and a four night run of "Disney on Ice presents Frozen and Encanto" in mid-April. The arena also regularly hosts sporting events including Austin Peay State University Men's and Women's basketball. For a full schedule of upcoming events go here. The arena is only a block away from a recently-remodeled Doubletree by Hilton so accommodations close to a show are easily arranged.

Other places in Clarksville to hear live music include Strawberry Alley Ale Works (931) 919-4777, a charming eatery and craft brewery where you can enjoy the Bluegrass Brunch every Sunday 10:30-2:30.

At Dock 17 (931) 444-7717 you can enjoy some good grub (yummy burgers!) and play games like darts and shuffleboard and beginning at 6 pm most nights hear some good tunes too. Scheduled to perform in March 2025 are Jay Ammo, Jun Espinosa, Rachel McCamy and many others. From April through October Beachaven Vineyards and Winery (931) 645-8867 offers "Music on the Lawn" in their large picnic area, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Otherwise smaller shows take place on a regular basis year-round, generally on Saturdays, at the Beachaven Downtown location (931) 551-2312. Scheduled to perform in March 2025 are Britt Dignan, Chris Carpenter, Wes Beeler and Heidi Holton. There are many other venues that offer live music too; check the Visit Clarksville Tennessee website for complete listings (link below.)

And Vinyl Records

Music fans who love vinyl will find an extensive collection of new and vintage wax for sale at Clarksville's record shop, AndVinyl (931)444-3131. Besides a huge selection of albums on vinyl, the shop also carries a wide selection of music on CD, cassettes, turntables, band tees, stickers, posters and much more. And the staff is friendly and knowledgeable so you can ask them about that hard to find title you're searching for. AndVinyl Records participates in Record Store Day so if you happen to be in Clarksville on April 12, 2025, stop in to view the selection of limited edition titles on vinyl that they'll have for sale that day. AndVinyl Records is also a great place to pick up a copy of 'Ville Magazine, "Clarksville's Premier Music Publication." The mag is a fun read and a great resource to find out what's happening music-wise around Clarkesville.