Franklin Hits All the Right Notes
Words by Ashley Locke
Photo by Anthony Scarlati
It’s funny how a casual conversation with your grandparents can leave you speechless. One minute you’re sipping sweet tea and listening to stories about the old days, and the next they’re casually mentioning playing pool with Johnny Cash or sharing one too many beers with Merle Haggard. That’s how it was with my grandfather. Born and raised in Middle Tennessee, he bopped around town when Nashville was just beginning to earn the nickname Music City—a time when you might bump into country music royalty like they were your next-door neighbor. And in many ways, they were.
But after the bars on Broadway closed, my grandfather always made the long drive back home to Leipers Fork—except back then, it was still called Hillsboro. It was a different place then, a small, unassuming patch of land where Puckett’s Grocery had only just opened its doors.
Leipers Fork and Franklin were my childhood playgrounds. We’d pile into the car and take the winding, tree-lined roads to my grandfather’s farm. The landmarks were familiar: the trickling creek, the scum-covered pond, the barns full of broken equipment, and the occasional sight of wild hogs and turkey. I always knew we were close when my cell phone signal disappeared. My dad, like clockwork, would point to Puckett’s as we passed and say, “You know, I stocked shelves there when I was in school.” Of course, my sister and I knew. What we really wanted was for him to pull over so we could grab a soda and a sandwich, mingle with the friendly clerks, and listen to the old-timers tell stories like it was a honky-tonk.
Franklin, just a few miles down the road, held a similar spot in my memory. My mom’s uncle ran a farming operation there back when the land was all rolling fields, not rows of suburban homes. We’d ride his John Deere for hours, the tunes of a local radio station fighting to be heard over the roar of the tractor. Back then, Franklin wasn’t the kind of place people traveled across the world to visit. It was just home.
But, oh, how things change.
Brad Paisley sang about Franklin as “just another day in Heaven South,” and he’s not alone in his affection. What was once a sleepy small town on the outskirts of Nashville is now a destination in its own right. Franklin has become a magnet for musicians, songwriters, and music lovers—quietly producing award-winning songs and tomorrow’s biggest artists.
Here, music isn’t just an industry; it’s an experience. You can sit feet away from an intimate stage and watch as a songwriter bares their soul, hear the echo of guitar strings in a hidden quarry, or sip cocktails in a dimly lit speakeasy as fireflies dance to the rhythm outside. You can watch your kids squeal with delight as a radio-recognized voice sings his hits with family in tow. Franklin’s music scene feels magical and immediate, yet rooted in a rich history that’s uniquely Southern. It’s no wonder the crowd often includes faces from New York, LA, and even as far off as Japan. Franklin isn’t just a stop on their journey—it’s the destination.
So how did this quiet Southern town become a global gravitational pull? And how can you experience it for yourself? To understand, we’ll have to turn back the clock just one more time.
Puckett’s Grocery
Who doesn’t dream of a place like Mayberry? A small town where traffic jams are unheard of, kids play outside freely until the streetlights flicker on, and everyone knows your name—and your story. Andy Marshall had that dream. And in 1998, when he stumbled upon Puckett’s Grocery in Leipers Fork, it felt like stepping into the past he’d always longed for.
The little market was more than a store. It was the heart of the community, a place to pick up milk and eggs, savor a plate of home-cooked food, and catch up with neighbors. It was a slice of Americana, something Andy knew he couldn’t find in the corporate grocery world. So he sold his big-box stores and traded them for the little corner store.
“Franklin is more of a listening room, and that’s great for artists, especially when they’re testing new music.”
“We started creating food we thought people would make the drive for,” Andy recalls. It worked. By 2002, Puckett’s was no longer just a grocery store—it was a destination. Friday and Saturday nights brought live music to the space, creating an atmosphere so magnetic that Andy started dreaming bigger. “We wanted to make it into a place where people wanted to visit every night of the week.”
Word spread quickly. Music nights at Puckett’s became both familiar and extraordinary. Families with wide-eyed toddlers experiencing their first live show would share tables with seasoned songwriters, the kind who’ve won so many awards that you can’t count them. On stage, a fresh-faced dreamer with just a guitar might play right before a surprise set by Lady A. It was magic—something that felt too good to keep contained.
