Nashville - A day of fun and education
Max Frost's dulcet tones sliced through the air at 6.30am "Good Morning na na na na na.....". He does what he's supposed to do ... he get's me out of bed! And of course, there are three of us sharing the room, so all of us are woken ... good on you Max, and thanks!
The first job is to head downstairs and have some breakfast. I couldn't go past another yummy omelette with some 'sausages' (they look like thin hamburgers) ... and ... as I knew I was going to be doing a fair bit of walking around, I allowed myself a waffle. While I was breakfasting I rang the touring company who would be taking us out to see the Homes of the Stars, and around Nashville to see the historical sights. I learnt that actually we had been booked on the tour the day before! Oops! But they were so lovely. Unlike our experience in other places where we were told "Too bad, so sad", they just booked us in for today. Thank you Grayline Touring Company. You can be sure I will recommend you to my friends.
Next, we headed back up to our room and got ourselves organised for a big day of touring.
We're staying in an area of Nashville called "Music Row" and over and over we hear Nashville being referred to as "Music City". There are lots of lovely art instalments. This one apparently caused a great deal of controversy because Nashville is in the heart of the Bible Belt.
Our tour guide referred to this (placed in the middle of a roundabout) as a "round-a-butt" and kept going on about how he was so distracted about the figures that he hadn't yet seen the tambourine at the top of the creation! The other building that he joked abut was the "Batman Building" - Tennessee's tallest building:
After negotiating the heavy morning traffic, we began the view the homes of various famous identities. To be honest, I felt the commentary was a little tacky, but it was incredible to see the wealth of some of these people on display, and to hear stories of their vulnerabilities. Let's face it, they're all just people with marketable talents, who have been marketed well by people who understand the intricacies of business - music, sport, or others.
We drove past the homes of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Reece Witherspoon, Ray Stevens, Ronnie Milsap, Glen Campbell (who, I found out, was a member of the Beach Boys for a little while), Hank Williams (who was a multi millionaire by the time he was 16 and died at the age of 29 from drug and alcohol related problems), Steve Cropper (who co-wrote of Dock of the Bay, played on Green Onions with Booker T & the MGs, and starred in the Blues Brothers), Donna Summer (I was sad to learn that she died of lung cancer at the age of 63), Tanya Tucker (who had her first hit with Delta Dawn when she was 13), Tammy Wynette (famous for the song Stand By Your Man - which she did during her 5 marriages!), Michael Oher (whose life was made famous in the movie Blindside starring Sandra Bullock), Bob Gaudio (pianist and the founding member of the Four Seasons, and the inspiration behind the stage show Jersey Boys), Conway Twitty, Taylor Swift (who apparently earned $185 million last year), John Oates (of Hall and Oates fame), Dinah Shore, Peggy Simon (ex wife of Paul Simon) and Steven Foster (famous for writing Campdown Races and many other songs that helped establish the "Nashville Sound").
There were many other homes of famous business men including Mike Curb (regarded as one of the most important men in Nashville) of Curb Records, Dr Thomas Fist Jnr who is the richest man in Tennessee and founder of the Hospital Corporation of America health fund. and Jack Massey owner of KFC who bought the business for $2 million in 1964. We also saw the 1929 mansion of the Governor of Tennessee, "plantation homes", log cabins dating back to 1798, dry stack walls built by slaves, and evidence left behind by Confederate soldiers escaping the Civil War in 1864.
There were homes undergoing renovations all over the place, Halloween decorations outside many places, homes with columns out the front, gated communities with high security guarding them (one of which was a horse farm in its former life), and condominiums; and as we drove around we saw deer, a bobcat, saw tributes to the buffalo that used to roam the area 200 years ago, and a whole lot more.
Then we were dropped back to the hotel to freshen up before being taken on another tour a couple of hours later. We used this time to book ourselves into some events we thought we should take advantage of while we were here - a backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry and a viewing of Dolly Parton's costumes and paraphernalia. That's tomorrow! We also booked dinner and a show at Ray Stevens' "Cab-o-Ray". More about that soon.
We still had the best part of an hour to kill before it was time to be picked up again on our next tour - so we went for a walk and here are some of the common sites around town ... and one really unusual business!
