Andy Little

Long before he was being nominated for James Beard Awards as one of the best chefs in the Southeast, Andy Little, chef-owner of Nashville’s Josephine, was making a name for himself as a top-flight tuba player. Andy went to James Madison University on a tuba scholarship, and was looking to join a symphony professionally, but fatefully, while working as a waiter to earn some extra scratch he kept finding himself spending a lot of time in the kitchen watching the cooks on the line. Fueled by this new passion, Andy traded the tuba for tenderloins, and now has one of the best restaurants in the country.

Given his background, and the fact that he lives in Music City, U.S.A., it should come as no surprise that good tunes play a central role in Andy’s life.

“This is a playlist I would listen to while cooking at home, and also during dinner service at Josephine,” he said about his playlist for us. “I love the craft of songwriting, and I think that is a common thread throughout this playlist--very thoughtful artists creating amazing music. A lot of Nashville artists show up on my list since I am so inspired by the artistic community in this town and they make such great music!”

Andy’s list is indeed a songwriting tour de force with selections from Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson.