Nashville Kats

Yesterday I took a stroll down Broadway Avenue, the home to the Nashville tourist music scene.  It reminded me a little bit of Beale Street in Memphis and the French Quarter in New Orleans.

The first thing you notice is the music in the streets.  The sounds are coming from open door bars and honky tonks, from street corner musicians, and from speakers that are strategically located along your path.

Like the two other locations mentioned above, this street no longer has businesses in operation from years past.  They have been replaced by the bars & honky tonks, eateries, tshirt and souvenir shops, and a few stores selling country leather goods like hats, belts and boots.

The music is like no other.  It's slow, sometimes a bit twangy, but always telling a story.  If you actually listen to it you get some amusing storylines.  Never will forget the first time I heard "my girlfriend fell in love with my tractor!"  Seriously????  Just hope it was a Deere!

 These musicians are obviously in love with their craft.  Almost all have an acoustic guitar hanging off their back.  Of course, you also have the drummer with his sticks, and the electric bass player.

The street corner guy gets up earlier than most so that he can grab his spot so he can be ready for the tourists that will come along with money to be dropped into a cup, bucket or open guitar case. These pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and occasional dollar make up this musician's lively hood.  It may be enough to cover a meal or two for hopefully a day or two.  They all can play.  They have all learned that they also must be able to sing a song or two.  Some look up at you, hoping.your hand is coming out of your pocket.  Others sing with their eyes closed trying to kill the hunger pain from all those missed meals.  Their dreams of making it big one day faded long ago, but their heart is still in it for the love of their music.

As you walk by the honky tonks around the noon hour, you can get wrapped up in the sounds coming from inside.  One peek inside and you see a group of musicians working the stage in the hopes of eventually being discovered.  It's too early in the day for that to happen, but you have to practice your craft living off the early crowd tip jar til an evening slot opens up.  You notice that even during the lunch hour, all these places have one thing in common.   The folks occupying the tables and bar stools are snacking, but have been consuming beer.  What's a country song without a few empty beer bottles on the table???

I'm not much into this country music scene they have going on up here in Nashville.  No jeans, boots or cowboy hat for me, just baseball cap, shorts and flippers do me just fine.

I'm headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is next to the Omni Hotel.  I figure I'll learn a few things along the way, might even be humming "my girl friend fell in love with my tractor" by the end of the tour!