No drinking and only Christian music during Sunday Gospel Hour at Nashville's most iconic honky tonk

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Robert's Western World is known as Nashville’s most authentic honky tonk and synonymous with country music. But for an hour on Sundays, no one can drink alcohol; everyone must listen to Christian music.

This is “Sunday Gospel Hour” in the Tennessee capital known as Music City.

For nearly 20 years, worship at this honky tonk has been led by the Rev. Ron Blakely — a 71-year-old musician and Catholic convert who was ordained a priest in another faith tradition.

“It’s been a blessing,” he said of his weekly gig. He was interviewed at his log cabin in the outskirts of Nashville where he rehearsed before the Sunday service with sheet music and scripture.

“It’s not like I got a board of elders and I have to meet all the money to pay the bills,” he said, comparing it to regular houses of worship. “I’m just there, playing my guitar and giving the message that God puts in my heart.”

On a recent Sunday, he strummed his guitar, wearing a black crucifix and white cowboy hat, while his daughter, Mimi Fischer, sang Patsy Cline’s “Life’s Railway to Heaven” in an angelic voice that moved some to tears. The stage was decorated with a fluttering U.S. flag.

“Her voice was just beautiful,” said Sonia Davis, 53, a nurse visiting with her husband from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She didn’t know about the Gospel Hour until she walked into Robert’s.

“I cry a lot,” she said, chuckling and wiping tears after the show-turned-worship. “I feel other people’s emotions, and I felt there was a lot of emotion from hearing her, and the whole band, and the fact that she was performing with her father, and it was family.”

It was past 11 a.m. on Sunday, when many Americans are in their churches, sitting on wooden pews.

At Robert’s, some locals and dozens of tourists from across the nation instead found their church sitting on the barstools of this beloved honky tonk. It is on Lower Broadway across from Garth Brooks' multilevel entertainment space and just steps from the Ryman Auditorium — the so-called Mother Church of Country Music.

Outside, partying bachelorettes and country lovers on a musical pilgrimage strolled through a packed Broadway of bars blasting live music. Inside, tourists and locals, including children (open to all until 6 p.m.; 21+ after), fidgeted on their chairs. Some seemed moved by the spirit, Christian/country classics — or both. So, they sang along, clapped and even prayed.

“When I sing those songs, I want for people who hear them to have a glimpse of what it is to feel and follow Jesus,” said Fischer, who was joined that Sunday by her daughter Skyler, in charge of the red tip jar that later was passed around to the audience.

Around them, posters and framed photos of musicians, neon signs for bourbon and beer and shelves lined with cowboy boots — a remnant of the locale’s previous life: a boot and clothing store called Rhinestone Western Wear. At one point the building also housed the Sho-Bud Steel Guitar Company where a then-struggling country singer and pig farm owner bought what would become the legendary guitar named Trigger before he was universally known as Willie Nelson.

These days, Robert’s is proudly known for its no frills style as one of the last bastions of traditional country music and often stands out from the many brightly lit, TV-tuning bars on Honky Tonk row. It is home of the ($6) “Recession Special” with its famous fried bologna sandwich, Moon Pie, potato chips and a Pabst Blue Ribbon, although on Sundays drinkers must wait to get their beer after the worship service.

“You can hang for the entire service and then get a beer,” said John McTigue III, the band’s drummer and Blakley’s best friend since they met outside Robert’s more than a decade ago.

“A lot of people might come to visit or might have been there the night before. And they come back again, and they don’t even know that there’s a service going on,” McTigue said. “And once they’re in there, they realize what it is — and … don’t feel any judgment, pressure to stay there or get up and say anything. It’s just a place to enjoy the spirit of God.”

Robert’s is owned by JesseLee Jones, a Brazil-born longtime Nashville resident and the leader of the honky tonk's house band, "Brazilbilly."

The devout Christian likes to say that it’s not about the building — for you can find God anywhere — and he doesn’t mind losing money for a sober hour (or two) if “Father Ron” as he still calls him, can help everyone at Robert’s have “church.”

“Having church on Sunday brings a certain spirit into this place,” Jones said at a storage space above the bar surrounded by boxes of beer.

“People say, ‘Oh, it’s bar.' Well, I beg to differ — Robert’s is not a bar. It’s a honky tonk. Yeah, we sell beer and liquor, because we’re in business. … But we ain’t got no televisions on the walls. It’s traditional country music from the time it opens, to the time it closes. ... You have church services on Sunday.”