In 2004, Andy decided to bring that magic to Franklin. “When we opened Puckett’s there, Franklin was kind of sleepy,” Andy says. “There wasn’t much happening after 5 p.m. on Main Street, and Sundays were quiet.” Puckett’s changed that. With breakfast, lunch, and dinner served seven days a week, the restaurant became the town’s gathering spot. And when Andy invited artists to perform in its intimate 40-seat venue, they said yes. Emphatically.
The list of musicians who’ve graced Puckett’s stage is impressive: Jimmie Allen, Walker Hayes, Chris Janson, and countless others who’ve gone on to shine on bigger stages. Some acts, like The WannaBeatles, built loyal local followings through their time at Puckett’s. Others, like Franklin’s Sunday gospel performers, remind visitors of the town’s deep-rooted sense of community and tradition.
The music at Puckett’s isn’t just entertainment—it’s an experience. “It’s a little different than Broadway,” Andy says. There’s less rowdiness and more intimacy. “Franklin is more of a listening room, and that’s great for artists, especially when they’re testing new music.” Puckett’s feels like home for them—and for the audience.
Though the names and faces have changed over the years, Andy is still a familiar presence at Puckett’s, often sitting in the crowd, taking in the scene. “It’s humbling, and a rarity, when you combine your passion with your work and get to see them come together,” he says.
Puckett’s began as Andy’s dream, but its legacy is one of shared dreams—those of the artists who take the stage, the songwriters penning the next hit, and the audiences lucky enough to witness it all. “I love that people are here being discovered, and the songwriters that play here are the backbone of the industry,” Andy says. “They’re folks just like everyone else who have chosen a very difficult path—but they’re three minutes away from stardom—they are chasing that same dream.”
Fox and Locke
Some places feel like they’ve always been there, quietly anchoring a community long before you arrived and promising to remain long after you’ve gone. Fox and Locke is one of those places. Tucked into the heart of Leipers Fork, Tennessee, its history stretches back to 1947 when Jack Fox and Martin Locke opened it as a general merchandise store. Back then, it was the largest market in the area, a place where neighbors met, swapped stories, and picked up their essentials.
It was known as Puckett’s Grocery in 2002 when Andy Marshall purchased the property, and he helped turn it into a destination known for its great food, live music, and easygoing Southern charm. It drew people from far beyond Leipers Fork—travelers, music lovers, and locals alike—including a young woman named Lexie Arnold.
“My aunt and uncle used to own the house next to Fox and Locke,” Lexie says. “They owned Puckett’s before, as well as The Country Boy across the street. So my first memories of this building were just being a customer. Every hometown has its gas station or hub where everyone sees each other—before school, after work. That’s what this place has always been. I just felt this intrinsic pull to take care of it.”
Lexie’s journey began in 2016 as a waitress, working the bustling dining room of what was then Puckett’s. “There was a line out the door on my interview day—people everywhere. The energy was electric, and I just wanted to be part of it,” she says. “I haven’t left since.” Today, she’s the CEO of Fox and Locke, the name the space reclaimed in 2022 to honor its roots.
Here, music isn’t just an industry; it’s an experience.
That name change didn’t alter the magic that’s always been part of the place. In particular, Thursday Open Mic Night has become a fixture, with musicians vying for coveted eight-minute slots on the iconic stage. “World-renowned musicians come here because the audience is truly listening,” Lexie says. “They’re not distracted by their phones or conversations—they’re paying attention to the music being played and the stories being told.”
That audience is what makes Fox and Locke stand out, says Alex Tinker, the Open Mic emcee for the past five years. “Many artists in Nashville come down and they end up being part of the audience because they’re waiting for a place to play. That’s not an insult—I was and still am one of those artists. The audience that shows up to Fox and Locke are there to encourage, entertain, and uplift artists who are the best in the world that no one knows yet.”
