For the Love of Country
I just returned home after working the first half of the month in the South, specifically Nashville and Atlanta. I lovingly refer to this as “The Jeff Rago Confederate Tour ‘09”. I was thinking of getting t-shirts made. Anyone interested?
I had been to Nashville for the first time a few weeks prior and got my first taste of the honky tonk as I bounced around from bar to bar on Broadway. That street has an energy all its own. One thing I can say about the ladies and gentlemen of the south is that they like to drink and they love their country.
Country music lingers in the air as if God installed surround sound in the city of Nashville and is spinning the hits 24/7. You breathe it in when you wake and it spoons you to sleep at night. There is nowhere to run so the best thing is to just embrace it and enjoy the ride.
Now my knowledge of country music is very limited. I have a few Dixie Chicks albums and I did do a mean Achy Breaky in the 90’s but that is pretty much where it ends. I have a strong Mason-Dixon line in my music collection.
A good chunk of my Nashville time was spent at The Grand Ole Opry. On stage, back stage, in the house. There was no part of that building that I didn’t inhabit. When you get up on stage you can’t help but notice this big oak-colored circle up front and center. The Opry has been in its current location since 1974 but prior to that it was downtown at Ryman Auditorium for 30 plus years. They cut a piece of the Ryman stage and brought it over so that singers could perform on some of the same boards as the great country music legends. I love nostalgia so I had to stand in that circle.
Looking out at those 4400 seats while standing center stage was thrilling. I was on the same wood that legends like Elvis, Johnny, Patsy, Dolly and Reba have all performed on. So this is what it feels like to be born a coal miner’s daughter. Jesus, take the wheel. Hand me a banjo!
Later that week I was invited to sit up on stage during the Tuesday night performance being broadcast live on WSM radio where it has been for over eighty years. Wow. Those 4400 empty seats were now filled with cheering fans. I saw and met Little Jimmy Dickens and Charlie Daniels and I have to say that some Hollywood “celebs” could learn a lesson from these country music icons. Both men are gracious and kind. Their talents are exquisite. To see Charlie Daniels fiddle his way through “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” a few feet away almost made me wet my pants. It was foot-stompin’, knee-slappin’, jaw-droppin’ good time.
The next night I head back to The Grand Ole Opry for some more country music fun. First up, Josh Turner. With his soap opera good looks and his rich, baritone voice, he envelops the house like a velvet blanket. It’s hard to believe this gorgeous sound is coming out of him. Lady Antebellum takes the stage next and they are fresh, sexy and fun. I really love their sound. Darius Rucker closes the show, which is fantastic but a little surreal. Hootie without the Blowfish singing country? It works really well.
I left Nashville a little more enlightened to the world of country music. I wouldn’t say I have become a die hard fan yet but there is something really special about this genre. The talent is undeniable. The heart is authentic. The passion is contagious.
Well written and the pic nicely illustrates the article. I did a DJ stint on a country music station many, many years ago. I did a Sunday afternoon shift and I played my favorite songs that sounded more non-country like Ronnie Milsapp’s Santa Barbara.
I enjoy country more now than I did back then.
Country is definitely growing on me. If there are any artists that you particularly love let me know. I would love to give them a listen.