How Americanaville was founded

Americanaville, the brand, grew from a love of this country and for a love of Livingston, Tennessee, the small town in what is known as the Upper Cumberland area of the state and sets firmly in the Appalachia region of the United States. The town promotes itself as the Home of Live Americana Music.

The concept for Americanaville began in Mark Houser’s Livingston, Tennessee basement on, Thursday, July 25, 2013. Houser began drawing the various ways that Americanaville could have a positive influence on the community and the country. He began to secure the trademark for the name Americanaville on August 5, 2013. In 2015 he wrote a song titled Americanaville and as time passed he recorded the song as the title cut of his 2021 Bluegrass/Americana album of the same name. Tena Rogers, believer in and then a partner in the Americanaville brand in 2017 and diligently worked on the album’s release. 

In March 2021 a partnership developed with Larry and Christie Hale, and Steve and Cindy Cooper, owners of Livingston’s Steel Coop Restaurant helping the concept become a reality by giving Americanaville a venue and a partnership leading into future expansion. 

On May 6, 2021, Americanaville will open for the first show ever at 208 S Church Street, in Livingston, Tennessee. Dave Gibson and Gary Hannan, two renown songwriters with eight number one hits between them, will be the first performers. 

Americanaville has worked out a naming rights deal for the stage with the area’s top country music radio station, the Country Giant. This partnership will be valuable as each performance is filmed for delayed release. Other partnerships are currently being developed.

Located in what was once a textile factory in the mid 20th century the building has a character all its own. There was a time in the last century when the afternoon whistle of the various textile mills was a common occurrence. The textile industry was the largest employer in Overton County, Tennessee for several generations. The idea of bringing a listening room to the Upper Cumberland region is somewhat of a gamble because it has never been attempted before this venture. The venue can seat 200 or so for a show. We hope to create a reputation as a listening room environment giving the public a place to enjoy dinner and an acoustic show that amplifies the important of the creation of intellectual property, namely the song. We are initiating a policy similar to Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe where listeners can enjoy the stories behind the songs that are being performed. Our “Shhh policy” is designed to support an atmosphere where both the audience and the songwriters can concentrate on the songs. While we encourage applause, laughter, and artists’ directed sing-alongs, noise should be at a minimum during performances. Talking before and after shows, and between songs, are expected and encouraged, but we desire to make the show the focus of the evening. We intend to bring in top Nashville songwriters of all genres, along with up-and-coming performers and those who may be less known but have a unique story to tell. 

Come see Americanaville in Livingston, Tennessee and celebrate small town rural America as well as suburbia and the nation’s bigger cities, as the song says “It’s who you are, it’s how you feel, Americanaville!”