Nashville!

Well, Nashville!
When we were in India last year, we met some Americans and we were discussing this trip. One lady said that 3 days in Nashville was 2 days too many, and on Sat, after the Grand Ole Opry, I could see what she meant. But yesterday was a great day and today was a blast.
All we did yesterday was a trip to the Johnny Cash “museum” which was wonderful. I’ve been into rock’n roll/60’s music since the 60’s, and when I was at Manchester University, it was Martyn who introduced me to Tom Paxton, Dylan, Johnny Cash etc thro’ the folk scene. And that’s when I first saw Johnny Cash in concert, with Carl Perkins & The Tennessee Three. Since then I’ve been a fan and loved most of his very last CD’s in the America series, produced by Rick Rubin in the time before and after June Carter Cash died.
But you learn so much more when you go to these places. He was a good actor himself, and his record on prison reform was fascinating. Hence the Folsom and San Quentin Prison recordings.
But even better was Lou’s reaction. She’s beginning to understand my enthusiasm for this trip. And the room covering the Sun studio recordings, and the good old fashioned rock’n roll was fantastic. We’re off to Memphis tomorrow and we’re trying to get a visit to the Sun Studios.
Yesterday was great for me too with a 90 minute deep tissue massage, and then off to the BB King club downtown. He died last week, but it was business as usual at the club, and it rounded off a great day.
But today was better!!
We started out at the Ryman Theatre, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry from the 40’s, and after it’s renovation, a great venue. Jeff Beck played here Sunday night, but it was sold out.
After that we went to the County Music Hall of Fame for a couple of hours, and only made the top floor before the Studio B tour took us over town to, yes, Studio B. That’s Nashvilles equivalent to the Sun Studio, and has produced a 1,000 no.1 hits!! The guide wax brilliant and played all the fabulous tracks, really loud, and encouraging us to sing along. When we looked around, it was us who knew all the lyrics, not the Americans. But it was so loud that we could belt them out. Elvis, the Everlys, Roy Orbison, Jim Reeves, Don Gibson, Waylon Jennings ( who gave up his seat to the Big Bopper on Buddy Holly’s fatal flight) etc, all produced by Chet Atkins. And we got to sit at Elvis’s piano.
Then back to the Hall of Fame to finish off the tour! The Hall of Fame is very well done, and it’s amazing in the 60’s how many country stars had crossover hits in the pop/rock charts. But the highlight for me was the Kenny Rogers exhibition, when it said that after Harry Chapin’s death, he took over the charities on world hunger that were so central to Harry Chapin’s concerts.
We learnt so much these last couple of days.
And then Lou just excelled herself tonight by finding a restaurant called Etch. A bit like in India, we wanted a change of diet, this time from southern “cooking”, and Etch would have at least 1 Michelin star if it were in France.
Off to Memphis tomorrow.
I’ll post some “music” photos with this!