Researching street addresses for Sho-Bud locations

[robert kramer]

I am looking for the street addresses for Sho-Bud. From the Sho-Bud website I see that Sho-Bud had 6 locations including the retail store at 416 Broadway. Even help in trying to locate these sites would be very helpful. For instance - I remember a story about Shot's garage being next to a railroad track.

I am helping the U.S. Park Service on a survey of the nation's historic buildings. They are researching some of the important buildings associated with the music industry in Nashville - mainly RCA Studio B and Bradley's Film & Recording Studios, to a lesser extent United Record Pressing, and a Broadway component that will embrace Tootsie's, the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, and Sho-Bud. They have asked me to look into any details about the history of Sho-Bud, such as the various locations.

These are the 5 addresses I am looking for:

(1) 1957 - Shot's garage

(2) 1958 or 1959 - Nesbitt Lane in Madison

(3) 1964 - Retail store was started at 416 Broadway in downtown Nashville.

(4) Late 1967 or early 1968, the Jackson family was so successful with the company, that the bulk of the manufacturing was moved into a building in Madison on Dickerson Road.

(5) April 1972 - the factory was moved from Dickerson Rd to the 9th Ave location for about 2 years.

(6) April of 1974 - it was moved to a larger place on 2nd Ave in Nashville, just several blocks from the retail store.

(The factory stayed at this 2nd Ave location up until the time the Jacksons sold the company to Baldwin in June of 1979. Baldwin closed the factory a year later and the retail store remained open until 1983 at which time it was closed.)

Sho-Bud website:

http://www.planet.eon.net/~gsimmons/shobud/shot.html

http://www.planet.eon.net/~gsimmons/shobud/buddy.html

http://www.planet.eon.net/~gsimmons/shobud/models.html

[CrowBear Schmitt]

from the Forum archives

[Larry Bressington]

Great pics matey!!

[Jerry Jones]

The 9th Ave South address was 609. The 2nd Ave North address was 178. There once was a plaque there about "Music City Manufacturing". I'm sure others will know more.

[robert kramer]

Thanks Jerry Jones - that was fast! I just got in the car and took these photos:

609 9th Avenue North (Sho-Bud Factory April '72 - April '74)


178 2nd Avenue North (Sho-Bud Factory April '74 - June '79)


For many years 609 9th Avenue South was Drury's camera store. 178 2nd Avenue North is now "The Quarters" condominiums with a market downstairs also called "The Quarters." Unfortunately - I did not see the "Music City Manufacturing" plaque.

Still looking for the street addresses of the Sho-Bud factory locations at:

(1) Shot's garage
(2) Nesbitt Lane
(3) Dickerson Road

[Jim Cohen]

Have you tried contacting Donna Darlene Jackson (his widow)? I imagine she could answer all your questions and much more.

[Tommy White]

Hi Bob, interesting thread to me. My first visit to Sho-Bud was the 416 Broadway location. We were directed by Shot to go to the factory at the corner of Due West ave and Dickerson road to pick up my new guitar. It was there I met David Jackson and Ron Elliot. I'm thinking early 1970. The next time I got a new guitar was at the 9th street location. I remember the building being seemingly new with a freshly graveled parking lot. There I met a young Yazoo tuning up new guitars, mine being one of those. Odd to see your pic of that building looking so old. My next few guitars were built by none other than Paul Franklin Sr. at the 2nd ave location. Great guitars I wish I'd kept by the way. So, I believe your chronological order of locations to be correct.

[Jerry Jones]

Robert,

I worked at the Old Time Pickin' Parlor (guitar shop) on 2nd Ave. in the late 70's and visited the 2nd Ave. factory a few times. I also remember purchasing M.L. Campbell lacquer at that building on 9th Ave. Must have shared that spot with Sho-Bud or moved in after they left.

You might check old phone books at the Nashville Library for some of those old addresses......Good Luck!

[Michael Yahl]

Why not contact Harry or David at Jackson Pedal Steels.

They lived it all...

http://jacksonsteelguitar.com/contact/

[Jerry Jones]

And one more......

Music City Manufacturing Co. at 3651 Dickerson Rd./865-8157

[robert kramer]

Thanks for all replies & info. Jerry – I will do a run up to 3651 Dickerson Pike over the weekend and see what’s there. Tommy – thanks for confirming on 9th Avenue site and Dickerson & Due West location and for the stories. This sounds like Johnny Cox: “There I met a young Yazoo tuning up new guitars, mine being one of those.” The first time I heard Johnny play he was playing Chalker's green Sho-Bud and could play "Big Hits" & "Counterpoint" note for note. All this has me thinking about Big Jim Webb. I wish he was still around.

