NSAI Celebrates Successful 34th Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival
Sean McConnell, John Eddie and Olivia Wolf perform for a packed room at The Bluebird Cafe (Southbound Tequila Stage). Photo: Jason Davis for Tin Pan South
Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival 2026 is in the books, after a successful 34th annual festival featuring hundreds of songwriters in Nashville March 24-28.
With 10 venues, 97 shows and over 300 hours of stories and songs, nearly 12,000 fans experienced unvarnished, intimate performances of current hits, legendary songs, future chart-toppers and anthems that have been cemented in music history. Various last-minute lineup additions and special guest appearances added to the excitement of the 2026 event and audiences were surprised with appearances by writers and artists including Bob DiPiero, Kashus Culpepper, Sam Palladio, Forrest Whitehead, Rivers Rutherford, Jaxson Free, Matthew Perryman Jones, Dave Turnbull, Andy Buckner, Erin Kirby and Kassi Ashton, among others.
Throughout the week, shows featured a wide variety of genres and songs spanning decades. At the Custom House by Guitar Center Stage at the Station Inn, James Otto quieted the audience with a stunning rendition of “In Color” on Tuesday, while Contemporary Christian hitmaker Matthew West performed at Anzie Blue.
On Wednesday the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters Stage at the 1865 Club welcomed the Y’all 106.7 show featuring songwriters Chuck Cannon, Billy Dean and James Dean Hicks, while audiences at the Jack Daniel’s Stage at 3rd and Lindsley Nashville enjoyed a show featuring ASCAP writers Pat Alger, Caylee Hammack and Mark Irwin at 6 p.m., and a round featuring NSAI Board Presidenth/hit songwriter Lee Thomas Miller with Sela Campbell, Thomas Edwards, Randy Montana and Randy Rogers, presented by BMI took place at 9 p.m.
Thursday saw shows with five-time CMA Musician of the Year Jenee Fleenor alongside Rob Hatch and Jenny Tolman at the round presented by SESAC on the Tennessee Entertainment Commission Stage at the Analog at Hutton Hotel, while singer-songwriter Sean McConnell joined John Eddie and Olivia Wolf at the Southbound Tequila Stage at The Bluebird.
On Friday and Saturday, the Nashville Scene Stage at Love and Exile featured a performance from Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk, the Visit Music City Stage at The Cowan hosted the four songwriters behind the hit song “Texas” – Johnny Clawson, Lalo Guzman, Kyle Sturrock, and Josh Dorr at 6 p.m., while the 9 p.m. round opened with “Grenade” (recorded by Bruno Mars) performed by Louis York, and simultaneously over at the Beyerdynamic Stage at the Commodore Grille, Lydia Slagle of The Secret Sisters was filling the room up with pure Americana on the round featuring Slagle, Matthew Perryman Jones and Mary Bragg.
Plans are already underway for the festival’s upcoming 35th year celebration March 30-April 3, 2027.
