NASHVILLE

NASHVILLE Although today recognized as the capital of country music, Nashville was only one of many centers of country performance prior to World War II. With the exception of THE GRAND OLE OPRY, the country music industry had no real presence in the city before the late 1940s. Only a combination of geography and luck made Nashville the important center it has become today. While there were many other barn dance RADIO shows, the Opry grew into a powerful outlet in the 1930s thanks to the…