Market for Elephants – Nashville has several mammoths in the state museum. They may have need of a replace for the state zoo.
Date of Visit: Aug 7, 2015
History- Nashville is a city of about 650,000. It is the capital of Tennessee and a major financial
and transportation center. However for
tourists it is best known as Music City, and has the most valuable brand name
in country music the Grand Ole Opry.
The city started as French Lick on the Cumberland River in 1780. It was almost immediately renamed
Fort Nashborough after General Francis Nash a hero of the American Revolution and resisted a major Indian attack in 1781. It was incorporated in 1784 as a town and
named Nashville. In 1843 it became the
permanent capital of Tennessee.
For a one day visit I suggest a tourist go directly to the
city center the physical music city.
It’s an interesting collection of museums, business buildings, and
government buildings, including the Tennessee State Capitol building. There is plenty of parking so, if you don’t
take one of the several tours; I suggest visiting the following places.
County Music Hall of Fame & Museum: I suggest starting here so you can go on the Studio B tour which prides itself as being the only tour of a studio in town. Then take the audio tour of the museum allowing at least two hours so you can look at the video programs. The audio tour will be of interest for both longtime fans, but even more for person like me who have only dipped their toe in it. For me the movie clips from Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Tex Ritter brought up many childhood memories.
The Lobby is open and able to be used as a performance area.
The Country Music Hall of Fame is a rotunda with a striking acrylic painting called The Sources of Country Music by Thomas Hart Benton. Circling the room are round bronze plaques with the names and reliefs of musicians and a few comedians elected by the Country Music Association. People are honored for business and technological contributions by other groups.
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| Country Music Hall Of Fame |
The District: This is a two to four block area of
old brick buildings centered on Broadway and 5th ave. Several restaurants have been restored to resemble old time honky-tonks,
saloons and less savory establishments. The sort of places the riverboat men used to frequence. All of these have live music so you can choose your lunch and accompaniment.
As you can see from these pictures at lunch time reservations are a good idea.
There are also several clothing, instrument and record stores, the most famous
being the Roy Orbison Record store. The spirit of The District is spread by these unique bar buses. The cycled model leaves a strong beer scent, similar to trucks before they took the lead out of gas. 
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| Pedalling Bar Maids. |
Ryman Auditorium: Often referred to as the High Church of Country
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| Rhyman Hall |
Music this building was designed as a chapel. The self-guided
tour of Ryman starts with a film, really almost a magic show.
It tells how in the 1880s a river boat captain and owner of a major transport company Captain Thomas G. Ryman was converted by traveling evangelist Sam Jones. Ryman helped raise the money so in 1892 the Union Gospel Tabernacle was opened to provide a permanent place for Jones to speak.
The name was changed to Ryman Auditorium upon the Captain’s death in 1904. From the beginning its acoustics attracted a white variety of performers, especially after installing a proper stage in 1901 for an opera performance.
It had traveling theatrical groups, choirs, just
about anything that could rent the theater. The radio program the Grand Ole
Opry broadcast from Ryman from 1943-1974 cementing its place in country music
history. Even before the Opry left there
were doubts that it could continue to operate, despite Johnny Cash filming his
TV show there from 1969-1971. It had to
undergo a major renovation partly funded by donations and reopened in
1994. Now it is not only a performance
center, but a major tourist attraction.
You can not only view the displays but have your picture taken on stage
(if it’s not busy) and record a disc in the attached studio, perhaps performing your own
song on the Ryman label. Start
practicing now. The Grand Ole Opry: is a radio program broadcast by station 650 AM WSM in Knoxville. It also refers to their stock company of performers currently including people like Whispering Bill Anderson and Jeannie Seely.
As the broadcast expanded to reach most of the east coast they developed their own stars such as Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, (who may be responsible for the term blue grass music) and the Carter family.
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| Audience for the Opry |
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| War Time Opry |
The Opry stayed at Ryman for almost 20 years, but in 1974 it departed for the new, larger, high tech Grand Ole Opry House across the Cumberland River, flanked by The Opry resort and the Opry Mills (a shopping center). They broadcast four nights a week with a mix of their regular performers and guest stars, usually artists touring with a new hit.
Among long term serious fans there are considered to be at least two major types of music presented at the Opry. I found useful examples of both styles in the work of Johnny Paycheck, Pardon Me I have Someone to Kill is a old type slow soulful song about how a man with only pride to his name must act when his wife is seduced. Take this Job and Shove It is about a man who cheerfuly realizes that his wife leaving him (and taking their savings) has left him free to leave a job he hates.
MY VISIT- I purchased a ticket to the Grand Ole Opry well before my visit. I got a great seat and was very happy with the performance that evening.
However I suggest people with strong tastes in Country music check the performers at Ryman Auditorium, Opry House, and the Country Music Museum on the night of their visit to choose the most interesting show and then order a ticket ahead of time on the internet.
The performance I attended was unusual because a contingency of Medal of Honor winners were their official guests. Short videos were shown on the big screen with footage representing their feats.
The one that stuck in my mind was the World War II veteran who emptied his flamethrower at Japanese fortifications, got back to the American lines and since no one else would go went forward and repeated the job. If I understand correctly he was running toward people firing hot bullets at him wearing tanks of explosive jellied gasoline.
In honor of the Medal holders Whispering Bill Anderson (nicknamed for his soft rough voice) performed his sentimental ballad “Old Army Hat". The official video for this is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=z90SxCg-0nU , A brief recounting of the song’s origin is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgEsQIY3_-U.
Guest performer Raelynn a contestant in 2012 on the TV show The Voice performed her song “For A Boy” www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsfcpUc7KaE and then lead the audience in “America the Beautiful.” Larry Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers host for this part of the show gave a short speech praising her for choosing to sing something in honor of their special guests rather than promoting another of her songs. He took a selfie with her with a borrowed camera from an audience member. with a lot of help from the phone’s owner.
The program ended with the introduction of an oddly boastful song by the Gatlin Brothers “An American With A Remington.” Check out an informal performance of the song by the authors of the song Larry Gatlin and Billy Dean at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWtRpJucx3U.
An odd incident at the end of that night’s performance was, when it was announced that the Medal of Honor winners were leaving the building, a few voices booed from the back of the auditorium. The two young men sitting beside me , probably serving military from their hair cuts were looking around. Invoking the power of gray hair over the young I suggested freedom of speech means putting up with rude people sometimes and we all set down to let the walkway clear.
Geek Factor - archives for episodes of the Grand Ole Opry from four years are available on wsmonline.com as well samples of their other shows, a special section of tribute shows and live streaming for those outside their broadcasting range.
Before
visiting you may want to look at the many films set in the Nashville area
especially William Altman’s Nashville (1975) and Nashville Girl (1976).
Resources
Oermann, Robert T. Behind the Ole Opry Curtain, New York: Center Street, 2008
ISBN 1931722897
Havighurst, Craig, Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City. Urbana, University of Illinois Press 2007 ISBN 0252032578
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