On Sunday, St. Louis Jewish Light Editor-in-Chief Ellen Futterman, freelance writer-photographer Bill Motchan and I ventured east to Nashville, Tenn., for the annual conference of the American Jewish Press Association.
On Monday night, the Light received six Simon Rockower Awards for excellence in journalism. That meant we had a lot to celebrate, right in the heart of Nashville’s famed Lower Broadway district.
I will describe it this way: It’s Bourbon Street on neon steroids, but cleaner and louder.
Mind you, I was in celebration mode and not searching for Jewish storylines for the Thursday Morning Light. But, after stepping inside “Nudie’s Honky Tonk,” that is exactly what I found.
Nudie’s Honky Tonk
The first thing I saw after being carded at age 55 was the impressive sight of a flamboyantly customized El Dorado Cadillac suspended on one wall. It featured pistol door handles, embedded silver dollars and longhorn steer antlers. For some reason, it spoke to me.
I had to know the story behind this incredible sight, and lo and behold, I found the most interesting of stories. The Cadillac on the wall was just one of only nine surviving “Nudie Mobiles,” owned at one time by the club’s namesake, Ukrainian Jewish immigrant Nudie Cohn.
Born Nuta Kotlyarenko in 1902 in Kiev, Cohn escaped the pogroms of Czarist Russia by fleeing to America with his brother at age 11. Cohn, a tailor by trade, became famous in America for his decorative rhinestone-covered suits, popularly known as “Nudie Suits.”
According to the club’s website, “Cohn designed elaborate outfits for some of the most famous celebrities of his era, including Hank Williams, Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Roy Rogers, Elton John and dozens of others. Among his iconic creations was the $10,000 gold lamé suit Elvis Presley wore on the cover of ‘50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong.'”
Nudie often wore his own designs and drove white Pontiac convertibles, similarly decked out with studded dashboards and enormous hood ornaments. He died in 1984 at age 81, but he’ll forever be remembered as the man who brought the bling to Western wear.
Nudie Mobiles
Nudie Mobiles, the flamboyantly customized cars designed by Nudie Cohn himself, are as iconic as the rhinestone-studded suits he created. These cars, primarily white Pontiac convertibles, featured embellishments like silver dollars, pistol door handles, steer horns on the hoods, and mirrored dashboards. They epitomized the same extravagant, Western-inspired flair that made Nudie’s clothing famous.
According to a 2017 article in the LA Weekly, “The history of Nudie Mobiles began in the mid-1950s when Nudie extended his decorative genius to his cars. Each vehicle reflected his larger-than-life personality and penchant for bling. Nudie used these cars as both advertisements for his tailoring business and personal statements of style. He drove them around Los Angeles, often garnering attention wherever he went.”
Nudie crafted 18 such vehicles, which he and his family used for both personal and promotional purposes. On their website, “NudiesRodeoTailor.com” the Nudie family writes, “The most famous of these was a 1964 Pontiac Bonneville, adorned with over 100 silver dollars and a pair of longhorns on the front. This car, along with others in his collection, became a symbol of his brand and a mobile testament to his creativity.”
These cars were not just showpieces; they were fully functional and used regularly by Nudie and his family. Today, some of the original Nudie Mobiles are preserved in museums and private collections.