Compared to the morning's tour leader, the afternoon's was much more low key. We were told about the three big multi billion dollar businesses that look after the royalties for songwriters and performers. We were taken past some of the live music venues that were in full swing including Kid Rock's place, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe, Tootsies ...
and then the Ryman.
Before coming to Nashville, I had never heard of this place, but after visiting, it has been one of the highlights of the trip so far. I was to learn that the Ryman Auditorium is hallowed ground - literally. It started as a church venue - a place of worship - less than 30 years after the Civil War ended. This is where bluegrass was born, souls found redemption, country music found an audience beyond its own back porch, and countless careers were launched including those of political leaders.
Because of the size of its auditorium it served as a venue for all kinds of meetings, including as a venue for live secular music. The visionary behind the success of the Ryman was a lady called Lula C. Naff, who had been the longtime manager of the Ryman. Lula began working with the Ryman in 1904 as a secretary for the building’s booking agency. When the agency closed in 1916 she went into business on her own, bringing in speakers and performers. Lula was hugely successful and in 1920 was hired as the Ryman’s manager, a position she held until her retirement in 1955. Lula’s business and booking savvy garnered respect and prestige for both Ryman Auditorium and the city of Nashville as a performance arts center for the region. Known as the “first lady” of theatre management, she brought the greatest performers and Broadway plays of the day to the Ryman including: Bob Hope, Charlie Chaplin, Enrico Caruso, Harry Houdini, Katharine Hepburn, Mae West, Ziegfeld Follies, “Guys and Dolls,” “Oklahoma!” and many more. Lula also ushered the Grand Ole Opry into the Ryman in 1943 where the show resided until 1974. Under Lula’s leadership, the Ryman became a showplace for great diversity, a tradition that continues today. She also was a trailblazer for working women, branching out on her own before women even had the right to vote. Take a look at the names of some of the people who have performed here (!!!!):
Unfortunately, due to the time constraints of the tour we had to get back to the bus, but this is a place I would love to come back to and do a whole lot more exploring through.
We drove past Vanderbilt University which charges its students $75,000 a year for accomodation, and Nashville's Colloseum....
before our next stop ... the Country Music Hall of Fame.
I have an eclectic taste in music. My Mum and Dad brought me up on classical music, I spent 25 years working in rock 'n' roll and Christian radio, and along the way I have experienced virtually every style of music. I enjoy country music and respect the fact that it has grown out of several different folk traditions that came together as the United States coagulated. Fiddle music and balladry from the British Isles absorbed the narrative and rhythmic elements from enslaved Africans. Religious groups searching for the freedom to worship, embraced new bodies of song, embedded with their beliefs. Today there is a distinct sound that is "Country". It seems amazing to me that only a couple of hundred miles from here, it's the heart of the Delta Blues that drives the music in Memphis.
There was so much to see here, that we decided we'd return tomorrow and finish off our journey. After a stop in the merchandising shop to buy some postcards to post to my grandchildren, 
Sign of the day )-:
it was back to the hotel to get dressed up a bit for a night out at Ray Steven's "Cabaray".
We didn't really know what to expect. We'd booked dinner and a show. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel welcome. We were shown to our seats and instantly made friends with Sally and April who were also seated at our table. The meal started with a plate of salad (hallelujah!!) and was followed by a delicious plate of salmon, rice and asparagus. And the meal size was perfect - not too much!
I've always been a fan of Ray Stevens. I first became aware of him when he had hits with "Misty", "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak" ... and he sang all those. After I saw him in concert the first time in Perth in 1976, I checked him out a bit more and discovered other songs of his that I really liked: the serious "Mr Businessman" and the frivolous "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills" amongst other novelty songs. Ray is 80 now and still as lively as ever, and his voice is still fabulous. His jokes are corny verging on lame, but it didn't matter, a fun evening was had by all.
