RogersSpring 2015
Music City USA, Nashville, TN: After our tour of the CW Museum we decided we'd do what we always do when we visit a city, which is to walk the town. So, we walked down tourist trapped Broadway which is the main street. Lots of old brick buildings, many restored to maintain that nice patina. Lots of Music City t shirts, souvenirs and bars along the street, nothing of interest for us so we walked down to the river's edge. We always seem drawn away from the asphalt and concrete. A nice breath of fresh air.
We walked a couple blocks and walked past the historic Ryman Auditorium where the Grand Old Opry broadcast concerts until 1974. No time for a tour today. Don't let the Broadway photo fool you, the rest of the city was not jammed packed with cars and people. Parking was readily available with many lots to choose from.
The photo up top is from Tuesday night when we went out to a great live music venue in the city called "3rd and Lindsey". On this night, the featured band had some interesting connections. The lead guitarist is an assistant to my daughter and married to the lead singer. The backup singer has a impressive "I sang back up for" list that goes back a long way and is also our daughter's RE agent. She's going with the other back up singer who is actually a Nashville session drummer who tours with Marty Stuart. The other lead guitarist is married to the bass player and is a Nashville producer. The lead singer-songwriter is BeBe Buell, ex girl friend of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and mother of actress Liv Tyler. The sultry, deep voiced rock singer and the band cooked as the three "our generation" couples and drummer sure had a good time. 80s country star Crystal Gayle came up and sang a couple of songs with BeBe and I thought that was the best part of the one and half hour set. Yes, Steven Tyler was in the audience and Barbara almost had a fit when he and his body guard walked right next to us as we were talking with the band after the gig. "OMG!!!! Eeeeeee! Quick Dad, take iphone selfie! .....Oh, you're no fun."
Yes, after two years of visiting Music City USA, it's quite obvious that there are musicians everywhere, like roots of tree, interlaced through out the city, working day jobs, supporting gigs, waiting for their next big break or just enjoying being a part of the scene. It's not a dog-eat-dog enviornment like LA or NY, the folks are quite friendly and southern charm is everywhere. Reminds me of home.
