Ernest Tubb Record Shop in 2012
For three-quarters of a century, Ernest Tubb Record Shop has had a prominent place in the preservation of country music history for future generations. Per a statement issued today and posted to the shop’s Facebook page, that legacy will come to an end this spring.
The building and business will both be sold, and the store will shutter on an unspecified date. The building was purchased by Robert’s Western World owner JesseLee Jones in 2020. The business was taken over in 1984 by longtime employee David McCormick following the death of founder and Grand Ole Opry star Tubb, who opened the business in 1947. Here’s the full text of the statement, attributed to Honky Tonk Circus, LLC; ETRS, LLC; and David McCormick Company, Inc.
It’s with great sadness that we share the news that the Ernest Tubb Record Shop — building and business — will be sold.
Our goal has always been to protect, promote and preserve the great history of the record shop and building. That desire remains as strong today as ever. However, due to changes in circumstances out of our control, it's now clear the best way forward is to sell the business and the real estate.
We are heartbroken that the store, which has existed in its current location in the heart of lower Broadway since 1951, will close this Spring. Preserving the history and tradition of country music remains at the forefront of everything we do. We remain committed to preservation work and look forward to new projects that will allow us to continue to protect and nurture the invaluable history and tradition of country music.
Tubb launched the business as a mail-order outlet, which remained an important part of ETRS even as its retail operation expanded and the music industry changed. Tubb’s first retail space opened at 720 Commerce St. In 1951, he moved down to 417 Broadway in order to have more room for live performances in the store, which would be broadcast on the radio — what would become the long-running program Midnite Jamboree. Though the culture of Lower Broadway has changed vastly around it, the store has remained a vital link to the past, with staff steeped in country music history.
