Robert’s Western World To Commemorate 25th Anniversary With Celebration

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Robert’s Western World will celebrate its 25th anniversary under the proprietorship of JesseLee Jones, the leader of its house band Brazilbilly, on Aug. 5 with a free block party in downtown Nashville.

Robert’s is taking over the stretch of lower Broadway between 4th and 5th Avenue just outside of the venue for the celebration, which will begin at 10 a.m. with bands and special guests performing until 11 p.m. between two stages. The lineup is set to be announced soon. Special 25th anniversary merchandise will also be available for purchase, and the bar and grill inside will serve their famous Recession Special—a fried bologna sandwich, Lay’s potato chips, a Moon Pie and a cold PBR for six dollars.

Robert’s Western World stands in the shadow of the Ryman Auditorium. From the late 1950s to the early 1980s, the building served as the home of the Sho-Bud Steel Guitar Company. In the early 1990s, honky-tonk entrepreneur Robert Wayne Moore opened Rhinestone Western Wear, which evolved into Robert’s Western World. On Aug. 5, 1999, Moore decided to pass the torch and sold the business to musician Jones.

Jones moved to Nashville in the early 1990s and got booked by Moore to play Robert’s Western World in the spring of 1995. Robert’s house band at the time, BR-549, called Jones the “Brazilian Hillbilly,” and he became known as Brazilbilly. The band has since gained popularity and recognition as the venue’s house band for the past 29 years during its regular weekend sets. Brazilbilly has also toured Europe and South America, hosted radio broadcasts of The Midnight Jamboree from Ernest Tubb’s Texas Troubadour Theater, played multiple SiriusXM Outlaw cruises and shared stages with major country acts across the nation.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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