If top-tier music talent and pleasing your palate are your cup of tea, then you are in luck. Whether the weather in Middle Tennessee is stone cold or steaming hot, Grindstone Cowboy is at your service with a special brew to hit the spot and sweeten the proverbial pot.
Owned by country music artist, singer-songwriter and Eagleville council member Craig Campbell and wife Mindy Ellis Campbell, Grindstone is a uniquely rustic live music venue and specialty coffee shop combination.
Craig and Mindy both play shows at the shop regularly, their daughters Preslee and Kinni Rose are involved heavily in helping—in fact, the couple and their girls collectively performed some sold-out Christmas shows together—and Campbell (whose hits include the aptly themed “Family Man”) often invites friends along for the ride. So it’s a family affair.
As for what’s in a name, Campbell details the backstory of the establishment’s Cowboy moniker.
“Once I thought I heard someone say ‘Grindstone Cowboy’ [likely in reference to the 1975 Glen Campbell hit and resulting colloquial term “Rhinestone Cowboy”] and I thought to myself that would be a great name for a coffee shop. Over the course of the next few years I realized opening our own coffee shop is what I wanted to do—and I already had the name,” Campbell tells the Pulse. “The name of our recording company came after the coffee shop. We just thought Grindstone was a great name for a label since it infers working hard.”
Campbell’s brand-new album Exhibit A: The Lost Files, featuring “Tractor Songs” among its 16 tunes, was made available Feb. 17 on the aforementioned label. He will soon be hitting the road on a nationwide tour to promote it. Exhibit is a compilation of recent recordings and “lost” songs he recorded for previous labels but which were never released. Travis Tritt, Trea Landon and Mindy Campbell are featured on three. (Tritt joins in on the lead-off track, “Lot to Live Up To”).
But back to the closer-to-home business at hand: If you hang your hat in Tennessee, then cross your heart and promise to saunter through this true unique live-music-plus-coffee combo experience. Whether it’s a full meal and show you’re looking for or just to mosey over to the drive-thru and ride off into the sunset, look no further.
“We want people to book our place if they are looking for something cool, Western and rustic,” Campbell said of the Eagleville venue, located 20 miles west of Murfreesboro. When asked about any exciting news, he replied, “We’re hoping for more shows. That would be exciting news to us.”
February brought exactly that exciting bit of newsworthiness. The Grindstone calendar brimmed with shows aplenty, with Mindy Campbell, former Lonestar front man Richie McDonald, hit duo Love & Theft, father/son songwriter combo Randy and Billy Montana and even an all-out multi-coursed, cocktail-attired date night on the docket. Enduring talent Ty Herndon (known by many for “What Mattered Most,” “Living in a Moment” and “No Mercy”) pays a special visit this month (and will likely be remiss if he doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to showcase his hit “Steam” whilst surely surrounded by plenty of it from espresso machines).
“We thought we would be a coffee shop that serves food, when in reality we are a restaurant that serves coffee,” Craig said. “We have been getting great reviews on everything from our menu, the music playing in the background, to the decor and vibe. Seems like people are loving our place. . . . It took several years of doing secret research and finally I took Mindy to a coffee shop that was similar to what I had in mind and after she saw that, she was in. However, she gave me a couple of requirements: owning the building and having a drive-thru. Both boxes were checked!”
The council member and company aren’t neglecting their community: 10% of all March 1 purchases benefit Alzheimer’s Tennessee (as well as 100% of specially-designed tumbler sales).
But hold your horses! Shows can sell out quickly.
“Everyone that has played at Grindstone Cowboy are friends of mine and all were booked via text messaging. Everyone that has played seems to dig what we have and the audience we bring in,” Campbell shared.
Grindstone grinds out not only fresh melodies, but also coffee courtesy of Frothy Monkey.
daughter Kinni Rose
“We told them our dream and they jumped on board and it’s been a beautiful partnership so far,” Campbell said.
Speaking of sweet spots, among the offerings atop GC’s caffeinated concoction menu is the new Sugar Cookie Sweet Cream Cold Brew. For a walk on the wild side, choose a latte from the “Outlaw” category—pick up an Annie Oakley (honey and lavender), Clint Eastwood (dark chocolate and caramel), Billy the Kid (dark chocolate, hazelnut and almond) or John Wayne (honey and cinnamon) on your visit. Other unique latte creations include The Campbells, a vanilla raspberry concoction for February, the Peppermint Irish Cream of Glen Campbell for March, the Johnny Cash in June and (allegedly) a No Show Jones cinnamon roll flavor arriving in August.
“Those [names] were mostly Mindy’s ideas,” Campbell said.
Plus the Grindstone has a drive-thru (as mentioned, a key factor in the development decision) so you can get your sweet reward on the run.
Craig takes the stage for a ’90s covers “Class of ’89” night on March 7. Tickets cost $25.
Mindy pours out another “Class of 89” on April 4.
Songs from the Stone with Ty Herndon and War Hippies get underway March 16 and April 12, respectively.
Hitslingers, a songwriter’s series featuring Matt McGinn and friends, is set for March 22.
Doors for all Songs from the Stone shows open at 5 p.m., with a catered dinner at 6 and music at 7 p.m. There’s even a comedy night on the horizon with Reno Collier on April 20.
Herndon’s career spans throughout multiple chart successes and award wins – his most recent contribution is an offering lovingly titled album Jacob, which features the uplifting keep-on-keeping-on song “Till You Get There” and imploringly affecting track “God or the Gun.”
Country duo War Hippies combines two combat veterans—Scooter Brown and Donnie Reis waltzing a refreshingly fine line between orchestral fiddle and outright violin. With a new debut album and a recent video in rotation at The Country Network for the ominous, co-penned “The Hangman,” the two are set to open for Travis Tritt on a slew of spring and summer stops.
So if you know tomorrow your best friend will be your coffee cup, then look forward to watching the Grindstone Cowboy stage light up. It’s all only a stone’s throw from Murfreesboro. Happy trails.
Alcohol is available, with a full breakfast menu served from 6–11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and typically a catered menu on concert nights.
Venue rental is also available for birthdays, corporate events, Christmas parties, graduation, rehearsal dinners, music showcases, etc. For more details or email grindstonecowboycoffee@gmail.com.
The Grindstone Cowboy is located at 115 N. Main St., Eagleville. Online ordering for pickup is offered. For the full menu and more information visit thegrindstonecowboy.com or call 615-640-9040.
