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Nashville native Lorenzo Washington is on a mission to reignite the musical and cultural spirit of Jefferson Street. In its golden days, Jefferson Street was lined with clubs that hosted luminaries like Ray Charles, Etta James, Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix.

Jefferson Street was the beating heart of North Nashville’s thriving Black music community from the 1940s to the early 1960s. The neighborhood had shops, hotels, restaurants, colleges, churches and all the businesses that support the daily lives of residents.

That heart was broken when Interstate 40 cut through North Nashville in the late 1960s.

To begin to revive that broken heart, Lorenzo Washington built a state-of-the-art recording studio in a former boarding house in 2010. His goal is to give local musicians the resources to develop their talent and hopefully, break out into a larger audience.

The community donated hundreds of photos and memorabilia, along with two pianos from well-known local musicians who had passed away.

The ground floor of building became a museum and then expanded to include a small performance space.

Washington is determined to defy the devastation of Interstate 40 and its buzz of traffic that runs along the back parking lot of the building.

The Jefferson Street Sound Museum is the foundation that’s intended to rebuild a culture of music in North Nashville, one open mic at a time on the first Monday of the month.

The recording studio on the second floor is the beacon that Washington hopes will draw talented people to pursue their musical dreams.

Eighty-two-year-old Lorenzo Washington is a lifelong entrepreneur who has been a partner in several recording studios in Nashville.

Music is his most beloved venture, a path that began when he was teenager driving a musician friend to the clubs in North Nashville.

Washington started a cleaning business more than 30 years ago that’s helped finance the music projects. His first business with his brother was a barbecue pit. And the man who keeps putting energy into varied ventures once helped manage a boxer who competed around the world.

Lorenzo Washington has been recognized for building on the musical roots of North Nashville that blossomed with jazz, blues and R&B during its golden era. He’s worked with partners to produce disco and other types of music and once owned a record store.

The Blues Foundation in Memphis recently honored Lorenzo Washington with its “Keeping the Blues Alive” award for creating the Jefferson Street Sound Museum with its recording studio and events to showcase young musicians.

Washington says he’s thankful that he’s blessed with physical and mental health. In his book, Rising Above: The Lorenzo Washington Story, published in 2021, he says, “This is where God has got me now. He blessed me with the duties of preserving a legacy, the legacy of all these great musicians and artists who have been a part of Jefferson Street in Nashville, Tennessee. That’s what God has assigned me to do, and I’m determined to do the best I can on this assignment.”

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Music for The Age of Being Real is "Kites Over the Ocean" by the Kentucky Standard Band from their album "Angels of Mercy."
The Age of Being Real is created by writer and audio producer Rhonda J. Miller.