I got to my hotel, had lunch and was ready to check things out.
First thing I did was go to Broadway, "Music City USA". It is the "Honky Tonk" area of Nashville. There is a long strip of bars all with live country music. It is a really colorful busy and crazy place. I love country music so it was such a treat, overstimulating. Even the street vendors were true musicians. There was so much creativity mixed with tourism,fried food, boiled peanuts (which are HUGE in the South) and a little craziness added to the mix. People everywhere. I walked up and down the strip and just filled up. When I got to the end, I was surprised to see a HUGE football stadium and a beautiful park area all overlooking a river. I didn't realize Nashville was on a river. It had a beautifully landscaped park and walking area along the river. Rose bushes everywhere and it smelled so sweet,like a little respit from the busyness of the strip.
I really wanted to go into one of these bars and listen to music but didn't know about going in alone. So... when I passed by B.B. Kings Blues Club, I thought, "I have to go... I love blues music".. Needless to say, I built up the courage to go in in I went. I asked if I could go in if I wasn't going to eat and they said okay as long as I sat at the bar (these places were all completely jammed full). So, there I was, sitting at the bar with my soda water listening to AMAZING music... I was so happy I did it..
The next day I decided to go to Opryland. I got a backstage pass and tour to Opry House..
It was great. I saw the dressing rooms,green room and where HEE HAW was filmed. I decided to plan an extra day to stay because their live radio show was Tuesday night.
On the way back to the hotel I had remembered seeing a sign for a local marina. I thought I'd find it and spend some time. So I did. It was on a lake, beautiful. People were out on the lake enjoying the weather. They were out on their boats or sunbathing or just fishing from shore. I just laid in the grass and soaked up the rest of that day.
I had also wanted to go to "BlueBird Cafe". This is a club that hosts up and coming song writers and singers. Alot of people get discovered there and people come from all over the country to sing their originals and hope for a chance at stardom. Again, a bar that I was going alone, but I really wanted to go. Monday was "open mic night" and it was packed. There was one seat at the end of the bar and I grabbed it. It was soooo fun. There were lots of rules like the singers couldn't sing to a tape all songs had to be originals, they had 9 minutes,they could sing 2 songs and the list went on. There were 55 people signed up and they picked out of a hat. WOW! there was some amazing music. I met so many nice people. Lots of people asked if I were waiting to play and well; Mom, you know. I laughed and explained pretty clearly that they wouldn't want to hear me sing. A group of people sitting near me at a table were really nice. They had 4 people who played and they were all really good. One of the guys, whose name escapes me right now, was a grammy award winning song writer. He has a song coming out this winter called "Candy Cane Christmas". I'll be listening for it and excited that I was able to meet them. I do still get star struck sometimes, I have to say...
The next night,the live "Opryland show". This is the oldest and longest running live music radio broadcast and apparently what put country music on the map. People from all over the world were in the audience.
The talent was so good and if you know country music, Little Jimmy Dickens (who was on Hee Haw) was there along with Craig Morgan and Luke Brennan (contemporary artists). I love, love, loved it. I was so glad I stayed.
I left Wednesday for Memphis. Memphis was about a 3 1/2 hour drive. I wanted to see Graceland and I did. It was a riot!! Did you know that Graceland is the second most toured house in the country second only to the White house? I was shocked. The funny thing to me was Elvis redecorated a couple of years before he died. It was all 70's decor and I felt like I walked into some one's home from my neighborhood,growing up. Shag rugs everywhere, the bold colors and the newly done kitchen with a rug on the floor and dark, ornate cabinets. It seemed so corny but, for the time, really up-to-date.
What was really amazing were the grounds and the award rooms. There were awards all over the place. I couldn't believe how many gold/platinum records he had and grammy's he's won. There were displays for his movies and best of all were lots of his outfits from movies and concerts encased in glass. In his racquetball room there were alot of pieces dedicated to his 70's performances. Remember that Hawaii concert he did in the 70's?
I remember watching it. It was another come back for him and a big hit. They had it playing in this room and the outfits he wore were right there. They were spectacular.
Needless to say, it was worth it. I also drove through the center of Memphis which was pretty. As, again, luck would have it, I ran into yet another festival. I seem to be following them from state to state. It is the famous rib/barbecue and music festival. Lots of streets shutdown and partying going on. Everyone says it is famous in the South and the country, in fact. I don't recall hearing about it in the North East, but I am sure it is Huge in the "Rib" community. So I drove through to see it, but didn't get out and walk around.
Overall, I really loved TN. I have to say I really like the south.What I don't like is the driving...Yikes, they say Massachusetts drivers are bad, eek! And the Roadkill(yes, I did notice) is different. There is a dead Armadillo every 100 feet.
Other than that? Loved it! The conversation is long and the people are polite. The pace is slower; almost unnerving. I just think it is so funny to have a conversation with the cashier without the people behind getting mad, mostly because they get involved,too. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if I was getting in trouble because the guy who serviced my car was giving me a long story about his long night at work and his wife whose been a teacher for 40 years,etc. Waiting to have my car serviced, I sat in a room full of strangers. It was like we all knew each other. The little old man sat in the corner reading his well worn Bible and everyone else chatting it up like we were in a friend's livingroom. I loved listening to this older woman talk about how much she loves to fish and that she couldn't wait to go out and catch some catfish, "mmm,mmm...nothing taste better than fresh cat fish, no sir". I just loved it. I couldn't have scripted it better myself. I felt like I was watching a movie in the deep south. Maybe I was...
Today I leave for Arkansas. We have an old family friend there. He lives in Russellville, which is at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. I'll be staying in a hotel nearby. It is about 75 miles from Little Rock which I'll see too, but I thought it would be nice to stay in a place where there was alot of natural beauty.
More to come...!!
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