Visiting Nashville, November 2017

It's nicknamed "Music City", reflecting the vast quantity of popular music that is composed, produced, recorded and performed in the fast-growing metropolis of Nashville, Tennessee. Though much could also be said about Nashville's importance in banking, healthcare, higher education and publishing, it was the legacy of country music that attracted us. Our visit began with an unforgettable performance opportunity at the Bluebird Cafe's famous open mic session. The rest of the time we were tourists, starting with a trip to the somewhat suburban area called "Music Row."

The heart of Nashville music business

This is where the business of music takes place – recording studios, record label offices and other nitty gritty of legality and distribution that brings music to the people. We wandered along sidewalks amid unassuming buildings that would turn out to be Decca Records, offices of the Country Music Association, BMI, or RCA Studio B where Chet Atkins launched hits by the likes of Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton.

Not a clandestine government agency,
 but the Nashville Songwriters Association main office

A wooden building with a water mill wheel on one end had a sign reading "Nashville Songwriters Association International." A buzzer by the door said to ring for access – so we did! A kind receptionist offered us a form to complete regarding our specific songwriting interests, then we were given a tour of the old mill building which was moved to this site and now served as a two-story composers' clubhouse – recording studio, conference area, writing rooms complete with pianos and guitars, and shared kitchen. A membership to NSAI earns you advice from professionals, free seminars, discount on conferences and many other tidbits to tempt an enthusiastic songwriter. We bought a tee shirt, accepted the proffered business cards, magnets and stickers, and promised to think about joining.

Next stop was Carter Vintage Guitars, a megastore of guitars, mandolins, banjos and other stringed instruments required for the country music sound. We admired the fine workmanship, wondered which big stars might wander in for a new axe, turned over a few price tags and generally kept our hands to ourselves. We overheard the staff filling someone's order for 50 sets of guitar strings and not an eyelid was batted. They gave us a guitar pick, so we were happy.

That would usually be enough for us for one day, but we were staying in an RV park on the outskirts of city center very near the current Grand Ole Opry, so we drove by for a peek at the building - just the outside since the first available tickets were for three months from now. Dusk was beginning to fall and lights glowed on the businesses we were passing.

One that caught our eye was the Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and General Store. Now how could we resist? The store itself was as full of tacky key rings, shot glasses and tee shirts as one might expect, but the museum in the back was informative, comprehensive and truly moving. We saw the Martin guitar Willie used at his Grand Ole Opry debut, the hand written lyrics of his first big songwriting hit (Hello Walls), Waylon Jennings' garment bag (once collected in error at a Paris airport by Henry Kissinger), a Dolly Parton dress plus costumes and memorabilia from scores of other influential artists, a wall covered with gold and platinum records attesting to Willie's popularity, and a huge, worn carpet depicting a Texas flag that once covered every stage on which Willie performed and still displays a single unfaded red spot where his microphone stand was always located. A documentary movie showed Willie and his friends yucking it up about the good old days when they would hang around at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge for inspiration and camaraderie. "Tootsie" (Hattie Louise Bess) would never let a musician go hungry and accepted IOUs for drinks and food without ever collecting the debt. The ideal location across the alley from the Ryman Auditorium made her honky-tonk the hangout of choice for Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline and other famous country musicians, and the interior walls are covered with inscriptions and photos.

The facade of the Ryman Auditorium,
 originally the Union Gospel Tabernacle

And that segues to our next day – a look at Ryman Auditorium and the Nashville honky-tonks. ("Honky-tonk" defines a country-style saloon and also the name of the type of music which was originally played there.) A shuttle bus dropped us in downtown Nashville and we immediately hoofed it to the enormous, red brick Ryman Auditorium that began as a church and has now been a venue to all varieties of music. Although it might be best known as the original home of the Grand Ole Opry, it is safe to say that if you like any music at all, from Caruso to Glen Campbell to the Foo Fighters, someone you admire has performed before the semi-circular wooden benches of the two-tiered Ryman. Without going into too much of its 125-year past, suffice it to say that we felt the thick aura of Ryman history in the dark pews and display cases.

After all, how could you see Minnie Pearl's actual price-tag hat and not be moved?!

We walked across the alley to the back door of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, prepared to hear one of the live bands for which Nashville's glittering row of honky-tonks is known. To our surprise, not one but three bands were performing on different levels of the crowded bar. We took a rooftop table in the November sunshine and had lunch in earshot of several other honky-tonks, all competing for the attention of our eardrums. The first few blocks of Broadway up from the Cumberland River explode with boots stores, tee shirt shops, souvenir stores, and bar after bar featuring live music. We left Nashville feeling simultaneously drained, nostalgic and invigorated. You can expect a new song to join our ukulele repertoire as a result of our visit to this inspiring "Music City."