The Most-Read Cream Posts of 2020

Just about everyone involved in the music business — from fans and musicians to venue operators and staffers and beyond — has had a new set of circumstances to cope with in 2020, and conditions have been in pretty constant flux. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to change how we experience live music. Legendary properties were sold or put up for sale. Legendary figures died. But the ways people adapted were impressive and inspiring, serving as a reminder of how much music means to the people who make it and the people who listen. As we get ready to pop on the flying-toaster screensaver at the home base of Cream HQ, here are the 10 most-read posts here on our music blog. Thanks for reading, and best wishes for a brighter 2021.

1. David Olney Has Died

David Olney communicated complex experiences in rich narrative songs. You wouldn’t say that numbers like “Deeper Well,” “Contender,” “Roses” or “Titanic” are unassuming, but he delivered them with a powerful theatrical grace that made them feel light and agile, to the delight of fans and many peers who were also fans. 

2. Advice King: The Fashion House Freaked Me Out — Should I Still Move to Nashville?

Advice King Chris Crofton responded to the gross spectacle of The Fashion House with some words of pride for the folks who make Nashville great in lasting ways and don’t treat it like a playground.

3. Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Nashville Property Listed for $10 Million

In April, the country star listed for sale the building that’s been his home base in Music City since 2012. The midtown studio was once a church, but in the late 1960s it was converted into Monument Studios by Monument Records’ Fred Foster. Waylon Payne’s Blue Eyes, the Harlot, the Queer, the Pusher & Me, our writers’ choice for Best Country Album in this year’s Best of Nashville issue, was recorded in part at Southern Ground. In a fascinating full-circle twist, Payne’s mother Sammi Smith was pregnant with him when she recorded there in 1970.

4. Elliston Place Buildings, Including Site of The End, Sell for $1.6 Million

Elliston Place is known to generations of Nashvillians as The Rock Block, home of The End (prior to 1998, known as Elliston Square) and Exit/In. In August, the neighborhood’s contributions to the city’s music culture were recognized this year with a historic marker. Word came through in November that a pair of buildings opposite Exit/In, including the building that houses The End, was sold. Though the pandemic is preventing most venues from having any shows right now, The End is supposed to remain in place. Here’s hoping young punks will be seeing touring hardcore bands there for many years to come.

5. Marty Stuart: The Cream Interview

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was among many cultural institutions that struggled this year. A COVID-necessitated shutdown led to some 170 layoffs. The museum produced a fantastic and successful streaming fundraiser event called Big Night at the Museum, in which contemporary country stars performed on historic instruments from the collection. Ahead of the show (which you can still see on YouTube), singer and guitarist extraordinaire Marty Stuart, who served as emcee, got on the phone with Marcus K. Dowling to discuss it.

6. Justin Townes Earle Dies at 38

Songsmith Justin Townes Earle worked passionately at establishing his body of work, which included eight full-length albums and an EP. He also worked diligently and publicly to overcome addiction. It was a devastating shock to hear he’d died in August, of what was later confirmed to be an accidental overdose. Earle’s widow Jennifer Earle launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover legal and medical expenses. Earle’s father Steve Earle and his band The Dukes have recorded a tribute album titled J.T. that will be out digitally on Monday, Jan. 4, the younger Earle’s birthday; physical copies are expected to ship in mid-March. See Bandcamp for preorder details.

7. John Prine Dies at 73

John Prine, who died in April from complications of COVID-19, set a high bar for greatness with his extensive catalog of songs. But he’s remembered just as much for his generosity of spirit, shown to artists he mentored, bandmates, family friends and pretty much anyone else he ran into.

8. Nashville Jazz Workshop Eyes April Opening on Buchanan Street

When this news from the Nashville Jazz Workshop came in January — a follow-up to the organization’s announcement a few months earlier that they’d be moving from Germantown — there was, of course, no expectation that we’d have a global pandemic this year. However, the NJW rolled with the punches 2020 and offered a slew of great virtual programming, and progress has continued on readying the new space.

9. Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Many More Set for To Nashville With Love Benefit

Before the pandemic, there were the deadly tornadoes that ripped through Middle Tennessee in the early hours of March 3. In Music City, North Nashville, East Nashville and Donelson suffered the most extensive damage. An organization called To Nashville With Love put on a massive benefit concert at Marathon Music Works on March 9 with stars like Jason Isbell, honorary Nashvillian Brandi Carlile, Yola, Margo Price and more. It raised more than $500,000 for relief efforts, and was one of the last big shows in the city before the pandemic shut everything down. Save for a socially distanced Jason Isbell concert outside The Caverns in October, it’s also the most recent in-person event we’ve covered in our live-review column The Spin.

10. A Roundup of Nashville Musicians’ Livestream Concerts

In the early days of the pandemic, the hope was that it would be under control in a few weeks, or maybe a couple of months. For a few weeks, we were simply updating the same blog post with additional streaming shows coming up. As it became clear that this was going to be a long haul, we pivoted to shorter posts every couple of weeks looking at what was coming up. On that note, you’ve got quite a few choices for ways to show 2020 the door while watching a concert from the safety of your home tonight — check out our roundup here. It's good to end this dark and strange year with some light at the end of the tunnel. There are vaccines rolling out and there is some relief on the way for music venues, though both of those things are still in process.