Born 98 Years Ago Today in Brooklyn, the Juilliard-Trained Musician Whose Daughter Founded This Nashville Staple

For more than 40 years, the iconic Bluebird Cafe has served as a late-night beacon to the restless minds of Nashville’s songwriting scene. Opened in 1982 by Amy Kurland, the 90-seat cafe and music venue has played host to the discovery of artists like Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattea, and Taylor Swift. And much like Hank Jr., Amy is carrying on an old family tradition. Her father, Sheldon “Shelly” Kurland—born on this day (June 9) in 1928—was a much-heralded session violinist who also arranged songs for a whole host of prominent country names.

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How Shelly Kurland Helped Shape the “Nashville Sound”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Shelly Kurland’s father, Samuel, began giving the boy violin lessons when he was just 5 years old.

His natural musical inclinations and dedicated training helped him win a contest on the popular New York City radio show Major Bowes Amateur Hour.

After graduating from high school, Kurland attended the prestigious Juilliard School, training as a classical musician. Upon receiving his master’s degree in music, he accepted a teaching position at Cornell University. During that time, he also toured with the Cornell University Trio.

In 1964, Kurland left the East Coast for Nashville to teach at Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University). He arrived just as Music City was on the precipice of a sea change. Producers like Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley were crafting a new “Nashville sound” that utilized classical strings in place of the traditional fiddle.

Soon, Kurland had organized local string players into a collective to perform live and on recordings. He dubbed this group “the Shelly Kurland Strings.” They played on thousands of country music records. Additionally, they won multiple “Super Picker Awards.” The industry handed those out to the musicians who played on the most number-one records each year.

In the late 1960s, Kurland resigned from his teaching position to focus on music full time.

He Worked With All the Big Names

It may be easier to compile a list of the A-list country musicians with whom Shelly Kurland didn’t work.

His resume includes “Half the Way” by Crystal Gayle, “Happy Birthday Darlin’” and “I May Never Get to Heaven” by Conway Twitty, “Dreaming My Dreams” by Waylon Jennings and “I Wouldn’t Have Missed it for the World” by Ronnie Milsap.

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Sheldon “Shelly” Kurland died in Nashville on January 6, 2010, at age 81.

Featured image by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images