Nashville

After going to a wedding in Florida, we decided to stop in Nashville for a few days on the way home.  It is our anniversary, after all (at least that’s what we’ve been saying to justify anything we’ve done this year).  Nashville is a very modern, rapidly growing city.  According to all the locals we spoke to, its much different than it was five years ago.  So if you haven’t been in a while or had a bad experience several years ago and vowed not to return, give it another shot.

This is the official Nashville bird, the crane.

I was able to score a great deal on Priceline for the Bobby Hotel, a 4-star hotel (have I mentioned it’s our anniversary?) in the downtown area a block from Printers Alley and a couple blocks from Broadway where all the honky-tonks are located.

We definitely are not used to such swanky digs.

We arrived in town at about 5 o’clock so our first order of business was to find a place for dinner.  Near the hotel is an old Woolworth that opened in 1913 and has been converted to a restaurant.  This place has quite a history in the Civil Rights movement.  A lunch counter was opened in 1925 when the country was operating under the Jim Crow laws and African Americans were prohibited form eating there.  In 1960, a group of African American students led one of the protest movements to challenge this.  When the students arrived at the downstairs lunch counter, the Woolworth staff immediately closed it and blocked the stairs to the upstairs counter, allowing only whites to access the upstairs lunch counter.  Among the protesters was US Rep. John Lewis, who was arrested for the first time at this protest.

The restaurant has maintained much of the original architecture including the original hand-laid floor tiles, the upper mezzanine, gilded handrails, and wall accents.  Patched holes in the mezzanines original flooring show the location of the formerly segregated lunch counter.

The downstairs is used for banquets and other events.  The concrete portions of the floor are where the original store shelves were.

Afterwards, we took a stroll to check out Broadway.  There’s music coming out of every door, sometimes it seems like the bands are competing to see who can be the loudest.  Kid Rock’s place wins that contest..

Elvis is everywhere

There’s lots of these pedal bars cruising around

We stopped into The Stage to listen to the band.  Great musicians are in every bar.

The next day we took an Old Town Trolley hop on, hop off tour to get a good overview of the city.  In Centennial Park there is a full-sized replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece with a 42-foot statue of Athena.  Why? you might ask.  Because they could, I guess.  Its an art museum today.

Another stop on the tour is the old Marathon Motors Factory.  William Henry Collier convinced the directors at Southern Engine and Boiler Works to let him build an entire car that he designed.  In 1907,the company announced their first gas powered vehicle.  They released 2 different models in 1909, each with a 35 horsepower, 4 cylinder engine for $1500.  You could get a top as an optional extra.  In 1910, the company changed its name to Marathon.  The company stopped production in 1915 after some unwise business deals. 

Many of the tools and machines used in the factory are on display.

Inside the American Archeology store.

Today, its been redeveloped as a four-block complex of music studios, a film production company, artist’s and photographer’ studios, a radio station, a distillery, a winery, and numerous other shops – including one belonging the History Channel’s  American Pickers.

Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery is close by.  It’s the oldest distillery in Tennessee and home to the original Tennessee Whiskey.  We didn’t visit because of the lesson I learned in the distillery at Marathon Motors Village. The person who copied my driver’s license back at a currency exchange office in Italy neglected to return it(yes, I’m driving without my license) and I didn’t remember to ask for it so I didn’t have a picture ID.  Consequently, I didn’t get to sample anything.  This would also prevent me from entering the hony-tonks on Broadway – at least the ones following the rules.  No matter how much I sweet talked the server (really, I’m capable!), no one was willing to risk the $1500 personal fine and $15,000 company fine.  Darn my youthful appearance!!

Our next stopping point was the Ryman Auditorium for a tour.  Thomas Ryman built the Union Gospel Tabernacle after being inspired by the Rev. Sam Jones in a tent revival, as a religious gathering place for Nashville.  Opening in 1892, the venue was used for concerts, plays, and other community events in addition to religious services.  Thomas Ryman died in 1904 and the Union Gospel Tabernacle became the Ryman Auditorium in his honor. 

 

 Everyone who was anyone played at the Ryman, from Katherine Hepburn to Harry Houdini, Bob Hope to the Ziegfeld Follies.  Boxing matches, livestock auctions, political debates and more were held here, as well.  In 1943, the Grand Ole Opry began its run at the Ryman and served as its home until 1974.  The Ryman is known as the birthplace of bluegrass music.  Earl Scruggs and his unique 3-finger picking style of playing the banjo debuted with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in 1945, creating what is now known as bluegrass music.

By 1974, the Ryman Auditorium had fallen into disrepair and a debate began about whether to tear it down or restore it.  Some renovations were made beginning in 1983 and plans for major renovations were announced in 1992.  The “Mother Church of Country Music” reopened in 1994 and in 1999 the Opry returned to the Ryman for its winter shows, acknowledging its roots.  As luck would have it, there was an Opry at the Ryman show scheduled for that night.  Unfortunately, it was sold out.  That would’ve been fun.

Statue of Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff in the lobby of the Ryman.

An opportunity to see one of our favorite bands in a great venue.  Road Trip!!

 Tootsies Orchid Lounge sits just outside of a side door of the Ryman, where alcohol was not served.  Many an act would walk over to Tootsie’s during a break in the show to partake.  It’s said that it took Willie Nelson 33 steps to walk over and 66 to walk back. He got his first songwriting job after singing here. Scenes of Coal Miners Daughter were filmed here. 
Other early famous customers were Kris Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall, Hank Cochran, Mel Tillis, Roger Miller, Waylon Jennings, and patsy Cline, among many others.  Famous customers still pop in from time to time after doing a show at the Ryman.

