NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jay McDowell is a nerd, he’s quick to point out. The head nerd, in fact, of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. Or at least that’s what the multimedia archivist calls himself as he leads a small group of visitors through the fascinating exhibits, stopping occasionally to point out one snippet or another about the musicians and songwriters behind the legends of every genre of music, not just of country.
“Musicians have the ability to turn three minutes in a closed room into a lifetime of memories,” McDowell says as he walks among the ever-growing cache of memorabilia attesting to the musical scribes behind the songs of acts including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and even Berry Gordy’s Motown and Hitsville USA.
Nashville, McDowell points out, is a city built on sound, and there’s no shortage of talent in this place nicknamed Music City.
“Just about everybody plays guitar in Nashville,” McDowell says. “You really have to step up your game.”
The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is but one tiny sliver of Nashville’s heritage that tells the storied history of country music in the Tennessee capital.
Just about everywhere we visit, our guides, McDowell included, are excited about Country Music, the latest documentary from Ken Burns, which premiered Sept. 15 on PBS. Nashville dominates the eight-part series.
In one form or another, country music has always been in Nashville, but it didn’t really click until the Grand Ole Opry sprang up. That happened in about 1925, when WSM’s George Hay introduced the WSM Barn Dance with these words, “For the past hour we have been listening to music taken largely from grand opera, but from now on we will present the Grand Ole Opry.”
The name stuck. The Opry grew in popularity, and it finally ended up at the Ryman Auditorium in 1941. That was the Opry’s home until 1974, when it moved from downtown to Opryland USA, the behemoth entertainment complex several miles from the Ryman. It took with it a six-foot wooden circle sawed from center stage and then fitted into the new one at Opryland.
The Ryman is still open, and if you’re a country music fan, then you owe it to yourself to see this historically rich venue filled with the ghosts of early entertainers Roy Acuff, Eddy Arnold and Minnie Pearl. It’s still hosting concerts by big-name artists.
My husband and I also visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which pays tribute to greats including Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette and George Jones.
We took in a midweek performance at the Grand Ole Opry, even springing for a backstage guided tour so that we could have a chance to stand on stage as the show was in progress. We passed by Ricky Skaggs as we made our way to the stage, where we stood next to Aaron Lewis as he awaited his turn to sing. I can’t explain why, but attending the Opry is a very sweet, very familiar experience, and you somehow feel mystically connected to its performers as if they’re long-lost cousins.
Other Nashville landmarks include the Historic RCA Studio B, where the likes of Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley recorded hit songs. If you didn’t get enough of Johnny Cash, George Jones or Patsy Cline at the Musicians Hall of Fame or Country Music Hall of Fame, these three country stars are each honored with their own museum. And, if it’s still not enough, until early 2020, you can also see “The State of Sound: Tennessee’s Musical Heritage” at the Tennessee State Museum.
Live music is everywhere in the city. Just throw a guitar pick and you’ll hit a club, bar or lounge to while away a few hours. Of special note, you may want to check out the iconic Bluebird Cafe or Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge or any number of venues along the Honky Tonk Highway of Lower Broadway. Let your ears be your guide. If it sounds good, then walk on in.
