Blake Shelton’s Old Red Nashville Bar Sees Red

NASHVILLE, TN – JUNE 07: Blake Shelton performs on stage at Spotify’s Hot Country Presents Hunter Hayes, Chris Lane, Michael Ray and more at Ole Red During CMA Fest at Ole Red on June 7, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Spotify)

Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

One of Nashville’s most popular bar destinations, Blake’s Shelton’s Ole Red, is getting in some trouble for showing red lights at night.

According to The Tennessean, Ryman Hospitality, which owns Ole Red, is facing a lawsuit by the Metro Historic Zoning Commission, over the company's decision to cover the outer walls of Ole Red with red light at night. The policy reads in part, "Lighting should be concealed or simple and unobtrusive in design, materials, and relationship to other facade or elevation elements."

Ryman announced plans for Ole Red in 2017 and the company said it planned to invest $20 million in the building. The building was constructed in 1926 and is valued at $22.4 million today.

Two years ago, the city proposed historic design guidelines for the lower Broadway district. While business owners supported some of the proposed guidelines, they criticized others, including the exterior lighting proposal, and the issue ultimately was put on the back-burner.

Shelton has a partnership with Ryman Properties for his Ole Red venues, which also has one in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, as well as his hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma. Neither Blake or Ryman has commented on the lawsuit.

Below is a video shot when Shelton made a surprise appearance at Nashville’s Ole Red in January.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by

-Nancy Brooks

Blake Shelton

Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media GroupEditor

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.