But it’s not just for the artists. The audience gets to live their own dream. “There’s nowhere else in the world that audience members have as much a chance to live a fantasy just as much as the artists,” says Alex. “They can sit on the porch and walk while the leaves fall, stand by the fire, hear kids giggling and sitting on rocking chairs. They can live their personal story, their Hallmark dream, just by being an audience member.”
Fox and Locke isn’t just a venue; it’s an experience—one that feels authentic and unreplicable. It’s a space where the hard work of community has created something intangible but undeniably real.
“One of my favorite songs is Do You Believe in Magic—it’s trying to tell a stranger about rock ‘n’ roll. You can’t explain magic. It’s just always there,” Alex says. “Lexie would say that magic is hard work residue. All the hard work that we do—the prep to execute a show, the conversations—all of that comes together, and what comes out on the other side is magic. And we get to watch it in the crowd’s faces.”
FirstBank Amphitheater
You’ve heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” but for Rick and Nancy McEachern, it’s a story they’ve brought to life in the most extraordinary way.
When the McEacherns first visited Franklin, they were tagging along with their son, who was pursuing a music degree in Nashville. The family quickly fell for the charm of Middle Tennessee. “We told our son, ‘We don’t know if you’re staying, but we are!’” Nancy says. By 2014, they had made Franklin home.
While exploring properties, Rick stumbled upon an abandoned limestone quarry using Google Earth. “The shape of the land caught his eye—it already looked like an amphitheater,” Nancy says. What he found on-site, however, was far from a stage-worthy venue. The quarry, used in the 1960s to build nearby highways, had become a dumping ground for industrial waste. “It was a junkyard,” Nancy says. “People were scared off by the sheer amount of cleanup.”
But where others saw obstacles, the McEacherns saw potential. Fast forward to 2021, and FirstBank Amphitheater, a 7,500-seat outdoor venue, is now a jewel in Franklin’s music scene. Tucked into the limestone cliffs of Graystone Quarry, the amphitheater feels like it’s always been there, a natural extension of the land. But the transformation was anything but accidental. Every detail was carefully considered—from using local materials in construction to preserving the quarry’s unique acoustics.
And what acoustics they are. Before opening, Rick and his team worked with sound consultants, blasting concert-level music and analyzing its projection across the venue. “It’s pretty incredible,” says Rick. “If it’s a rock show, a violin, or just vocals. The refracted rock surface all the way around creates an almost ideal sound environment.”
That atmosphere is exactly what makes FirstBank Amphitheater so special. Imagine sitting under the open sky as your favorite artist takes the stage. Hawks circle overhead, deer peek from the trees, and the sun sets in brilliant hues, making way for a sky full of stars. It’s a concert experience that feels as timeless as the land itself.
But it’s not just the music that makes the venue stand out—it’s the whole experience. From happy hour tailgates and local BBQ smoked on-site to the stunning natural backdrop, every element is designed to create a night you’ll never forget. “It’s fun to be a place people want to come to be a fan,” Nancy says.
And that vision has resonated. Since opening, the amphitheater has hosted everyone from Willie Nelson and Lana Del Rey to Kenny Loggins and Chappell Roan. For Rick and Nancy, the success is no surprise. “As more people move south of Nashville, they want world-class music closer to home,” Rick says. “Franklin has always been a hallmark destination, but now it’s becoming an entertainment center.”
The Rest of the Story
Franklin’s music scene is about the stories, the places, and the moments that bring people together. Its charm lies in its hidden gems and hometown haunts. Imagine sipping a craft cocktail at The Tornado Room, a speakeasy tucked away beneath The Country Boy in Leipers Fork, or swaying to the soulful sounds at Kimbro’s Pickin’ Parlor, a true juke joint where the walls echo with generations of music.
Catch a show at The Franklin Theatre, where the Art Deco design transports you back in time, or enjoy live tunes with a side of Southern fare at Grays on Main. Stop by the Mockingbird Theater & Bar in The Factory at Franklin for some twangy bluegrass, or discover any one of the city’s venues where creativity is always center stage.
Each spot contributes to Franklin’s growing music community, where locals and visitors alike become part of something bigger—a shared love of stories told through song. There’s a seat waiting for you, and the soundtrack is nothing short of unforgettable.
