(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Nashville honky-tonk haunt The Sutler will be closing its doors officially on Friday, only one week after celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The bar/restaurant run by Johnny Potts will be closing as the owners of the building look to renovated the facility and put in a fancy restaurant. Potts told reporters that it was not financially viable to continue renting the location, but to not be surprised if he pops up elsewhere in town with a new venue.
“I could cry right now. It’s highly emotional,” Potts told the Nashville City Paper. “I’ve got friends for a lifetime who’ve been coming here for 30 years. We’ve grown up together.”
Potts gave up a 10-year radio career to start the club in 1975. A Civil War enthusiast, he named the bar after the men who would follow the troops and sell them provisions the Army didn’t supply. The bar was well known for its Civil War décor, and Cheers-like camaraderie.
Over the course of its 30 years, the Sutler has hosted Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, Dobie Gray, Shelby Lynne and many others. At one point, a young Keith Urban took the stage at the club, and then took one of the Sutler’s barmaids back to Australia for two weeks. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
