Hitting the Road: Day 28 Nashville

Up and out early again to check with the front reception area to see if they would honor our Hop On-Hop Off passes to access the free shuttle back from town. Because Grumpy Pants insisted out tickets yesterday be timed, we started at 11:00 and they are supposed to be good for 24 hours...technically we should be good until 11:00 today. That would get us in no problem but possibly not home because the first return shuttle doesn’t come back to Music Valley until 4:00. They assured us that wasn’t a problem so we were off. Another couple rode with us this morning. They are from Modesto, CA and are on a three month road trip. They are retired. He worked for a California winery all his life and we love California wine so clearly it was set to be a great match! They were in fact great travelling companions and we shared stories of life on the road and the places we’ve been. Before we knew it we were in downtown Nashville.

Sure he makes it sound so easy! But he's Bach!

Makes me wonder what Victor Hugo thought of Les Mis?

Nashville is not just about country music. This statue in front of the Symphony building is a thanks to Nashville for their love of all kinds of music.

We had no intention of using the trolley today, even until 11:00, except as a free ride into the city. We were confident now in knowing our way around so we set off on foot to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Our friends John and Julie had already alerted us to the need to also visit Studio B. This is affiliated with the Museum but in a different location so is booked separately but can only be booked in conjunction with the Hall of Fame. Again a timed thing (Nashville seems big on that!) and for us apparently 11:00 is the magic hour! We had time to get into the Museum, get the lay of the land, plan an attack that would allow us to see everything from Miranda Lambert’s water bottle (???) to Elvis’s Gold Caddie (!!!) and we were off to meet this bus and the tour guide who would bring us to see Studio B. Brenda, our tour guide, was an elementary teacher and clearly a great one. She was passionate, animated and knew her country music history. John and Julie were so right; this tour was a great idea!

We had driven by Studio B yesterday in our city tour. It is located in the heart of all of the other recording studios. The stop not only allowed a peek inside the building but also a trip back through time! Studio B ran from 1957 -1977 and was the place Elvis recorded all of his hits at the time. In fact 35,000 recordings were cut from Studio B, 1000 of them number one hits, and 262 belonged to Elvis. The RCA studio was built by Chet Atkins when he first tried to record Elvis in other area studios and couldn’t get the sound right. According to Atkins (and it now appears he certainly knew what he was talking about!), Elvis needed a chamber with echo to capture the essential qualities that made his voice so unique. In the days before Studio B was complete they even went so far as to bring Elvis into a stairwell to get the sound they were looking for! Studio B closed its doors August 17, 1977 in an interesting twist of fate, the day after Elvis “had left the building”! The closure had been scheduled a year earlier but so interesting that the studio was built for Elvis and closed the day after he died!

The tour led us through the studio rooms and walked us through the memorabilia all against the backdrop of music that had been recorded by the greats. We saw the spot where 19 year old Dolly Parton, in her hurry to get to her recording on time, backed her Buick into the wall. The repair marks are still clearly visible. Dolly apparently referred to it as her first big hit at Studio B! The most incredible part of the whole thing though was at the end when we were brought into the “big room” and led through the story of Are You Lonesome Tonight. Much of the story I knew, of how Elvis had a huge problem with insomnia and recorded at night. He would warm up by singing Gospel hymns. He loved the greasy little hamburgers served locally and would place an order for everyone in the studio and they would all eat before a session. Although a huge big deal, even at the time, Elvis had a reputation here in Nashville of having time for everyone and would make a personal connection with everyone in studio including the night cleaners, each night when he arrived. Rather than a list of events as I have given them, Brenda provided them in a rich narrative that invited us to imagine. She was setting the stage as she turned off the lights and we listened to the original recording of Are you Lonesome Tonight in the dark, as it was recorded! There were two mistakes in the recording right at the end but it was so amazing otherwise they kept it. Are You Lonesome Tonight in one take! It was turned over to Bill Porter who spliced the tape with scissors and cellophane to cut one mistake the back-up singers made in the final “tonight”, the second mistake was mostly cut. Recording in the dark, Elvis bumped his head on the mike at the end of the song. They produced it anyway – it was just that good! When you know to listen for it, at the end of the recording there is a distinct “click-click” of the head bump that didn’t get removed! We left Studio B to the strains of Elvis singing How Great Thou Art! Pure magic!

Roy Orbison

Charlie Pride ... this one is for Mom!

