janeandbobandmore: COUNTRY MUSIC IN NASHVILLE

COUNTRY MUSIC IN NASHVILLE

Bars along two long blocks on Broadway in downtown Nashville frame the center of the Honky Tonk district. Here aspiring country musicians rotate on stage every hour or two as they play gigs from 11 am to 3 am daily. On these small stages singers and instrumentalists, with high hopes and electronic amplification, audition before ever-changing audiences. The tip bucket is passed occasionally while the fiddlers, singers, etc. remind the usually appreciative audience that they “play for tips.”

The downtown Ryman Auditorium was built originally as a tabernacle. Later it was converted to a country music venue, the original location of the Grand Ole Opry – today referred to as “the Mother Church of Country Music.” It features known performers – singers, pianists, fiddlers, bass-players, etc. – who perform before enthusiastic audiences. Ryman is a very informal setting – you can drink beer, sing and clap along, dress in cowboy boots and plaid shirts. Country music devotees are just thrilled to be there.

Tourist buses and thousands of cars bring music lovers to park in the Opry Mills Mall and then cross a bridge to the most revered venue – the Grand Ole Opry. Here musicians who have reached the pinnacle perform to a responsive packed house.

Our cast included – a very talented black singer from Arizona. Dom Flemons, a Grammy Award winning folk artist, appeared for the first time at the Opry. He had a magic touch playing the harmonica and singing tunes of the Buffalo soldiers who served in the US Army and settled in the west. Carrie Underwood starred that night, honored for her ten years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. She is an amazing country music singer and has hosted the Country Music Awards for seven or so years. Probably (or maybe) you have heard of her.

The Opry shows are broadcast live on Opry’s mobile app, opry.com, Sirius XM, 650 AM at WSM so you can tune in and sing along! What began in 1925 as a simple radio show is radio’s longest-running program and can be heard today around the world. I would be remiss if I did not mention their main advertisers – Dollar General, Boot Barn and Humana. So while the performance was going on, a Mr. Stubbs, clad in a dull gray suit with a sonorous deep voice, did a live narration of the show to the millions of listeners worldwide.

Two odd facts

1. Country music now can be heard in NYC at Opry City Stage in Times Square.

2. Ben called us on FT from South Korea as we sat in the audience. We turned the iPhone camera towards the stage so momentarily we were broadcasting to Asia.