Hallmark’s “A Nashville Legacy” Was Actually Filmed In Two Southern Cities

Star Pooch Hall talks about spending time in the South during filming saying, “the term ‘Southern hospitality’ was very much in effect.”

Hallmark’s latest Mahogany production is an original movie that celebrates the unsung women in music history. A Nashville Legacy follows the story of Naima (played by Andrea Lewis), a PhD student studying ethnomusicology as she starts an exciting internship in a museum in Nashville. Naima has had a lifelong love of music thanks to her late grandmother and it’s clear that her memory is at the center of Naima’s professional pursuits. While working at the museum she meets volunteer and music producer Damian (played by Pooch Hall) and their chemistry is immediately palpable.

Naima is focused on finding a subject for her dissertation and Damian is also concentrating on his career and trying to carve his own path in his father’s production company. But the two come together after Naima finds a vintage dress among donated items at the museum that leads her down a path to unravel a mystery surrounding a classic hit. This is the perfect topic for her dissertation and Damian jumps into help which just brings the pair closer together. As they unravel the mystery behind this dress, the girl group it’s tied to, and a hit song, it turns out the truth hits close to home for Naima. Remember that grandmother with a love of music she passed down to Naima? Well you’ll just have to tune in to find out what Naima and Damian discover.

When you watch, you may see places you recognize. The movie was filmed entirely on location in Nashville and Birmingham. The museum where Naima is interning is actually the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. Opened in 2021, NMAAM is, per the website, “the only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the many music genres created, influenced, and inspired by African Americans.” And while the scenes in the museum were all shot in Nashville at NMAAM and the movie is set entirely in Nashville, a lot of the filming took place in another Southern city: Birmingham, Alabama. The kind folks at Hallmark let us in the behind the scenes details. When the production moved to the Magic City, set locations included many local establishments like Ted’s Restaurant, Tin Roof (for an epic line dancing scene), Miles College, The Farrell, and Workplay. Can you spot them?

The additional location was something that star Pooch Hall was thrilled about because he has a connection to the Alabama city. “I love Birmingham. I’ve spent a lot of time there,” he told us. “For the last two to three years I’ve been working with KultureCity,” Hall added. KultureCity is a nonprofit based in Birmingham and is dedicated to creating sensory acceptance and accessibility for those with invisible disabilities. Hall attends the annual gala for KultureCity every year so the return to a familiar place was something he was thrilled to get to do on this project.

“Birmingham is such a beautiful, beautiful city. I love Alabama. The food is amazing. But just the people. The term ‘Southern hospitality’ was very much in effect. I got nothing but love.”

Of course you can’t really talk about Southern hospitality and not talk about the food. Hall assured us, he was definitely well fed during his time in our neck of the woods. “You can feel that home cooking. The food feels like it’s a parent or a grandparent or a relative cooking to make sure that you’re gonna be good. Like if you eat this meal you’re not gonna need to eat for a week type of thing. The food was delicious. Made with love.”

Beyond capturing the true spirit of the South in this movie, Hallmark bringing the show to town brings a helpful boost to the local economy and provides jobs for locals in the industry. One such local is Jennifer Kimlin who was hired as a local additional makeup artist. She told Southern Living, “ Having productions like Hallmark and others come to our state and local municipalities is such a big boost for the economy. In the first place, it provides jobs to those specifically in our industry, as well as creates opportunities for those who have been looking at the film industry as an option for career paths. When a movie like ours comes to town they bring with it a large group of people in addition to local hires. They spend their dollars while they are here…They spend their money at local restaurants, stores, and entertainment.”

We have to say we love seeing Southern cities on our screens and we’d gladly welcome them back to our town any time.

A Nashville Legacy premieres Sunday, February 26 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.