Woodlawn Memorial Park is one of the largest cemeteries in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, known as a site where many prominent country music personalities are buried including Porter Wagoner, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, and Eddy Arnold. It is located 660 Thompson Lane, a site rich in history. The land was originally a Revolutionary War land grant of 968 acres given to John Topp in 1788, eight years before Tennessee became a US state. In 1836 it became known as "Melrose" when US Senator Alexander Barrow purchased it and built a fine mansion with that name. The property served as a field hospital in 1865 during American Civil War

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1 ...

. The site was established as a cemetery in the 1930s, and in 1993 the property, then reduced to 205 acres, was acquired by Roesch-Patton Corporation. Among those interred or entombed in the cemetery, there are many prominent members of Nashville's country music industry. In June 2018, Woodlawn installed the "

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

Rose Garden", consisting of 200 Lynn Anderson Hybrid Rose Bushes (named for the singer by the National Rose Society of America), as a place of reflection and meditation in honor of the star's

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

Notable graves

* Joe Allison (1924–2002), songwriter * Liz Anderson (1927–2011), country music singer, songwriter, and mother to country musician

. *

(1947–2015), Country music singer * Eddy Arnold (1918–2008), Country Music Singer, Recording Executive, Producer and Country Music Hall of Fame Member * Ernie Ashworth (1928–2009), country music singer, Grand Ole Opry member * Rob Bironas (1978–2014), professional football player/Placekicker for the Tennessee Titans * Otis Blackwell (1931–2002), Songwriters Hall of Fame member *

H. Leo Boles H. Leo Boles (February 22, 1874 – February 7, 1946) was an American preacher and academic administrator. He was a minister of the Churches of Christ and the president of David Lipscomb College (now known as Lipscomb University). He was the autho ...

(1874–1946), president of Lipscomb University. *

Owen Bradley William Owen Bradley (October 21, 1915 – January 7, 1998) was an American musician and record producer who, along with Chet Atkins, Bob Ferguson, Bill Porter, and Don Law, was one of the chief architects of the 1950s and 1960s Nashville sou ...

(1915–1998), record producer, Country Music Hall of Fame member, Academy Award nominee * Jim Ed Brown (1934–2015), Country Music Hall of Fame singer * Boudleaux Bryant (1920–1987), Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame member * Felice Bryant (1925–2003), Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame member * Billy Collins (1963–1984), boxer * Jerry Chesnut (1931–2018), country music songwriter * Little Jimmy Dickens (1920–2015), Country Music Hall of Fame singer *

Kerby Farrell Major Kerby Farrell (September 3, 1913 – December 17, 1975) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. He was a longtime minor league manager who spent a single season — 1957 — managing in Major League Baseball for the ...

(1913–1975), Major League Baseball Player, Manager

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

, Chicago White Sox * Red Foley (1910–1968), Country Music Hall of Fame singer *

D. J. Fontana Dominic Joseph Fontana (March 15, 1931 – June 13, 2018) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. In 1955, he was hired to play drums for Presley, which marked the beginning of a 15-year relationshi ...

(1931–2018), drummer *

Benton Cordell Goodpasture Benton Cordell "B. C." Goodpasture (April 9, 1895 – February 18, 1977) was a preacher and writer in the Churches of Christ. A contributing writer to the ''Gospel Advocate'' starting in 1920, in 1939 he became the publication's editor, a post he h ...

(1895–1977),

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...

minister, editor of the '' Gospel Advocate'' * Dobie Gray (1940–2011), singer and songwriter *

Vernon Holland Vernon Edward "Vern" Holland (June 28, 1948 – April 21, 1998) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and New York Giants. Holland was born in San Antonio, Texas and gr ...

(1948–1998), Professional football player

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

* Tommy Jackson (1926–1979), musician – considered by many in the country music industry to be the first great Nashville session fiddler * George Jones (1931–2013), Country Music Hall of Fame Singer *

Amelia Laskey Amelia Rudolph Laskey (December 12, 1885 – December 19, 1973) was an American amateur naturalist and ornithologist noted for her contributions to the understanding of bird behavior. Though an autodidact without formal scientific training, ...

(1885–1973), ornithologist *

Larrie Londin Ralph Gallant (October 15, 1943 − August 24, 1992), better known by the stage name Larrie Londin, was an American drummer and session musician. According to journalist James Byron Fox, "If not the best known, Larrie is one of the most listene ...

(1943–1992), drummer *

Neal Matthews, Jr. Neal Matthews Jr. (October 26, 1929 – April 21, 2000) was an American vocalist who achieved fame as part of The Jordanaires, one of country music's premier backup groups; most notably with Elvis Presley. Matthews played guitar, double bass, and ...

(1929–2000), decorated soldier, Country Music Hall of Fame singer * Claudette Frady-Orbison (1941–1966), wife of legendary singer

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

. She died when her motorcycle was hit by a truck. She is buried with her two young boys, Roy Dewayne Orbison (1958–1968) and Anthony King Orbison (1962–1968), who died together in a house fire * Joe Moscheo (1937–2016), singer, The Imperials and

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

backup *

K.T. Oslin Kay Toinette Oslin (May 15, 1942 – December 21, 2020) was an American country music singer-songwriter. She had several years of major commercial success in the late 1980s after signing a record deal at age 45. Oslin had four number one hits and ...

(1942–2020) country singer and songwriter * Johnny Paycheck (1938–2003), country singer * Ben Peters (1933–2005), Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame songwriter * Lynn Peterzell (1955–1994), noted audio engineer * Webb Pierce (1921–1991), Country Music Hall of Fame singer * Dottie Rambo (1934–2008), Gospel singer and songwriter. Named songwriter of the century in the early 1990s, Grammy and Dove winner, Gospel Music Hall of Fame for self and family group The Rambos, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, composed over 2,500 songs * Marty Robbins (1925–1982), Country Music Hall of Fame singer * Jerry Reed (1937–2008), Country music singer and Actor * Dan Seals (1948–2009), 1980s country singer, of 1970s pop/rock duo England Dan & John Ford Coley *

Margo Smith Margo Smith (born Betty Lou Miller; April 9, 1942 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American country and Christian music singer–songwriter. She had several years of country success during the 1970s, which included two number one hits on the '' Billboard' ...

(1939-2024), singer and songwriter * Red Sovine (1917–1980), country singer * Brock Speer (1920–1999), gospel music singer * Mel Street (1933–1978), country singer * JD Sumner (1924–1998), singer, Elvis' backup * Van Stephenson (1953–2001), Country singer, songwriter. He was a member of Blackhawk *

Gordon Stoker The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...

(1924–2013), singer The Jordanaires * Mack Vickery (1938–2004), songwriter, singer, musician, Alabama Music Hall of Fame * Porter Wagoner (1927–2007), Country Music Hall of Fame singer * Tammy Wynette (1942–1998), Country Music Hall of Fame singer

References

External links

* {{Coord, 36.1147, -86.76, type:landmark_region:US-TN, display=title Cemeteries in Nashville, Tennessee