Gallatin Pike south of Briley Parkway is loaded with outdoor art. North of Briley, you have to look a little closer, dig a little deeper. That’s partly because of the greater number of chain stores north of Briley, but I suspect there are also differences in neighborhood culture. One place that stands out is Dent Repair of Nashville, which sits on a hill just south of the Rivergate shopping district, which is chock full of chain stores and precious little outdoor art. On the north side of Dent Repair is this mural of Lower Broad with the pearly gates to Honkytonk Heaven (which apparently is in East Nashville across the river). Waylon Jenning, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, and Johhny Cash grace an improbable scene – Lower Broad with no tourists. Where are the pedal taverns? No signature on this side. On the south side (below), a completely different mural of graffiti art that pays homage to Dent Repair itself, though like its companion on the north wall, it includes the Batman building. It seems to be signed “Nite 7 2015.” There do seem to be some other graffiti installations around town with that tag, but I can’t find an Instagram account or other page associated with it. The Google street view image shows only parts of this mural. That and the distinct styles suggest multiple artists. UPDATE: See the comment below for more information about the artist.
Located at 1414 Gallatin Pike North. There’s some street parking just south of Dent Repair, and a convenience store with lots of parking just north. Grab a soda and enjoy the art!
January 22, 2023 at 1:46 am
I’m the artist of Honky-tonk Heaven. Aaron Gates. My father is the owner of Dent Repair of Nashville, Mathew Gates. I never actually got to finish the mural because I moved out of town. I recently drove by there and seen that it’s faded pretty badly. If anyone would like to touch it up you have my blessings. Make your own. Of course make sure it’s OK with my Dad first since it’s his building. I use to sign my art with the name Cowboy. If I recall correctly I signed Cowboy in the lower right hand corner but it may have been the left. It’s probably faded off by now. I remember I used really cheap paint. Thanks for this post. Brought back some memories.