This story was first published on Aug. 7, 2024. It was updated on Aug. 13, 2024 to correct the pronoun used to denote Skyler Fischer’s parent. She is the daughter of Mimi Fischer.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A cowboy hat-wearing musician is reflected on a window as he sings and plays country music at Robert’s Western World as Broadway bars are reflected on a window of the iconic Nashville honky tonk on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Mimi Fischer and her father, the Rev. Ron Blakely, rehearse for their Sunday Gospel Hour at Robert’s Western World honky tonk on Saturday, July 27, 2024, at Blakely’s log cabin home near Watertown, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

A greeter at Robert’s Western World looks at passersby on Nashville’s Broadway after the Gospel Hour held at the iconic honky tonk on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

A group of people smile at Nashville’s Robert’s Western World honky tonk on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Musicians perform at Nashville’s Robert’s Western World honky tonk after the Sunday Gospel Hour on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

The Rev. Ron Blakely holds a crucifix and prays looking at the trees in the backyard of his log cabin home near Watertown, Tenn., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

The Rev. Ron Blakely takes a break from rehearsing with sheet music and scripture for his Sunday Gospel Hour at Robert’s Western World honky tonk on Friday, July 26, 2024, at his log cabin home near Watertown, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

JesseLee Jones listens to the Rev. Ron Blakely at Robert’s Western World on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

A group of people at Nashville’s Robert’s Western World listen to Christian music and words led by the Rev. Ron Blakely during Sunday Gospel Hour on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Jeremy “JB” Duckett, an employee of Robert’s Western World, poses at the iconic Nashville honky tonk on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

The Rev. Ron Blakely smiles on stage during the Sunday Gospel Hour that he leads at Robert’s Western World honky tonk on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

The Rev. Ron Blakely looks at black and white photos of his parents, musicians Jimmy and Dorothy Blakly, at his log cabin home near Watertown, Tenn., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

The Rev. Ron Blakely rehearses with sheet music and scripture for his Sunday Gospel Hour at Robert’s Western World honky tonk at his log cabin home near Watertown, Tenn. next to his dog Ope on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Mimi Fischer, right, and her father, the Rev. Ron Blakely, leave Robert’s Western World after the Gospel Hour held at the Nashville honky tonk on Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

Crosses hang from one of the walls at the Rev. Ron Blakely’s home near Watertown, Tenn., on Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte won the GOP nomination for governor in New Hampshire on Tuesday, securing a chance to succeed fellow Republican Chris Sununu, who is stepping away after four terms.

Though six candidates were competing the Republican primary, the race largely was between Ayotte and former state Senate President Chuck Morse.

Ayotte, who was New Hampshire’s first female attorney general, would become the state’s third woman to be elected governor, following Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, if she wins in November.

After five years as attorney general, Ayotte served one term in the U.S. Senate before narrowly losing her seat to Hassan in 2016. Since leaving Washington, she has served on several corporate and nonprofit boards. She’s focused much of her campaign stoking anti-Massachusetts sentiment with her “Don’t Mass it up” slogan, leaning less on the traditional anti-tax rhetoric and more on crime and immigration.

Morse, who led the state Senate for a decade, had hoped to return to the Statehouse after losing the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 2022.

Primary voters were also picking candidates for Congress and their entire Legislature on Tuesday, setting the stage for short but intense general election campaigns.

In contrast to its first-in-the-nation presidential primary, New Hampshire is among the last states to hold state-level primary elections, leaving the winners just eight weeks to woo voters before Nov. 5.

Two of the top races were extra competitive, with no incumbent running. Sununu’s decision not to seek a fifth two-year term meant the position was open for the first time since 2016. And the 2nd Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster is retiring after six terms, has not been an open seat since 2010.

In the Republican gubernatorial primary, Ayotte defeated Morse, Shaun Fife, Robert McClory, Richard McMenamon and Frank Staples.

“I love Sununu. I wanted to find a candidate who was going to be the same moving forward," said school administrator Melissa Clark, 42, of Concord, an independent voter who cast her ballot for Ayotte. New Hampshire allows unaffiliated voters to participate in either party’s primary.

On the Democratic side, voters are choosing from among three gubernatorial candidates, though the race is largely between former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Cinde Warmington, a member of the Executive Council of New Hampshire. Restaurant owner Jon Kiper lagged far behind in both fundraising and name recognition.

