Nashville's newest downtown tour not only shows people all of Music City's hot spots, but also introduces them to some of its songwriters.
Trey Bruce first came up with the idea for a listening room on wheels while sitting at a red light on Broadway.
"I saw a tractor pulling a hay bale trailer full of girls screaming woohoo," Bruce said. "I just wanted to do a tour that has some history and tells the cultural experience of the songwriter."
Bruce is a songwriter and producer, who has worked with artists like Randy Travis, Faith Hill, and Lynyrd Skynryd. But recently, he bought a bus, retrofitted it with stadium seating and a stage, and launched Songbird Tours.
His goal is to introduce tourists to the side of Music City you might miss on Broadway.
"We dig really behind the scenes of songwriter culture," Brice said. "What it’s like to be a successful songwriter and what it’s like to be a newbie in Nashville, trying to figure it out with super big dreams in a massively changing landscape."
On each tour, two songwriters sit on stools and share their songs with riders.
One songwriter is usually a seasoned veteran who has penned number one songs, while the other is someone new to Nashville's music scene.
"The new writers are just so grateful they would play anywhere. And to play for people who are captured.. they can’t get away," laughed Bruce.
Along the way, the tour takes visitors to Music Row and other country music landmarks.
"It's the Bluebird on wheels," Bruce said.
Tours are available three times a day, seven days a week.
