As someone who has spent years documenting and preserving the rich and diverse history of music, I was particularly drawn to Night Train to Nashville by Paula Blackman. This book isn't just a recounting of historical events; it's a deep dive into a pivotal time in American music and civil rights, shedding light on a story that, until now, has largely been untold.

Set against the backdrop of Jim Crow-era Nashville, Night Train to Nashville takes readers into the lives of two men from very different worlds: E. Gab Blackman, a visionary radio executive, and William Sousa "Sou" Bridgeforth, a powerful figure in Nashville's Black community. Through the lens of these two men, Blackman reveals how music became a surprising yet powerful force for change during one of the most tumultuous periods in American history.

E. Gab Blackman, the author’s grandfather, is portrayed as a man driven by ambition and a desire to shake up the status quo. At a time when radio was seen as a dying medium, Gab saw an opportunity that no one else did: the untapped market of R&B and spiritual music that resonated deeply with the Black community. Despite the risks, he began playing these "race records" on WLAC after midnight, slowly but surely captivating a growing audience that crossed racial lines.

On the other side of Nashville, Sou Bridgeforth, a respected and influential leader in the Black community, recognized the rising popularity of this music. His New Era Club became a haven for both Black and white audiences, who came together in defiance of the era’s strict segregation laws. As these two men’s paths converged, they unknowingly laid the groundwork for a cultural revolution, challenging the norms of a segregated society through the universal language of music.

Paula Blackman’s writing is engaging and informative. She weaves personal anecdotes with meticulously researched historical facts. Her unique perspective as Gab Blackman’s granddaughter adds an intimate layer to the narrative, making the story feel both personal and profound. The book doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the time, addressing the systemic racism and societal pushback that both men faced in their efforts to bring people together through music.

Night Train to Nashville is more than just a book about music; it's a testament to the power of cultural exchange and music's role in breaking down racial barriers. It’s a story of courage, innovation, and the unlikely alliances that helped shape the future of Nashville and the broader civil rights movement.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of music and civil rights and those who appreciate a well-told story of perseverance and change. The stories of the musicians who played in Sou's club and the detailed exploration of how these changes were orchestrated make Night Train to Nashville a captivating read from start to finish.

Highly recommended for music lovers, historians, and anyone interested in the untold stories that have shaped our world. This book is not just about the past; it's about understanding how far we've come and how much further we still have to go.

An excellent, detailed, and personal account of an interesting and lesser told era of Nashville and radio. Any music lover or anyone interested in the history of civil rights in Nashville and the country as a whole will find this one fascinating.

This look at the untold story of music city will be released on September 12, 2023. Harper Horizon provided an early galley for review.

The first things that comes to mind when I hear Nashville are of country music, the Grand Ole Opry, and a high school classmate who made his career as a songwriter and performer. This book added a new facet that I had not previously considered when I think about the city and its legacy.

The author's approach on this book is different. I suspect her personal connection to it helps a lot. It opens with a list of names of those involved in the story, with a brief description of who they are and what they did, and then a timeline of events. This is not something I've encountered before up front. Then her writing approach and style is one that draws a lot of elements that one would see typically in fiction. She really emphasizes the "story" in the history. That gives the whole narrative a different feel for a nonfiction book.

It was good to see examples of the way integration and diversity were approached at the time in this particular Southern city. It shows the struggle for representation, acknowledgement and acceptance of those with different backgrounds and cultures.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Harper Horizon for an advance copy of this book on the intersection of race, radio, music, and the changes that came from it.

Change is not something that people want to do much of. Especially if that change admits that something they have been doing for a long time is wrong. A lot of people equate America with the line "Land of the Free, home of the Brave", but a better one is "Well that is the way it always has been" missing the fact that somehow, someway, this had to once start, and was at the time a change. Government doesn't like change, nor do the police who like the status quo of docility. Religion hates change for the same reason, control. Business, on the other hand, doesn't like change much, until the money that can be earned with change, is higher than staying the same path. They will take a good game, pretend to stay the same, but money talks, and as a character says in this book, "Sell to the poor, you’ll dine with the rich.” What is amazing is that so much change came from playing music, starting after midnight, growing into something that is still reverberating today, with many of the same arguments and mentality as almost seventy years ago. Night Train to Nashville: The Greatest Untold Story of Music City by Paula Blackman tells the story of the power of music, and of two people who almost accidently changed things far more than they ever expected.

E. Gab Blackman was a man with a lot of dreams, including a new Dodge sedan, and a lot of plans on how to get there. Working at a newspaper and though good at his job, he was not a fan of his current boss, and Blackman knew that the future was an television. Blackman took a job at WLAC a radio station that was ranked third in the market, to gain experience, and hopefully use the influence he was sure to gain there to get a television station in Nashville. At the time radio was considered a dying medium, television was king, the FCC was pushing too many regulations and the music played was not bringing in listeners. However Blackman had a plan, and that was to play music that never got air time, songs that were considered race records R&B and spirituals that appealed to the black community, and untapped market for listeners, And one night after midnight Blackman gave it a try. William Sousa "Sou" Bridgeforth was a powerful member of the black community, running numbers, and supplying music an entertainment in his clubs. A man who gave much to his community, bailing out civil rights workers, paying for funerals when needed, Sou began to notice that the market for music that he knew and let perform was growing, growing with both white and black listeners, who needed places to listen to this music. Both men began to face a, kickback from a lot of different people, who did not like the idea of music bringing anyone together when Jim Crow segregation ruled.

A fascinating and personal look at something that was a pivotal moment in music history and yet still remains a mystery. Paula Blackman was the granddaughter of Gab Blackman so heard a lot of this stories from the source. In addition Blackman has done much research working with others to try and get an idea of what things were like from the other side. The book is very well written with lots of good stories and anecdotes, but a lot of research too. I enjoy how Blackman asks questions like, How could two black men enter a locked building to bring in records, without a lot of people knowing in advance. After asking Blackman does her best to answer this questions. And well. A very enjoyable book about music that I knew very little about.

Recommended for music fans without a doubt. Stories about the people who played in Sou's club are worth it, along with all the little facts and stories that Blackman has in her book. Also a very interesting book for people interested in race relations and cultural studies. A book that was a lot more than I expected.