ABSTRACT
NASHVILLE Nashville’s importance in American folklife is its role as a center for adapting southern folk music styles into the country music industry, earning it the title “Music City, USA.” The city is also a significant location for religious movements and gatherings in a state often referred to as the “buckle of the Bible belt.” With its many Protestant denominational publishers and church-run colleges, has been known as the “Protestant Vatican” since the mid-twentieth century. Nashville is also the state capital with a number of Greek Revival civic buildings suggesting it as one of the cities claiming the title of “Athens of the South.” Its state capitol situated on a high hill, completed in 1859, is conspicuously Greek Revival in style, although some observers echo the folk comment that the capitol tower, reflecting the prevalent Bible belt environment, looks suspiciously like a Protestant church steeple.