Brenda in Studio B

We travelled back to the Country Music Hall of Fame and picked up where we left off with our exploring. I debated saying this because I don’t want to make it sound like I didn’t enjoy the museum part, because I very much did. However this blog is, primarily, our big souvenir of the trip that we can revisit at any time to relive our experience. It may be that it is because we have visited so many museums that we have developed a perspective on these things but, while we enjoyed the information and the experiences, the actual display was not really very good in our opinion. Jonathan, in his Knowledge Integration Faculty at Waterloo, had the opportunity to travel to Europe and study museum design. It wasn’t until that happened that I began to even realize I suppose the amount of planning and design that goes into creating an experience. We realized that we would have loved Jonathan to have been with us. As a music LOVER and an educated eye, we would have loved his opinion! I think my main discord (Anyone catch that? Music museum...discord? Wish I could say it was intentional!) was a consequence of the missed opportunity to make this a very moving display. The big joke in country music of course is the “oh woe is me” flavor that is often created. While that may have been true in certain eras of the music and not so much in others, there are some pretty compelling human stories attached to much of this music. This had the potential to be a WOW! museum display, but while the information was there, you had to dig a bit and find it. Speaking if digging, the write-ups for the displays were very often down at floor level which required much squatting and care not to trip over people who were reading. I know I’m old, but I noticed by the end that most folks were massaging the small of their back so I wasn’t the only one! I understand the need for specific lighting in a museum both for optimum presentation and preservation but when you combine that with print that is not appropriately bolded and sized (and did I mention at floor level), well these old eyes just were not up to the challenge! Once again as I watched people take glasses on and off repeatedly I realized I was not alone. The video displays were great but the air conditioning was set so low that my nose was running by the time I left...and I’m never cold. This is apparently a Tennessee thing though (more about that later)! The audio displays (and this was maybe the biggest shocked since it is a music museum!) were sometimes impossible to hear! The speakers were not well placed for the flow of traffic nor for their proximity to the next audio display with a different sound track. My ears were very confused! The worst part was that the bits I could hear were very interesting and I really did want to hear more! I’ll stop complaining now because really the day was great it was just surprising I guess that this very new and modern museum hadn’t done a better job at presentation.

I learned something I didn’t know before about museums in general. According to these folks any museum has only about 10% of their artifacts on display at any given time. I realized there was rotation but 10% really surprised me. In this case though there were occasional glimpses into back rooms and it is clearly true!

Back room stuff not on display.

The story of Bakersfield and how it became so influential in the country music scene – short version... Families leaving Tennessee and other nests of country and bluegrass during the Great Depression headed to California to find work. These communities of transplants, in an effort to preserve their heritage highlighted their music in local bars and other gathering spaces and Bakersfield began establishing itself as a chapter of music history. The day offered a glimpse into the outlaw branch of the family tree and how country music was the downfall of some and the salvation of others. The journey of the craft from its Gospel roots to its modern day new country flavor was told in conjunction with the media influences that delivered the sound to the world. I was never a big country fan. Until I met David I really didn’t like the stuff! But over the years as my taste in music expanded, it included an appreciation for some country then a significant like for the new country sound. Today my appreciation grew with my knowledge of the far reaches of what “country music” includes.

Trisha Yearwood worked at The Country Music Hall Fame while in college!

How most hits start!

By the time we had finished roaming through the three floors of the museum it was time for a swaller ...and a holler! It really is a thing here! Sitting in any restaurant or bar with live music, and they ALL have live music, everything stops when the performers suddenly yell, “This calls for a holler and a swaller”! Everyone in the place stops what they’re doing, yells a big yee haw and everyone together takes a gulp of whatever they’re drinking!

Tootsies World Famous Orchid Lounge is a mandatory stop in Nashville. Sharing a back alley with Ryman Auditorium since 1960 it has hosted many rising stars on its stage (Taylor Swift in recent years!) and countless stars as regular patrons. And it’s a dive! Three floors each with its own stage and live entertainment from 10:00 am to the wee hours the sign at the front claims. The rooms are crowded, the floors are worn through, the tables, chairs and walls are made of plywood and every surface has been autographed by the famous and the not so famous. David loved the fact that the tables had obviously been given a recent coat of varnish but there is no sanding – just varnish over the signatures and graffiti!