There's so much more to do tomorrow ... see ya then xxx
The first job is to head downstairs and have some breakfast. I couldn't go past another yummy omelette with some 'sausages' (they look like thin hamburgers) ... and ... as I knew I was going to be doing a fair bit of walking around, I allowed myself a waffle. While I was breakfasting I rang the touring company who would be taking us out to see the Homes of the Stars, and around Nashville to see the historical sights. I learnt that actually we had been booked on the tour the day before! Oops! But they were so lovely. Unlike our experience in other places where we were told "Too bad, so sad", they just booked us in for today. Thank you Grayline Touring Company. You can be sure I will recommend you to my friends.
Next, we headed back up to our room and got ourselves organised for a big day of touring.
We're staying in an area of Nashville called "Music Row" and over and over we hear Nashville being referred to as "Music City". There are lots of lovely art instalments. This one apparently caused a great deal of controversy because Nashville is in the heart of the Bible Belt.
Our tour guide referred to this (placed in the middle of a roundabout) as a "round-a-butt" and kept going on about how he was so distracted about the figures that he hadn't yet seen the tambourine at the top of the creation! The other building that he joked abut was the "Batman Building" - Tennessee's tallest building:
After negotiating the heavy morning traffic, we began the view the homes of various famous identities. To be honest, I felt the commentary was a little tacky, but it was incredible to see the wealth of some of these people on display, and to hear stories of their vulnerabilities. Let's face it, they're all just people with marketable talents, who have been marketed well by people who understand the intricacies of business - music, sport, or others.
We drove past the homes of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Reece Witherspoon, Ray Stevens, Ronnie Milsap, Glen Campbell (who, I found out, was a member of the Beach Boys for a little while), Hank Williams (who was a multi millionaire by the time he was 16 and died at the age of 29 from drug and alcohol related problems), Steve Cropper (who co-wrote of Dock of the Bay, played on Green Onions with Booker T & the MGs, and starred in the Blues Brothers), Donna Summer (I was sad to learn that she died of lung cancer at the age of 63), Tanya Tucker (who had her first hit with Delta Dawn when she was 13), Tammy Wynette (famous for the song Stand By Your Man - which she did during her 5 marriages!), Michael Oher (whose life was made famous in the movie Blindside starring Sandra Bullock), Bob Gaudio (pianist and the founding member of the Four Seasons, and the inspiration behind the stage show Jersey Boys), Conway Twitty, Taylor Swift (who apparently earned $185 million last year), John Oates (of Hall and Oates fame), Dinah Shore, Peggy Simon (ex wife of Paul Simon) and Steven Foster (famous for writing Campdown Races and many other songs that helped establish the "Nashville Sound").
There were many other homes of famous business men including Mike Curb (regarded as one of the most important men in Nashville) of Curb Records, Dr Thomas Fist Jnr who is the richest man in Tennessee and founder of the Hospital Corporation of America health fund. and Jack Massey owner of KFC who bought the business for $2 million in 1964. We also saw the 1929 mansion of the Governor of Tennessee, "plantation homes", log cabins dating back to 1798, dry stack walls built by slaves, and evidence left behind by Confederate soldiers escaping the Civil War in 1864.
There were homes undergoing renovations all over the place, Halloween decorations outside many places, homes with columns out the front, gated communities with high security guarding them (one of which was a horse farm in its former life), and condominiums; and as we drove around we saw deer, a bobcat, saw tributes to the buffalo that used to roam the area 200 years ago, and a whole lot more.
Then we were dropped back to the hotel to freshen up before being taken on another tour a couple of hours later. We used this time to book ourselves into some events we thought we should take advantage of while we were here - a backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry and a viewing of Dolly Parton's costumes and paraphernalia. That's tomorrow! We also booked dinner and a show at Ray Stevens' "Cab-o-Ray". More about that soon.
We still had the best part of an hour to kill before it was time to be picked up again on our next tour - so we went for a walk and here are some of the common sites around town ... and one really unusual business!
Compared to the morning's tour leader, the afternoon's was much more low key. We were told about the three big multi billion dollar businesses that look after the royalties for songwriters and performers. We were taken past some of the live music venues that were in full swing including Kid Rock's place, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, Nashville's Hard Rock Cafe, Tootsies ...
and then the Ryman.
Before coming to Nashville, I had never heard of this place, but after visiting, it has been one of the highlights of the trip so far. I was to learn that the Ryman Auditorium is hallowed ground - literally. It started as a church venue - a place of worship - less than 30 years after the Civil War ended. This is where bluegrass was born, souls found redemption, country music found an audience beyond its own back porch, and countless careers were launched including those of political leaders.
