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On the banks of the Cumberland River on Christmas Eve in 1779 Nashville was founded by James Robertson & John Donelson. The city soon became an important port, cotton center and later on a railroad hub. Of course the history changed when in the 1950s country music came to town. Aside from being country music’s Mecca and one of the birthplaces of rock & roll, Nashville holds a few more historical tidbits. Did you know that William Driver, a relocated New England sea captain was the first to use the term “Old Glory” when referring to the American Flag? Were you aware that the first man to blend a mixture of top roasted coffee beans talked a local Nashville hotel manager into letting him try out the new blended roast? The Maxwell Hotel’s new coffee became a huge hit and was so tasty that Teddy Roosevelt himself said it was, “good to the last drop”. Joel Owsley Cheek named his new product Maxwell House Coffee. Cornelia Clark Ford, the first active duty woman pilot to die in service called Nashville home.
Music is the heart and soul of Nashville today. The WSM Barn Dance was a little radio show when it debuted in 1925. It grew in popularity expanding to 4 hours. On Saturday nights the show followed a classical music program on the NBC Network. One night a conductor made a remark alluding that there was no place for “realism” in the classical genre. When “Barn Dance” host, George Hay, came on the air he remarked that the previous program featured Grand Opera but his show would present the “Grand Ol Opry”. A legend was born. Music recording studios in the 1950s began producing what would later be identified as the Nashville sound. Today a large variety of music is produced in Nashville. Here are some of the diverse songs and albums that were recorded there:
Heartbreak Hotel 1956 Elvis Presley
Rockin Around the Christmas Tree 1958 Brenda Lee
Pretty Woman 1964 Roy Orbison
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 1971 Joan Baez
License to Chill ’04 Jimmy Buffet
Stronger ’11 Kelly Clarkson
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This year we decided to make a Nashville road trip our Spring Break destination. We set out on a frigid Saturday in what is supposed to be Spring. After an overnight stay in Kingsport, which my “Meet Me Halfway” app designated as the midway point between Linden & Nashville we arrived in Music City. Since we did not account for the time zone change we arrived early to our hotel and our accommodations were not yet ready for our occupation. The sky was crystal blue and cloudless and the sun had warmed things up significantly so we decided to head into downtown and scope things out. Things were hopping when we got there thanks to back to back concerts featuring Bob Seger and then 2 nights of Kenny Cheseny. Today there was a hockey game with tons of fans walking around sporting Red Wings and Predators jerseys. We drove through the streets noting all the pay parking lots & metered spaces when all of a sudden a car departed from an actual free parking spot! Don resurrected his dormant parallel parking skills and soon we were strolling along Broadway.
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We picked our way through the throngs and found our way to the Visitor’s Center. An informative gentleman helped us find what we felt was the best deal to accomplish our touristy goals. Nashville offers a pass called the Total Access which allows you to choose 4 out of 20 local attractions for a flat fee of $60 per ticket. The individual admission prices vary between $35 to $10 per attraction so if you choose wisely the savings can be quite substantial. The Visitor’s Center guy assured us that things would return to “normal” tomorrow after the frenzy of activity in town this weekend. Not wanting to give up a good free parking space we decided to check off some of my downtown must dos and with the weather being so cooperative we decided to head to the Shelby Ave Pedestrian Bridge. This spot affords some beautiful views of the riverfront area and is a nice alternative to the crazy congestion of Broadway.
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Back at street level we did a little more hoofing through downtown. It’s a very festive atmosphere and reminded me a little of when we were in the French Quarter after a Saints victory, except with not as many drunks, less debauchery and a soundtrack of country music instead of jazz emanating from all the honky tonk joints.
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A stop at the Goo Goo Shop was also on my list. What’s a “Goo Goo” you ask? Well, it’s a confection that’s a Nashville tradition and is a chocolate covered nut cluster available in several varieties. Definitely a delightful candy and I bought a box for use as Easter basket fillers.
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Some say that the name “Goo Goo” stands for Grand Ol Opry. I just thought it was because they’re gooey. In the back of the store is where they make the daily special Goo Goos. We sampled the dark chocolate deluxe and Damian gave it his seal of approval. Now with Goo Goos in hand we trekked back to the car and saw a few more sights on the way.
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Time to head back to our hotel for check in, dinner and maybe a swim. Tomorrow will be a busy day as we head off to Andrew Jackson’s Presidential home, The Hermitage.
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