Nashville, Tennessee: Bronze Bust of First American Killed in Vietnam
Commissioned by the owner of the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville, and displayed there for years. Now on display in the library of the soldier's hometown. James T. Davis was killed in 1961.
Millard Oakley Public Library
- Address:
- 107 E. Main St., Nashville, TN
- Directions:
- Downtown, on the south side of TN-85/E. Main St., just east of the courthouse. In the foyer of the town library.
- Hours:
- M-F 9-5, Sa 9-2 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 931-823-1888
- Admission:
- Free
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The record shop is no longer there on Broadway.
[Odosbucket, 10/16/2023]The record shop is no longer here. Apparently they moved downtown on Broadway. So we were told by the Tacky Turtle vintage market place.
[JJoubert, 05/13/2017]Thanks! We've updated the location info.
Bronze Bust of First American Killed in Vietnam
The bust is only one of the many cool things in the store. Ernest Tubb's bus is in the store, along with autographed memorabilia. People are friendly and expect the photo seekers.
[Darren And Donna, 06/27/2014]The tour bus displayed is a 1964 Silver Eagle, AKA Ernest Tubb's Green Hornet.
Bronze Bust of First American Killed in Vietnam
David McCormick owns the chain of Ernest Tubb Record Shops. His hometown is Livingston, Tennessee, the same as James T. Davis, who was killed on December 22, 1961. Davis was known for years as the first American soldier killed in Vietnam; Livingston even erected a monument in his memory.
Later research, however, showed that Davis technically wasn't the first American soldier killed in Vietnam -- but McCormick apparently was unaware of it. To mark the 50th anniversary of Davis's death, McCormick commissioned a bronze bust of Davis, which is displayed in the Ernest Tubb Record Shop near the Grand Old Opry. It was sculpted by Bill Rains, who McCormick had commissioned earlier to make a full-size bronze Ernest Tubb, which also stands in the record shop.
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The Ernest Tubb Record Shop - which is where the bust was displayed - closed in 2022. The bust can now be seen in the soldier's hometown library.