Nashville

Nashville.

                   Just the sound of that city’s name sends shivers up and down any Country Music fan’s spine.

          Down at the honky-tonk.

          The honky-tonk?

          Or a honky-tonk?

          Depends on whether you’re going down to a specific location or just heading out to a random venue. Both work.

          But what in the name of all that’s holy is a honky-tonk?

          Do you like Country Music?

          To stretch the vernacular, any place that you can hear Country Music (and have a beer) is a honky-tonk.

          Except maybe Madison Square Garden, where you can do both but that would really stretch it.

          A lot!

          Nashville’s Lower Broadway is an endless array of bars.

          Honky-tonks.

          Because here, more than anywhere else on the planet, you can listen to Country Music. Played and sung by some incredibly talented people, some famous, some who should be famous.

          None of which are not talented.

          This place is obviously unique. Name me another city where you can go door to door (I am not exaggerating) and hear (pick your genre) your favorite music.

          Non-stop.

          Morning ‘til morning.

          Open ‘til close.

          Almost 365.

          It’s always been like this, but not quite like this.

          Back in the day, before the ‘90’s, this part of Nashville was just as run down as any old city in the country was. Sleezy bars, pawn shops, peep shows, you name it, it was all here.

          Back before the day, when Nashville was just a good ‘ole town in Tennessee, Country Music was popular, but only in the country. Not even close to being as mainstream as it is now.

          The pinnacle of making it in the Country Music world was being invited to sing and play on Saturday night on the Grand Ole Opry stage in the Ryman Auditorium. Here the likes of Hank Williams Sr. , George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Little Jimmy Dickens, et al, plied their trade,  and if they were really lucky, they were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry as a member, not just a stage performer.

          The Opry started in 1925 on WSM out of Nashville and continues to this day, making it the longest running radio broadcast show in history, coming up on it’s 100 th anniversary.

          The Ryman Auditorium was the home of the Opry from 1943 until 1974 when a new venue was constructed a few miles away near the now defunct Opryland Amusement Park. The new performing theatre was larger and more modern, having things like air-conditioning and other essential amenities.

          What it didn’t have is history.

          While the Opry has been in its current location for 47 years, it still considers the Ryman Auditorium as it’s spiritual home and returns there several times a year, to pay homage to its roots.

          As like anything in this world, things change.

          Some for the better, some not, and this position is usually dictated by one’s perspective.

          Stay the course or modernize?

          How far do you take it?

          What parameters will folks endure without having them feel abandoned?

          Nashville is changing, and everyone wants a piece of that Golden Ring. Millions, no, probably billions, are being poured into Nashville and its environs. The city is littered with cranes on top of buildings, lifting them up story by story, making room for both residents and potential new business opportunities. The likes of The Four Seasons and other upscale hostelries are currently under construction. These guys don’t just show up and decide to build. They do their homework, and only invest in cities that they see a bright future in.

          NASCAR is back.

          First time in about 20 years.

          If ever there was a match made in heaven , it’s NASCAR and Nashville. NASCAR even moved its  Championship Banquet to Nashville last year. Nashville has two world-class Convention Centers and is getting more popular every year.

          This is the city to go to for both bachelor and bachelorette destination parties. This was evident even as we walked around. Que the nine young ladies, dressed nicely, wearing their cowgirl boots, roaming from honky-tonk to honky-tonk on lower Broadway. It was quite evident.

          We left the Ryman and made our way across town, (everything is walkable) to the other hallowed building in Nashville.

          The Country Music Hall of Fame.

          This is a special place, and they know it. The curators here do such a fine job of enveloping you in the soft twangs of nostalgia, that you feel like you’re wearing Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors.

          We spent about two and a half hours there and barely scratched the surface. When the history and base of something is centered in a particular area, it just feels right to have a place like the Hall of Fame located here.

          The main reason that we came to Nashville was to visit with two awesome former Chatterbox employees, Joey Oldock and Racheal Condit.

          I try not to throw the word awesome around indiscriminately, because not everything is awesome.       

          But these two are.

          They both started in lower ranked positions as kids at the Chatterbox and quickly displayed their talents and willingness to learn and advance, to the point where they were both Shift Managers and had total control of our beloved restaurant. I told Joey years ago that he was a natural in the Service Industry and aside from his music, Joey has made a name for himself down here. Joey has found a home at an establishment called The Goat, which has about 9 locations and is part of an organization that just hit a Billion dollars in sales! His presence in this town was evident as we walked around Nashville and his customers smiled and waved to him.

          Rachel’s passion was always to help others and that path has led her to be accepted into the University of Tennessee’s Graduate School where she is pursuing a Master’s in Social Work. There will be no finer person to hold this title that I know of.

          I am so incredibly proud of these two and seeing them grow from the little kids at the Chatterbox to these fine examples of adults made the visit that much more special.

          We will be back.