History, News, Road Trips

Where to find famous graves in Nashville

by Jessica Blankenship
George Jones Gravesite – photo by Jessica Bray

When you think of Nashville, you think of the sights and sounds of tourist attractions.  However, what lies beneath the city are those country music legends that are no longer with us today.  There are several cemeteries throughout Nashville that welcome fans and even have information available to help locate famous graves.

 
Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton contains a funeral home, mausoleum, and cemetery off Thompson Lane.  One of the neat features is a replica of the Christ Tomb within the great Cross Mausoleum.  Visitors are encouraged to view the special memorial between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm every day.  Tours can be conducted on an individual or group basis.

Something interesting to note is that Tammy Wynette’s grave in the mausoleum originally had her stage name, Tammy Wynette, on it.  Then it was changed by her husband to Virginia Richardson.  In 2015, Georgette Jones, the daughter of George Jones & Tammy Wynette, was able to restore it back to Tammy Wynette.

Virginia W. Richardson, better known as Tammy Wynette Gravesite in 2014 – photo by Jessica Bray


Tammy Wynette Grave in 2016 with name restored back to her stage name – photo by Jessica Bray


 
Buried in Woodlawn Cemetery are the following:
Garden of the Grand Tour: George Jones, Johnny Paycheck, Rob Bironas, Billy Sherrill, Jerry Chesnut
 
Sunset Garden A: Dan Seals
Sermon on the Mount: Roy Orbison, Claudette Orbison, Anthony Orbison
Garden of the Good Shepherd: Red Stovine, Brock Speer
Chapel Garden F: William Owen Bradley
Chapel Garden H: Eddy and Sally Arnold
Companion Garden A: Thomas Lee Jackson
Garden of Gethsemane: Marty Robbins, Webb Pierce, Larrie Londin, Willard Mack Vickery
Garden of Time: Mel Street
Garden of Prayer: Hattie L. Bess aka “Tootsie”
Garden of Everlasting Life: Porter Waggoner, Dale Cooper (Stoney Cooper), Doobie Gray
Graceland Garden: Clyde Foley aka “Red Foley”
Lakeside Garden: Groover Lavender aka “Shorty Lavender”
 
Cross Mausoleum
1st Floor: Replica of Christ Tomb
2nd Floor – Right Hall: Jack Strap
3rd Floor – Left Hall: Boudleaux & Felice Bryant, Jerry “Reed” Hubbard, Dottie Rambo, Van Stephenson, Tammy Wynette, Little Jimmy Dickens, Jim Ed Brown, Lynn Anderson, Liz Anderson
3rd Floor – Right Hall: JD Sumner, Gordon Stroker, Otis Blackwell, Ernie Ashworth
4th Floor – Left Hall: Paul Glaser

Lynn Anderson Grave – photo by Jessica Bray


Little Jimmy Dickens’ Grave – photo by Jessica Bray

Since 1785, Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery has been a Nashville landmark. Located at 5110 Gallatin Road at Briley Parkway, the cemetery is home to many notable grave sites. Among those buried include Roy Acuff, Hank Snow, George Morgan, Keith Whitley, Gilbert “Speck” Rhodes, Floyd Cramer, Jimmy Martin, John Hartford, Dean Manuel, Clifton Beverly Briley, Bunny Biggs, Billy Walker, Pete Drake, Louise Scruggs, Johnny Wright, and more.

Jimmy Martin gravesite – photo by Jessica Bray
Keith Whitley’s gravesite – photo by Jessica Bray
Roy Acuff – photo by Jessica Bray


On up the road in Hendersonville, you can visit the resting place of Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Mother Maybelle Carter, Merle Kilgore, Johnny Russell, Luther Perkins, and more at the Hendersonville Memorial Gardens.

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash Graves – photo by Jessica Bray

In Gallatin, you can visit Conway Twitty in the Sumner Memorial Gardens. Be sure to look for Harold Jenkins in the outside mausoleum.

Conway Twitty gravesiite – photo by Jessica Bray

Originally known as “The Voice,” Vern Gosdin is located at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.

Vern Gosdin gravesite – photo by Jessica Bray

Even in death, many country music celebrities still make an impact in others’ lives as they pay their respects to these legends