Howdy Y’all from Nashville
We got to Nashville around late afternoon thanks to an hour that we earned because of the time difference – Yip, it’s central time here. We immediately spotted cool people with cowboy boots and hats and went to see a crowded area – Ryman Auditorium – the home of a traditional country music show and lots of concerts (we didn’t buy a ticket because Omri probably wouldn’t have appreciated the loud music). So we went to Broadway and 2nd street – where all the Honky Tonks and fun shops are located. Honky Tonks are actually bars with live country performances of beginning artists, with people drinkin’ and dancin’ country music. In one of the shops we met a “hat designer” that explained us exactly how to wear a country hat, he takes his job seriously and works with a lot of stars (including Bono from U2 and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler). He was also happy to share with us his thoughts about Jews as the chosen people. That is until a customer wanted to buy a hat and he had to bend it in the exact way a hat should be bent. The next day we went to the country music hall of fame which was located across the street from our hotel, and saw all the country legends and also new emerging stars. The highlight of the day was a tour we took at RCA “Studio B” – where Elvis, Dolly Parton, Everly brothers and many more legends recorded their albums, and other contemporary artists still do. We heard many stories about Elvis and Dolly, and saw Elvis’s favorite Piano that he used for warming up before recordings. We also learned that he recorded “It’s now or never” and “Are you lonesome tonight” on the same night, with a specific lighting he preferred for each song, and managed to do it in one take. We learned many more musical and cultural facts about country music, how it all began and grew into the “Nashville sound” and became a Part of rockn’roll – our parents would have loved it too, because it seems that the most famous songs from the 60’s were recorded there. In the afternoon we planned to go to a southern mansion but we only saw it from the outside because they wouldn’t let strollers in although it’s a long tour. Instead, we hung out at the upscale neighborhoods of Nashville (nothing less than Beverly Hills). We were very impressed with the southern friendliness, especially towards Omri.