As far as the Sho-Bud literature I can find on the web – the only address listed is “Nesbitt Lane.” Back in 1958 in Madison TN – the postman didn’t need a street number to deliver your mail. Next step: contacting the Jacksons. Last resort will be the phone books - old Union books and Johnny & Jack time cards from '57 to '59.

Thanks again for all replies. I will post what I find before I submit to the Park Service in case anybody has anything to add or if have gotten something wrong. Even if you didn’t know or care anything about steel guitars – the history of Sho-Bud would still be facinating – first because of the many different models and lacquer finishes and then because of Shot & Buddy and all the people associated with Sho-Bud who played a part in the classic ‘50’s – 80’s country music scene in Nashville.

[Richard Sinkler]

The corner of Due West and Dickerson as Tommy mentioned, comes up with this building. Tommy, does this look familiar? Could it have been the Sho-Bud factory? The other corner is a church.






Area from above

[Henry Matthews]

At some time, Sho-Buds were being built in DeQueen Arkansas. I owned a guitar that was built there. I'm thinking it was the late 70's or maybe early 80's. I don't know if this was a major manufacturing plant for Sho-Bud or not but I know that some guitars were built there. Don't know the street address or anything--Henry

[Richard Sinkler]

In response to Henry's post. From old forum posts:

In the factory I tuned the open strings with the tuners on top with the air wrench. I got them as close as possible. Then turned the cabinet over. I installed the pedals and knee lever and adjusted them as close as possible.I would look at the plastic stops on the end of the allen sets and got to where I knew the pattern. They gave me 10 minutes in the booth to adust the guitar. I would press the pedals and adust the pedals with the top tuners, then the open strings with the side allen sets.
The first time I worked for Sho Bud we had the brown covering which was in 1980 before they moved to DeQueen AR. They called me back in at the Conway plant where I had been moved over to the Baldwin piano plant to return and build a new Maverick. It was a red laq. guitar. I built the first runs by myself before they sent it back to DeQueen. They moved from DeQueen in the later 80's.

Charlie, Baldwin bought shobud in the sixties. Someone here on the forum would have the date.
The plant moved from Nashville to Conway in the late 70's next door to the grand piano plant.It then moved to the old Baldwin organ plant in DeQueen. Then they moved the Maverick to Conway and was going to move the LDG back also. They moved the Maverick back to DeQueen then Fred Gretch JR bought it, which Gretch was owned by Baldwin at one time. They then moved it the the Carolinas. Gene Haugh made some in his garage in Magazine Ar also. Fred sold it and I dont know now. I have heard some folks talk at one time I believe they said in Florida. Dont quote me on that one. Gibson bought Baldwin and moved the Conway grand plant to Truman AR with the studio pianos. The Conway plant is building Gibson guitars now. The DeQueen plant was sold to Poulan where they make weed eaters and chain saws.

From the old forum. Copying and pasting url does not bring up the old topic. You will have to do your own search if you want to read the whole thread. I typed in "Sho-Bud DeQueen Arkansas"

I Googled Poulan in DeQueen and got the following address:

103 E Red Bridge Road
De Queen, AR

Google mapped this address and it is a large factory complex (at least now it is).

[Henry Matthews]

Thanks Richard, knew they were there sometime.

[William Polka]

Robert, I'm several years late, but dying to know what your research turned up for these locations.
Is it safe to conclude that the 1976 LDG I own was built at the 2nd Ave. location that's now condos?

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... c&start=25

[Anthony Lis]

Robert, an ever later reply, but I'm just curious if you ever found a first, 1957-ish address for Sho-Bud? During a recent Nashville visit, e-mailed the Tennessee State Library and Archive folks, who did hold a 1957 Nashville City Directory that included Madison; according to the librarian who helped me, though, no Harold Bradley or Shot Jackson in the directory. Perhaps he arrived in town after the directory was published. From a classified ad in an online newspaper-archive, I see that as of July 1962. "Nesbitt Lane" in Madison was still being invoked as a Sho-Bud address.

[Anthony Lis]

Robert, an even later reply, but I'm just curious if you ever found a first, 1957-ish address for Sho-Bud? I am curious about this, myself. During my current Nashville visit, e-mailed the Tennessee State Library and Archive folks, who did hold a 1957 Nashville City Directory that included Madison; according to the librarian who helped me, though, no Harold Bradley or Shot Jackson in the directory. Perhaps he arrived in town after the directory was published. From a classified ad in an online newspaper-archive, I see that as of July 1962. "Nesbitt Lane" in Madison was still being invoked as a Sho-Bud address.

