Hidden History of Nashville

Perched on the banks of the Cumberland River, Nashville is best known for its role in the civil rights movement, world-class education and, of course, country music. In this unique collection of columns, longtime journalist and Tennessee native George Zepp illuminates a less familiar side of the city. Learn the secrets of Timothy Demonbreun, one of the city's first residents, who lived with his family in a cliff-top cave; Cortelia Clark, the blind bluesman who continued to perform on street corners after winning a Grammy award; and Nashville's own Cinderella story, which involved legendary radio personality Edgar Bergen and his ventriloquist protegee. Cleverly rendered, using questions from readers across the nation, these little-known tales abound with Music City mystery and charm.

George Zepp is a locally renowned historian and journalist in the Nashville area, where he penned the local history column "Learn Nashville," which has enjoyed a seven-year run in the Tennessean. The column ran each Wednesday in the local news section from 2002 through 2007 and can now be found in the Life section on Saturdays. Zepp's career in journalism spanned more than 33 years, the majority of which were spent in Nashville at the Tennessean. In addition to his work in newspapers, Zepp has contributed his local history expertise to numerous books and volumes on Nashville history.