Day 3: More Music City Fun

So, today we are going to the church of where Country Music lives. The Ryman Auditorium or the outside looks like preaching should be going on inside, which it was. Once we stepped through the doors and saw the nearly acoustically perfect interior where country music stars made their start and continue to perform regularly, we knew this was musically hallowed ground. a you can almost hear the banjos, guitars, steel guitars, mandolins and the voices of the greats echoing off the walls and into our ears. Now I won't profess to know anything really about country and western music but after listening to the old clips of stars from days gone by, I do remember hearing some of these tunes from my childhood. I love history and this kind of history lives on forever and am I glad of it. Walking through the halls of the Ryman and seeing the stage where the greats performed, I'm glad we made this a part of the tour. As a matter of fact Marsha and I even had a photo made on the stage holding guitars and pretending to be one of the greats, even if only for the time it took to snap the photo. Several others in the group did the means it was fun afterward to see the smiles and joy on their faces as they took the stage at the Ryman Auditorium.

The General Jackson
The Geneal Jackson Showboat at Opryland is one of those old style riverboats complete with a great buffet meal and fantastic entertainment. We booked this even over a year ago which may account for the up close and personal seating we got. Four tables from stage left to right gave us a ringside seat for the Steve Hall and Shotgun Red show.  Not only was the meal delicious but once the show started we were treated to some of the best picking', fiddlin', singin' and comedy around. Steve Hall brand on comedy along with his singing got us all ready to step up and join right in. His fiddle player who goes by the name of Tigar played as if the strings would catch on fire. We have often heard at many other shows with fiddle players, their interpretation of the Orange Blossim Special. Until we heard Tigar. He had us all looking on in amazement as he tore through the OrangeBlossom Special as we've never heard it before. His play on the fiddle and mandolin was about as good and high energy as has ever been played on a stage. The coolest part was the video shown of Tigar as an eight year old appearing with Merle Haggard and watching and listening to his play along with his childhood self on stage.
 I wish I had taken the time to write down the names of his band members but I didn't so I'll have to acknowledge them this way. His drummer has a a history of big band music behind humans his take on Sing,Sing, Sing had that Gene Krupa quality to it that. Ames you San to beg for more. His steel player bass player and guitar player ALL are top notch musicians that made the one hour show fly by. Oh and I forgot to mention the Wendy or thirty other artists that took the stage under the guise of his rhythm guitar player, Ray. Blind since birth he sounded incredibly like every singer or newscaster he chose to be. lose your eyes and listen and you'll swear you're hearing Jim Reeves or Stevie Wonder or even Paul Harvey at their finest. Michael McDonald, Willie Nelson, Charlie Prided, Fresdie Fender, Walter Cronkite and the list goes on and on. Truly an amazing entertainer. And let's not forget Shotgun Red, the alter ego of  Steve Hall. His brand of comedy had us in stitches.

Country Music Hall of Fame
As halls of fame go this one is right up there with all the others. The displays, the music and the memorabilia make for an interesting and informative walk through the history of country music, from it's beginnings to the stars of today. We only had an hour there but we could have spent all day. Definitely have to make a return visit. As an added bonus, on the streets outside the CMHOF the television show, Nashville was filming. Star sighting! Connie Britton was seen filming a scene for an coming episode across the street from me. Too bad we had to move on to Studio B, but the itinerary takes precedence.

RCA Studio B
I know Studio B recorded more than just Elvis Presley but I didn't know was just how many hits he recorded at Studio B. His recording of  "Are You Lonesome Tonight" done in complete darkness was purely magical. It is not necessarily one of my favorites but after hearing the story of the recording session and listening to the cut it has surely moved up the list. Many of the stars recorded at Studio B we some of the all time greats of country and even the fledgling rock and roll. We listened to outtakes, saw some of the old equipment and even had a seat the piano once used by The King himself.
Today was a very productive and entertaining day on every aspect of the word. Tomorrow we move southeast to Chattanooga. Stay with us!