City National Bank Becomes The Official Bank of The Bluebird Cafe

NASHVILLE, TENN. — City National Bank, America’s Premier Private and Business Bank®, today announced a sponsorship deal with Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Cafe, becoming the “Official Bank of The Bluebird Cafe.”

The Bluebird, a 90-seat venue tucked into a suburban strip mall in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville, is an unexpected location for the launching pad of Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift and countless other country music songwriters and artists. Yet the tiny cafe was exactly that and so much more. Owned by the Nashville Songwriters Association International since 2008, the Bluebird opened in 1982 and has gained worldwide recognition as a songwriter’s performance space and a venue where both established and up-and-coming songwriters and artists rise to fame and build their careers.

“Sponsoring The Bluebird Cafe is a terrific honor for City National Bank,” said Linda Duncombe, executive vice president and chief marketing, product and digital officer for the bank. “City National has a long and proud history of serving the entertainment industry in Nashville and across the country. We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Bluebird and be a part of their incredible legacy.”

“We only have a handful of sponsors and because of that, we’re careful about making sure the fit is right and that those partners understand our brand, which is both unique and delicate. Across the board, our partners share a love and understanding of songwriters and what makes them a significant part of the music business and of the Nashville community,” said Erika Wollam Nichols, general manager and chief operating officer of The Bluebird Cafe and president of Bluebird Cafe Inc. “City National is heavily invested in the entertainment business nationwide, and has a long history of supporting our community here in Nashville. They couldn't have been a better fit.”

“Nashville embraces our songwriting community and nothing represents that fact better than The Bluebird Cafe,” said Diane Pearson, senior vice president and team leader of City National Bank’s Nashville Entertainment Team. “Our community is blessed to have this special place that showcases songwriters in a way no one else can. We at City National are incredibly proud to support this iconic venue that is truly a national treasure.”

The Bluebird is also a client of City National. Since the coronavirus shut down much of the live music scene in Nashville earlier this year, Wollam Nichols has been consulting closely with Pearson around the eventual reopening of the venue and how its business model can be reimagined to fit with the times, considering both economics and the health and safety of all stakeholders.

“City National has our financial success in mind, but it knows where that success comes from,” said Wollam Nichols. “It comes from this community, and it supports that. Which means everything to us.”

Learn more about the Bluebird and how City National is supporting their continued success on CNBC.com.