The Flora-Bama Lounge is far from Nashville but every bit as important as the Bluebird for many songwriters. Emmy award-winning filmmaker, Lynn Rabren and Flora-Bama Lounge owner Joe Gilchrist, have teamed up to make the most significant songwriter documentary since Heartworn Highways and Nashville.com was invited to watch a private screening last night at BMI.

Stories in Rhyme: The Songwriters of The Flora-Bama Lounge has footage spanning over thirty years and the fascinating story covers many songwriters who didn’t necessarily play by Nashville rules like Sonny Throckmorton, Larry Jon Wilson, Mickey Newbury and many others. With commentary throughout from Nashville mainstays like Robert K. Oermann, Buddy Cannon and others, the musical journey takes you from the humble beginnings of the Flora-Bama Lounge in Perdido Key, Florida to the now famous venue which gave birth to the Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival. With never-before-seen footage, the cast of characters who played Flora-Bama and Joe Gilchrist’s living room paint a picture of not people looking for fortune and fame but people who live to write a song that will make a difference. From the country song writing legends to the latest up and comers the stories told in this film will change the way you think about songwriting. Although this documentary is entertaining for any audience, it will hit Nashville directly in the heart. This is the kind of film you don’t watch just once. We highly recommend.

–Jerry Holthouse