[J R Rose]

Robert, In my records from Mr. Gene Haugh my first store brought steel was a Sho-Bud Pro 11. Built and shipped 07-25-79 to Gretsch. Said this was when the factory was moving to Conway from Nashville. I later had a LDG that was one of the last built in Conway or the first build's in DeQueen and they moved their 11-02-82. Hope this help's in some way, J.R. Rose

[Steve Hinson]

Bob,I saw Aleene Jackson today and asked her about this(I hadn't yet seen this post-it must be in the air!)
I had been looking on Nesbitt Lane for it and I asked her the address-she couldn't remember(only been 60 years)but told me there was a railroad track beside it and a trailer park behind it...so I went to the other end of Nesbitt Lane,which ends at Gallatin Rd.in Madison...right at Town and Country Ford Trucks...I think it might be 202 Nesbitt Lane...hope this helps.

SH

Check this link out...there's a paragraph about Sho-Bud in the book excerpt...
https://books.google.com/books?id=9Jd7Z ... on&f=false

[Andrew Szumowski]

Regarding 202 Nesbitt Lane: can't be the location, as 202 Nesbitt Lane is a 1930s or 1940s era wood-framed house with aluminum or vinyl siding (see Google Maps streetview). In Part 1 of the Paul Franklin interview from 2018 with Lloyd Green (available on YouTube) , Mr. Green describes the building's construction type in the Spring of 1965 (when Warner Mack's single "The Bridge Washed Out" was #1).

"I walked into Sho-Bud one day after "The Bridge Washed Out" was our #1 record; it was really hot at the time. When Sho-Bud was on Nesbitt Lane in Madison, in a little tin building by the railroad tracks next to WENO Radio, which was a major country station in Nashville besides WSM in 1965. And I heard music playing in the back of the Sho-Bud factory, there..."

WENO Radio Ranch looks like it was on the south side of Nesbitt, but the trailer park next to the railroad tracks is maybe a quarter mile east of that locale, and on the north side of Nesbitt. So there is some ambiguity about Lloyd's statement, altho "next to WENO" might have meant 'not-directly-adjacent-to'

[Andrew Szumowski]

Regarding the Due West Ave/Dickerson address, in the same Paul Franklin & Lloyd Green interview on YouTube (Part 1), Lloyd mentions the following:

"One day, I walked into David Jackson at Sho-Bud. It was some time in late 1967. I had a 10 o'clock session that morning, and David called me about, I guess, 9 o'clock. He said, 'Can you come by? I wanna show you something. Pete Drake has come up with a new tuning; a new pedal.' By then, that part of Sho-Bud was down by Starday Studio, which was 3 minutes from my house, so it was on the way.."

[David Ball]

Regarding 202 Nesbitt Lane: can't be the location, as 202 Nesbitt Lane is a 1930s or 1940s era wood-framed house with aluminum or vinyl siding (see Google Maps streetview). In Part 1 of the Paul Franklin interview from 2018 with Lloyd Green (available on YouTube) , Mr. Green describes the building's construction type in the Spring of 1965 (when Warner Mack's single "The Bridge Washed Out" was #1).

"I walked into Sho-Bud one day after "The Bridge Washed Out" was our #1 record; it was really hot at the time. When Sho-Bud was on Nesbitt Lane in Madison, in a little tin building by the railroad tracks next to WENO Radio, which was a major country station in Nashville besides WSM in 1965. And I heard music playing in the back of the Sho-Bud factory, there..."

WENO Radio Ranch looks like it was on the south side of Nesbitt, but the trailer park next to the railroad tracks is maybe a quarter mile east of that locale, and on the north side of Nesbitt. So there is some ambiguity about Lloyd's statement, altho "next to WENO" might have meant 'not-directly-adjacent-to'

I saw the transcript of an interview with Roy Huskey, the bass player, who had a Sho Bud sticker on his bass. He talked about going to the "factory" in Madison. He described pretty much the same thing--a metal building (that he mentioned was long gone) right off the railroad tracks.

There is a space adjacent to 202 Nesbitt that looks like it could well have been the location of the Sho Bud building. It's gravel now, but if you look at the Google Street View, it's pretty easy to imagine this might have been the place.

Dave

[Jerry Jones]

Pictures below show the likely location of Shot’s garage - 105 Westchester Ct, Madison, TN.

Travel documents from Dec. ’58 list the Westchester address and Shot’s correct birthday.

Real estate records indicate the house was built in 1957.

Though there is no evidence of a garage on the property today, there may well have been one 60 years ago.

Anybody with more knowledge? The witness pool is shrinking.

[David Ball]

The driveway in the aerial photo makes it look like it might have an attached garage in the back...

Dave