“Nashville Cats” is a song written by John Sebastian and recorded by his band, the Lovin’ Spoonful, in 1966. It became a Top Ten pop hit and was the group’s first deliberate attempt at a country-flavored song.
The lyric is an affectionate tribute to the musicians of Nashville — the “Nashville cats,” the session players who, the song marvels, had been picking guitars practically since infancy and could play clean as country water and wild as mountain dew. Coming from a New York rock band, it was a genuine and admiring nod to the country-music capital.
The compliment did not go unnoticed in Nashville: Flatt and Scruggs recorded the song the following year, and it has been taken up by bluegrass artists since.
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