Other stops on the tour are the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Music Row, which is home to record labels, music publishing houses and everything musical, Studio B, and the Country Music Hall of Fame, where we will get to tomorrow.

We checked out Printers Alley, which is supposed to be a much calmer version of Broadway.  It was really calm.  There wasn’t much going on at all.  I don’t know if the fact we were there mid-week played into it but after listening to one blues band for a bit we headed out to dinner and strolled Broadway.  We stopped in a couple places, listening to music before heading back to rest up for another full day tomorrow.

 After breakfast at an intersting place called The Funky Monkey, we set out to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and tour the famous Studio B.  While heading to the museum, we stopped to take a look at the Downtown Presbyterian Church.  Andrew Jackson was a member here and was presented with a ceremonial sword on the steps after the Battle of New Orleans.  Governor James K. Polk (becoming President Polk later) was inaugurated here.  It was also used as a hospital during the Civil War.  The church burned  times and the present sanctuary is one of the few remaining examples of the Egyptian Revival style. We asked at the office if we could look around but the secretary told us there was a scheduled tour tomorrow at 2pm.  Unfortunately, we were leaving in the morning so the secretary closed her office and gave us a quick, persona tour.  If the powers that be are reading this, give her a raise for going above and beyond!

Notice the Egyptian winged sun disc above the pipe organ.  It’s a symbol of eternity.

The pipe organ has over 2000 pipes and is flanked by Egyptian style lotus columns.

      There are Egyptian elements in the stained glass windows.

The church presently has an active social ministry to the less fortunate, which we were able to witness first hand.  Its great seeing a church doing what a church is supposed to do.

On to the museum.  We arrived just in time to take the bus over to RCA Studio B.  Built in 1956, its known as the birthplace of the ‘Nashville Sound’, which is characterized by background vocals and strings and helped popularize country music.

Elvis Presley’s chart to Are You Lonesome Tonight’

Studio B was the recording home of Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, and the Everly Brothers.  Others that have recorded here are Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves, Willie Nelson, and Floyd Cramer.

On the top, right is a picture of Chet Atkins and a very young Dolly Parton.

During the guided tour, the narrator would play parts of songs recorded here as he explained what each room was used for.  It was like the sound track to my teenage years and brought back all kinds of nostalgia. When you first walk in, the walls are covered in album covers and pictures of the people who recorded here.

Sitting in the same room that musical legends recorded in.

The chief engineer, Bill Porter, marked ‘X’es on the floor where the best acoustical spots for the lead singer and other instruments.  This is the spot where Elvis, Jim Reeves, Charlie Pride and others stood to record their hits.

And this is Cathy sitting at the Steinway Elvis played.

Some old recording equipment that made the magic happen.

Webb Pierce’s car with an interesting hood ornament.

Elvis Presleys gold plated Cadillac.

The car Burt Reynolds drove in Smokey and The Bandit

a circa 1950’s juke box

There are walls covered with gold and platinum selling albums.

 One of the most interesting exhibits honors Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, contry music songwriting legends.  Among their hits were “Bye Bye Love, “Wake Up Little Susie”, “Country Boy’, and “Rocky Top”.

This is the desk in the Bryant’s barn where they had a recording studio and wrote many of their songs.

 And, of course, there are the plaques of all the stars inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

We had some time to walk around some more so we headed over to the eastern portion of the city.  On First Avenue we found he Johnny Cash and Patsie Cline museums. 

More importantly, The Goo Goo Cluster store is there.  For the uninitiated, the Goo Goo Cluster was invented nearby at the Standard Candy Company in 1912 as America’s first combination candy bar.  It’s made with caramel, marshmallow nougat and fresh roasted peanuts covered in a thick coating of milk chocolate.  Howell Campbell, a co-inventor of the cluster,, is said to have blended his chocolate the same way fine whiskey is blended. 

How it got its name is another story.  Mr Campbell used to ride the streetcar to work everyday and would discuss the matter with fellow passengers.  Campbell was mentioning his newborn son’s first words and a school teacher made the connection to the candy suggesting he call it ‘Goo Goo!  It’s so good , people will ask for it from birth!

An afternoon pick me up.

A volunteer at the Ryman Auditorium told us about 3rd and Lindsley Bar and Grill, which is actually an intimate concert venue that serves food and drinks.  The show at the Ryman tonight didn’t interest us so we got tickets to see the Laurel Canyon Band at 3rd and Lindsley.  Laurel Canyon is an acoustic tribute to the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.  The band consists of Mark Hudson, a Grammy Award winning writer and producer, Gary Burr, a Hall of Fame songwriter, and singer/songwriter Mark Mirando.  The band takes it’s name from the neighborhood/canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains where many singers and songwriters of the 60’s and 70’s lived, made music, formed bands and took drugs.

They sang songs from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s early bands and and solo careers as well as recreations of their defining works.  Dispersed throughout the show were backstories on how the songs came to be as well as personal anecdotes of the writers.  These guys are great musicians and showmen, making for a very enjoyable show.  Dinner was decent, as well.

From left to right, Mark Mirando, Gary Burr and Mark Hudson

Gary Burr even looks a little like David Crosby.

Alas, we have to start heading back to New York and the cold and snow.  It was a great two days and we certainly have more to discover in Nashville.  We will back (in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice)!