Pictured with Chris Young is Paige Dixon, sales manager for The Nashville Palm. Photo credit: Landin King

February 23, 2012…Nashville, TN- Chris Young gave a very special autograph on the evening of February 22, 2012, when he signed his name beside a caricature of himself on the wall of The Nashville Palm. His likeness will be a permanent addition to The Palm’s collection of caricatures, which line the walls of the restaurant.

“Chris is a great addition to our wall since he has participated in several fundraising events at The Palm for Make a Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee as well as Stars for Stripes ,” said Paige Dixon, sales manager for The Palm. “We’re honored that Chris could stop by in the midst of CRS week and his national tour. We’re proud that he’ll be a permanent fixture here.”

The caricature tradition originated when Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi opened The Palm Restaurant in 1926. They had no money to decorate, and offered meals in exchange for cartoon work by artists. Today, all Palm locations feature a variety of caricatures of celebrities, politicians, athletes, regular customers and people of note, as well as classic cartoons.

“The Palm is such a mainstay in this city and in the music community,” says Young. “It’s pretty cool to be part of this Nashville institution!”

About The Palm:
When Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi opened The Palm Restaurant in 1926, they had no money to decorate. Luckily, their location on Manhattan’s Second Avenue was in close proximity to the headquarters of King Features Syndicate and attracted a large clientele of cartoonists. In exchange for their meals, artists would often draw their own creations on the walls of The Palm. Since then, the flagship Palm has become a living museum of cartoons and caricatures featuring such famous faces as Popeye, Batman, Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, and characters from “The Family Circus.”

To preserve these legendary hand-drawn sketches – many of which were drawn in charcoal and pastels – the Palm’s walls were professionally restored in 1995. Over the years, the tradition of decorating our locations with caricatures has continued as we’ve expanded across the country and internationally. Before a new restaurant opens, 200 to 300 local notables’ likenesses are placed on the walls, and new caricatures of regulars and celebrities are added regularly. Not surprisingly, the most in-demand wall space is at the original Second Avenue location, where only five caricatures are added each year due to space constraints.

The Nashville Palm, which celebrated 11 years in Nashville in 2011, is located at 140 Fifth Avenue South at the Nashville Hilton Downtown, across the street from the Bridgestone Arena. Reservations are available by calling 615.742.7256. The restaurant serves lunch Monday – Friday and dinner seven days a week. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch, and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday. Hours of operation on Saturday are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

About Chris Young:
2011 was an amazing year for Chris Young, with nominations including CMA New Artist of the Year and his first GRAMMY® nod. He won Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Single of the Year at the American Country Awards and made six national TV appearances. 2012 has started with a bang with ACM nominations for Male Vocalist Of The Year and Single Record of the Year for “Tomorrow”. With his rich, warm baritone and penchant for writing relatable, slice-of-life songs, Young has emerged as both a critic and fan favorite. In the last few months, Young has celebrated GOLD selling status for his sophomore album The Man I Want To Be, and #1s “Voices,” “Tomorrow,” and most recently, “You.”

He has scored five consecutive #1s at country radio. Young spent much of last year on Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party Tour”. Miranda Lambert has selected Chris as her special guest for her tour “On Fire” which kicked off last month. For tour dates and all the latest information on Chris Young, visit www.chrisyoungcountry.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisYoungMusic.

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