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An ordinance to amend the Geographic Information Systems Street and Alley Centerline Layer for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, by renaming Horton Avenue, between 11th Avenue South and 18th Avenue South, to “DeFord Bailey Avenue (Proposal Number 2022M-005SR-001).
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WHEREAS, born in 1899, DeFord Bailey began playing the harmonica at the age of three while being raised in a family of musicians who played what he later referred to as “black hillbilly music”; and,
WHEREAS, Bailey, a lifelong resident of Tennessee, moved to Nashville in 1918 where he worked odd jobs including stints as a houseboy, drugstore errand boy, and elevator operator. Meanwhile, he learned jazz, blues, and pop songs from recordings and from live shows he attended in local theaters; and,
WHEREAS, Bailey was known as a “harmonica wizard” and soon began appearing on local radio programs, including on WSM. He was a pioneer member of the Grand Ole Opry and one of its most popular performers, appearing on the program from 1927 to 1941; and,
WHEREAS, while he found success during this time, Bailey also faced discrimination while touring the United States, especially in the Jim Crow south; and,
WHEREAS, Bailey was fired from WSM in 1941 amidst a dispute over the licensing of his songs. He then retired from professional music and began operating a shoeshine parlor and renting rooms in his home to make a living; and,
WHEREAS, Bailey rarely performed publicly after 1941, but did return to the Opry in 1974 for a performance to mark the Opry’s relocation from the Ryman Auditorium for the Grand Ole Opry House; and,
WHEREAS, Bailey continued to perform at the Opry on occasion. His last performance was in April 1982, only a few months before his death on July 2, 1982; and,
WHEREAS, the proposed request to change the name of this right-of-way has been submitted to and approved by the Metropolitan Planning Commission and other relevant agencies of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, in accordance with Metropolitan Code § 13.08.015; and,
WHEREAS, the community deems it appropriate that said name be changed.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That the Geographic Information Systems Street and Alley Centerline Layer for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, as enacted by Ordinance No. BL2021-1053, be and is hereby amended, as follows:
Renaming Horton Avenue to “DeFord Bailey Avenue” from 11th Avenue South to 18th Avenue South, all of which is more particularly described by lines, words and figures on the sketch, which is attached hereto and made a part of this ordinance as though copied herein.
Section 2. The Director of the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multi-modal Infrastructure (formerly the Department of Public Works, as re-designated in the Memorandum of Understanding approved by RS2021-794) be and hereby is authorized and directed, upon the enactment and approval of this ordinance, to cause said change to be made on said Map as set out in Section 1 of this ordinance, and to make notation thereon of reference to the date of passage and approval of this amendatory ordinance.
Section 3. Amendments to this legislation may be approved by resolution.
Section 4. This ordinance shall take effect immediately after its passage, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.
Agenda Analysis
Analysis
This ordinance renames Horton Avenue between 11th Avenue South and 18th Avenue South as “DeFord Bailey Avenue”.
This name change has been approved by the Planning Commission and the Emergency Communications District Board. The required report from the Historical Commission has also been received and is available as an attachment to this ordinance.