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File #: BL2026-1300   
Type: Bill Status: Third Reading
File created: 2/24/2026 In control: Metropolitan Council
On agenda: 4/7/2026 Final action:
Title: An ordinance providing the honorary street name designation of "Johnny Cash Way" for a portion of 3rd Avenue South.
Sponsors: Jacob Kupin, Emily Benedict, Jason Spain, Tonya Hancock, Sheri Weiner, Ginny Welsch, Erin Evans, Jeff Gregg, Bob Nash, Joy Styles, Thom Druffel, Zulfat Suara, John Rutherford, Brenda Gadd, Burkley Allen, David Benton, Tasha Ellis
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An ordinance providing the honorary street name designation of "Johnny Cash Way" for a portion of 3rd Avenue South.

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WHEREAS, Johnny Cash is one of the most influential and celebrated figures in American music history, known worldwide as "The Man in Black;" and

WHEREAS, Johnny Cash's career was influenced by gospel, country, blues and folk music, he went on to influence all kinds of American music through his honest lyrics and rhythm-based sound; and

WHEREAS, Nashville served as Johnny Cash's professional home for much of his career and remains inseparable from his artistic legacy; and

WHEREAS, many of Cash's greatest hits were recorded at Columbia Studio A on Music Row; and

WHEREAS, the Johnny Cash Show, which ran for three seasons, was filmed in the historic Ryman Auditorium. The historic venue, which now has a themed dressing room and display in his honor, was where he made his Grand Ole Opry debut and met his future wife, June Carter Cash; and

WHEREAS, the Johnny Cash Museum, located on 3rd Avenue South in downtown Nashville, is the largest and most comprehensive collection of Johnny Cash artifacts and history in the world and is a significant contributor to the city's tourism and cultural economy; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council memorialize Johnny Cash through an honorary street renaming on 3rd Avenue South, adjacent to the museum that honors his legacy and blocks away from where he made his mark on country music; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 13.08 of the Metropolitan Code of Laws provides for the designation of honorary street names and signs without amending the Official Street and Alley Acceptance and Maintenance Map for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, and without requiring residents and businesses to change their address.

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:

Section 1. That 3rd Avenue South between Broad...

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