Since 1968, the building at 2614 Jefferson St. has been an important community facility operated by Elks Lodge No. 1102, which purchased the building in 1972. Without their ownership and stewardship, it’s not unimaginable that the historic site — whose proud legacy as a Nashville cultural landmark dates back seven decades — would have been demolished long ago. But time has taken its toll on the onetime home of Club Baron, which regularly hosted R&B, blues and soul legends in the 1950s and ’60s and was the site of a famed 1963 guitar battle in which Johnny Jones bested a young Jimi Hendrix. The building was already in need of upgrades before it suffered damage in the 2020 tornado. However, an ambitious renovation campaign has been underway for several months, jointly led by the Elks Lodge and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. Thanks to fundraising and organization efforts undertaken by Elks Lodge leader Les Jones, NCVC CEO Butch Spyridon, Jefferson Street Sound Museum founder Lorenzo Washington, Musicians Hall of Fame director Joe Chambers and a broad coalition of music and business leaders, progress is being made toward getting Club Baron back to hosting regular live, ticketed shows again. The Convention & Visitors Corp website includes a link for individual donations, where they note that funds collected so far have paid for important early steps like a new roof.
Best Music History Preservation