We made our way to the top floor which is literally a plywood garage built on the roof! The garage doors are open but in Nashville fashion the air conditioner hanging from the ceiling has me searching for a sweater despite the 30° heat! I can’t imagine the utility bills around here! The food is mediocre. The total effect is awesome! The band playing up here is an eclectic mix of all ages and styles leading me to wonder how they ever came to be but they are very good and we were quickly swallowed up in the party.

The clientele appears as varied at the band and watching them is the kind of entertainment you just can’t pay for! A young girl from Alabama makes her way onto the stage for an impromptu performance and as she is very good! Watching her boyfriend in the audience we begin to suspect this may have been an attempt to “break in” or “be discovered” on her part and when she finishes to a well deserved applause she comes dancing back down clearly please with herself. That was all the encouragement needed, well that and the significant amount of alcohol that had obviously been consumed, for an older woman from Chicago to join her on what was about to become a dance floor! The band was happy to support the efforts with the $20 encouragement from Chicago woman who (now shoeless and ready for a scuff) was now pledging undying love to the mountain man (picture overalls and a long flowing white beard) who was the band’s bass player. Enter now the young man with autism from the local Goodwill store. Still dressed in his uniform, he is clearly a regular and loves the fact that a dance has started! I tell you, you just couldn’t pay for such delightful entertainment! Who cares if lunch was mediocre? The beer was cold and it was time for a holler and a swaller!

The band.

Tootsies

Bustin' a move!

Hesitant to leave we rushed to catch our trolley back out to Music Valley. We had tickets tonight to the Grand Ole Opry and we certainly couldn’t miss that!

We just had time for a quick freshen up and we were off. This campground was ideally located just 5 minutes down the road so we drove ourselves down to Opryland. What a spot. The complex houses the Opryland Hotel, General Jackson Riverboat dock, the huge Opry Mills entertainment/shopping complex and of course The Grand Ole Opry. Heading into the grounds we were greeted time and again by folks welcoming us, wanting to know where we were from, asking if there was anything they could do to help us (they even offered a golf cart to drive us to the door from our car if we wanted – we didn’t!). Honestly days later I still think Grumpy Pants is the only unfriendly person in the state! We took a few minutes for the requisite tourist pictures and then went to our front and centre (awesome!) seats! I was surprised at how excited I was. Truly nothing I ever would have thought to do. I knew David would like it though and that’s why I had gotten tickets! I LOVED it! I read our line up Janelle Arthur, Jim Ed Brown, The Henningsens, The Isaacs, The Whites, Jerrod Niemann, Randy Houser and Lee Brice and didn’t think I recognized a name? As they were preparing for the show to start, and remember this is a live radio show, there was much effort made to capture the audience...very successfully! The show started and I was blown away! Not only were the performances exceptional I recognized so much of the music. So many of the performers were also talented writers and as they sang their songs I knew them from being covered by other stars whose names I did recognize. Jim Ed Brown for example meant nothing to me on the program but when he opened with Pop A Top and followed with Three Bells I knew just who I was listening to! 80 years old but his voice was sure and strong. Mom may remember my grandmother asking me (countless times!) to sing Scarlet Ribbons to her, another Jim Ed Brown hit!

I think the thing I loved the most though was the intimacy that was created. I am not a big fan of concerts because they are so big. Most times I would prefer to sit home and listen to a concert in our home theatre where the sound is better and I can see so much more. Not here at the Opry. There is a very informal flavor to the performance, our awesome seats enhanced the intimacy and there was very much a sense that these people were enjoying the fact that they were performing at the Opry every bit as much as we were enjoying the show. That sense of awe and wonder that I missed at the museum display was very much felt here.

One other thing that was evident was the obvious deeply held spirituality of the people of Tennessee. Not a single performer left the stage with wishing us God’s blessing. We have noticed this here in restaurants, on busses, everywhere “God bless” is a standard part of a good-bye. Today on our trolley ride home we were talking with our California couple about how many beautiful things we had seen in our travels - buildings, museums, etc. I just happened to mention that God hadn’t done a bad job with the scenery either when Roy, our driver, interjected with a big, “Amen” and made a point of telling me, “That is very, very true right there, and we can never forget it.” I used to think that the, “I want to thank God” heard throughout award shows was somewhat contrived. Having spent a week here I suspect I was unfair and their faith is both deep and very genuine. With 700 churches in the city, the community of believers is well supported!

At the end of the show Jerrod, Randy and Lee, who are all apparently very good friends, realized a life-long dream and came out to sing together at the Opry. They certainly made it appear impromptu and it may well have been since it put the concert over by 45 minutes. No complaints here!