Most folks enjoy a well-written song, but most are clueless about the lives of singer-songwriters, the unusual breed who birth them—often through protracted labor. This uncommon bunch is more easily found in the vicinity of nearby Music City, but it’s not common to find people anywhere who understand or appreciate the journeys of these creative souls who tie their deepest dreams to gossamer-thin threads, all in hopes of crafting a song that will wing its way into ears, minds and hearts. The cycle is only meaningfully completed when a song meets an appreciator.

No song has ever met an appreciator more supportive than Buddy Norris, who has quietly been championing singer-songwriters for just over a decade via an intimate home-based concert series known as Buddy’s Place.

Norris, whose privately held monthly events were forced out of doors last year for hygienic reasons most of us have grown weary of talking about, will be hosting a Buddy’s Place concert event at Cedar Springs Ranch in Lascassas on Saturday, July 17.

If you don’t move quickly—and even if you do—you might not get one of the 100 tickets available at the series’ website, buddysplacenashville.com.

Buddy’s Place events, while usually minimally publicized, are well attended by a small and faithful word-of-mouth following that has been slowly growing since Norris began hosting shows in 2011.

Norris was once one of the many who fail to understand the world of the singer-songwriter, even though Norris himself was no stranger to music. A passionate fan with a well-tuned ear for a good song, he sings in his church choir and toured with contemporary Christian group Truth in a support capacity, occasionally stepping into a singing role when duty called.

“I grew up in a musical family, listening to classic country with my dad, singing in church, and I have always loved all forms of music,” Norris says with an enthusiasm that rarely wanes.

Hours spent in his childhood home absorbing the music of Nashville-launched legends such as Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline, though, didn’t help Norris connect the dots between songwriter and recording artist—a particularly symbiotic relationship back in the days when artists rarely wrote their own material. Singers still need songwriters today, but the artist-writer line has blurred considerably in the decades since the likes of Reeves and Cline ruled the country charts.

Singer-songwriters sometimes make a name for themselves as performers, while some find success behind the scenes. The breakthrough moment in either category, though, usually comes when an established artist records and releases a song by an aspiring writer. This typically takes years, if it happens at all. Long-termers aiming for that needle’s-eye breakthrough rely on encouragement along the way as they brave the harsh realities of the commercial music industry, often thanklessly plying their craft while holding down non-career-centered jobs chosen to facilitate flexible schedules.

Even with all their talent and smarts, creative types don’t necessarily excel in their day-job spheres. This was obvious on the fateful day a parched and hungry Buddy Norris met the “horrible waiter” who turned out to be songwriter Jesse Terry. While Terry failed to provide top-notch service that day, he later provided Norris’s life-changing entree into a musical realm previously alien to him.

“I met his music-making friends, learned about the world of singer-songwriters and made a lot of friends I wanted to support and encourage,” says Norris, who also discovered the then-emerging concept of the house concert: small, exclusive gatherings hosted at the homes of music lovers and supporters. Soon, it became clear. This was destiny talking, if not singing, and the Williamson County home of Buddy Norris would forever have an alias: Buddy’s Place.

The concept is simple. Norris selects a trio of performing songwriters for each show, and attendees pay a modest cover charge to defray expenses and put some cash into the writers’ pockets. The arguably larger reward, though, is one shared by artists and audience alike. The performers share their stories: how they endure delays and disappointments, perhaps, or how a particular song germinated. The attentive and receptive climate in the room prompts unguarded personal anecdotes as well as original songs that, in close quarters, can have maximum emotional impact. Listeners get to peek into the inner worlds of writers, who get to feel the respect their craft and commitment deserve. It’s a recipe for authentic connection.

The formula translates well enough to a somewhat larger setting, as evidenced during a recent run of socially distanced Buddy’s Place shows at Cedar Springs Ranch. As Norris explains, the Lascassas facility’s owner was a Buddy’s Place attendee who offered the Ranch’s rustic, open-air setting for outdoor shows. Norris says the unexpected turn of events has allowed for larger (though still smallish) crowds and afforded a chance to expose Buddy’s Place on a slightly larger scale.

An intimate atmosphere remains key, but obscurity is not the goal. Norris and Murfreesboro-based business partner Ellen Huddleston created a logo, merchandise and a website in 2015.

The website hosts a photo gallery of singer-songwriters who’ve played the roughly 100 Buddy’s Place shows to date. Fans of country and Americana will spot familiar names, such as country-pop artist Brett Young and 2019 Grand Ole Opry inductee Kelsea Ballerini (who, at age 17, played the second-ever Buddy’s Place show in 2011).

“It’s so exciting to see when one of our alumni sees a lifelong dream realized,” Norris gushes, spooling off a quick dozen names of successful performers and writers from the Buddy’s Place roster.

Norris’s knack for picking winners is a simple matter of selecting artists he respects, whose music he personally enjoys and wants to share with others. In the short term, the series will continue at Cedar Springs Ranch, and Norris is willing to entertain offers from others wishing to host a show.

He and partner Huddleston also hope to someday own a living-room-style public venue, but regardless of location, Norris’s unusual breed of talented friends know that Buddy’s Place is one where they’ll be heard, appreciated and understood.
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Follow Buddy’s Place on Instagram and Facebook for upcoming show info and locations, check out the series’ playlists on Spotify, and learn more or purchase tickets at buddysplacenashville.com.