Because of the size of its auditorium it served as a venue for all kinds of meetings, including as a venue for live secular music. The visionary behind the success of the Ryman was a lady called Lula C. Naff, who had been the longtime manager of the Ryman. Lula began working with the Ryman in 1904 as a secretary for the building’s booking agency. When the agency closed in 1916 she went into business on her own, bringing in speakers and performers. Lula was hugely successful and in 1920 was hired as the Ryman’s manager, a position she held until her retirement in 1955. Lula’s business and booking savvy garnered respect and prestige for both Ryman Auditorium and the city of Nashville as a performance arts center for the region. Known as the “first lady” of theatre management, she brought the greatest performers and Broadway plays of the day to the Ryman including: Bob Hope, Charlie Chaplin, Enrico Caruso, Harry Houdini, Katharine Hepburn, Mae West, Ziegfeld Follies, “Guys and Dolls,” “Oklahoma!” and many more. Lula also ushered the Grand Ole Opry into the Ryman in 1943 where the show resided until 1974. Under Lula’s leadership, the Ryman became a showplace for great diversity, a tradition that continues today. She also was a trailblazer for working women, branching out on her own before women even had the right to vote. Take a look at the names of some of the people who have performed here (!!!!):
Unfortunately, due to the time constraints of the tour we had to get back to the bus, but this is a place I would love to come back to and do a whole lot more exploring through.
We drove past Vanderbilt University which charges its students $75,000 a year for accomodation, and Nashville's Colloseum....
before our next stop ... the Country Music Hall of Fame.
I have an eclectic taste in music. My Mum and Dad brought me up on classical music, I spent 25 years working in rock 'n' roll and Christian radio, and along the way I have experienced virtually every style of music. I enjoy country music and respect the fact that it has grown out of several different folk traditions that came together as the United States coagulated. Fiddle music and balladry from the British Isles absorbed the narrative and rhythmic elements from enslaved Africans. Religious groups searching for the freedom to worship, embraced new bodies of song, embedded with their beliefs. Today there is a distinct sound that is "Country". It seems amazing to me that only a couple of hundred miles from here, it's the heart of the Delta Blues that drives the music in Memphis.
There was so much to see here, that we decided we'd return tomorrow and finish off our journey. After a stop in the merchandising shop to buy some postcards to post to my grandchildren, 
Sign of the day )-:it was back to the hotel to get dressed up a bit for a night out at Ray Steven's "Cabaray".
We didn't really know what to expect. We'd booked dinner and a show. From the moment we arrived, we were made to feel welcome. We were shown to our seats and instantly made friends with Sally and April who were also seated at our table. The meal started with a plate of salad (hallelujah!!) and was followed by a delicious plate of salmon, rice and asparagus. And the meal size was perfect - not too much!
I've always been a fan of Ray Stevens. I first became aware of him when he had hits with "Misty", "Everything Is Beautiful" and "The Streak" ... and he sang all those. After I saw him in concert the first time in Perth in 1976, I checked him out a bit more and discovered other songs of his that I really liked: the serious "Mr Businessman" and the frivolous "Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Dissolving Fast-Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills" amongst other novelty songs. Ray is 80 now and still as lively as ever, and his voice is still fabulous. His jokes are corny verging on lame, but it didn't matter, a fun evening was had by all.
There's so much more to do tomorrow ... see ya then xxx
Getting close to St Louis. Here's a reminder of our phone nubers.
ReplyDeleteLandline 314.961.2952
Norrie's Mobile 314.608.6013
Looking forward to seeing y'all soon!
Thanks so much Norrie and Wilma. There was hit on Australian radio a few years called "St Louis" by John Paul Young (same guy who sang "Love Is In The Air") I have it rattling around in my brain. I look forward to seeing you soon.
DeleteWe had so much fun at supper! Safe travels as you continue your holiday!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Sallie. You and April were so easy to get to know. I hope you stay in touch. I also hope you have safe travels as you head home to what I hope will be a relatively relaxing weekend. <3
Delete