Craig also served on the Manchester school board and board of aldermen before being elected the city’s first female mayor. She says leading the state’s largest city for three terms gives her the experience to be governor, though critics blame her for its ongoing struggles with homelessness and crime.

Warmington, a lawyer, is in her second term on the Executive Council, a five-member panel that approves state contracts and judicial and state agency nominations. As the lone Democrat, she frequently opposes positions taken by fellow members and the governor, particularly on matters related to health care and education. She has been criticized for her past work as a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry.

“I wanted to give Joyce Craig a shot at it because of her background,” said Robert Norton, a Democrat and retired bibliographer from Concord. Of Warmington, he said, "I think she knows some of the ins and outs of the state government, but maybe too much of the ins and outs of the state government. Maybe Joyce Craig will have slightly different ways to approach it.”

T. Marcille, an independent voter from Concord, supported Warmington, saying she conveys warmth and a sense of caring.

“She's going to stand up for women” said Marcille, a retired teacher.

The other high-profile races are in the Democratic-leaning 2nd Congressional District.

In the Democratic primary, Kuster has endorsed former staffer Colin Van Ostern, who is also a former executive councilor who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2016. He faces strong competition from Maggie Goodlander, who grew up in New Hampshire but has spent most of her adult life in Washington, most recently at the Justice Department and the White House.

Alex Streeter, 43, a Democrat, said he was torn between both candidates, but ended up voting for Goodlander.

“I'm receptive to the argument that she's kind of carpet-bagging,” said Streeter, of Concord, an engineer. "At the same time I know that nothing happens in Washington, D.C., without knowing people and having connections, and I think that in this case, that’s going to be valuable.”

Rorie Patterson, an independent voter who works for the state, said she voted for Van Ostern.

“I know he’s served in various positions in state government and I actually just like the fact that he’s a native New Hampshire person. She is originally, but she hasn’t lived here in a long time," said Patterson, of Concord, who is in her 50s.

The Republican primary includes more than a dozen candidates, led by economist and author Vikram Mansharamani, anti-communist activist Lily Tang Williams and Bill Hamlen, a commodities trader.

In the 1st Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas won the Democratic primary as he seeks a fourth term.

Pappas defeated Kevin Rondeau, who ran in the Republican primary two years ago before switching parties.

Pappas, who considers himself a pragmatic voice in Washington, has said he expects immigration and abortion rights to be the top issues in the general election. He said the Republican primary candidates did little more than express devotion to former President Donald Trump and regurgitate anti-choice talking points.

His seat flipped five times in seven election cycles before he won his first term in 2018.

The GOP contest features seven candidates, including former state Sen. Russell Prescott, Manchester Alderman Joseph Kelly Lavasseur and business executives Hollie Noveletsky, Chris Bright and Walter McFarlane.

Voters fill out ballots, in a primary election to pick candidates for governor, the U.S. House, and the state Legislature, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Voters, right, enter booths to fill out ballots Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Nashua, N.H., in a primary election to pick candidates for governor, the U.S. House, and the state Legislature. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Voters fill out ballots, in a primary election to pick candidates for governor, the U.S. House, and the state Legislature, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A voter enters a booth to fill out a ballot in a primary election to pick candidates for governor, the U.S. House, and the state Legislature, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A voter enters a booth fill out a ballot in a primary election to pick candidates for governor, the U.S. House, and the state Legislature, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Democratic candidates For New Hampshire governor Restaurant owner Jon Kiper, left, Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, center, and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington debate, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in Manchester, N.H. (Derek Stokely/WMUR-TV via AP)

Democratic congressional candidates Maggie Goodlander, left, and Colin Van Ostern shake hands after the Live Free or Die Debates at the Rosamond Page Putnam Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of New England College in Henniker, N.H., Wednesday evening, Sept. 4, 2024. The candidates are hoping to replace U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster who is not running for reelection. (Geoff Forester/The Concord Monitor via AP)

Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, right, speaks during a Republican gubernatorial candidate debate with former state Senate president Chuck Morse on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Manchester, N.H. (Derek Stokely/WMUR-TV via AP)

Republican gubernatorial candidates Kelly Ayotte and Chuck Morse shake hands at the end of their debate at the Rosamond Page Putnam Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of New England College in Henniker, N.H., Wednesday night, Sept. 4, 2024. (Geoff Forester/The Concord Monitor via AP)