#49: Music City

Smashville, Nashvegas, the Buckle of the Bible Belt, Gnashville, the Birthplace of Country Music.  Pack your boots, we’re headed to Nashville!

The Union Station Nashville Yards, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, ended up being the perfect selection for respite.  The hotel has high enough ratings (4.6 on Google, 4.5 on Tripadvisor) while maintaining moderately low room rates.  Its location on Nashville’s notorious Broadway is walking distance to everything in the Capital of Country Music, but not so close that the noise of the honky-tonks can reach it. 

Consistently rated among the best historic hotels in America, the Union Station was originally built as a railroad terminal in 1900.  The Romanesque Revival architecture, complete with the original stained glass 70-foot lobby ceiling, is cherished by Nashville visitors even if they are staying at a different hotel.  On certain evenings, a small jazz band can be found filling the lobby with sax and keyboard riffs.  It is Music City, after all.

Those who bring walking shoes in addition to cowboy boots can venture from the Union Station to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.  The “House that Holds the Music” has about 500 instruments, 2,000 wardrobe items, and thousands of other various objects in its collection.  Whether it’s Jerry Reed’s hat, Burl Ives’s banjo, Conway Twitty’s suit, Hank Williams Jr.’s boots, or the midnight black selection of all-the-above belonging to Johnny Cash, the museum will not disappoint true country-western enthusiasts.  The permanent collection of the museum is rightfully committed to the historic side of the genre and therefore might invoke artist names that modern country fans are completely unfamiliar with.  However, the rotating exhibitions often have a more contemporary focus.  Let’s face it though, the best way to experience music in Nashville is to see it live.

Since 1925, the live radio broadcast known as the Grand Ole Opry has entertained millions of country music listeners from its various venues in Nashville.  The 4,000-seat Opry House on the eastern outskirts of the city has been the relocated home of the show since President Richard Nixon played the inaugural performance in 1974.  Although thousands of acts have performed at the Grand Ole Opry from its inception, being accepted as a member is tantamount to hall of fame induction and is an honor that has only been given to approximately 230 artists or groups to date.  Renowned multi-platinum singer-songwriter Vince Gill headlined the Opry during my visit, with his rendition of Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally” being a fan favorite (Gill covered this same song with the help of Sheryl Crow, Keb’ Mo’, Albert Lee, and James Burton at Crossroads 2010).  Preceding Vince Gill that night were Madeline Edwards (her voice and style reminiscent of Amy Winehouse), T. Graham Brown with his cover of “Mustang Sally”, and social media star Pedal Steel Noah (whose 80,000 Instagram followers surely loved his Opry debut).  I was lucky to have witnessed that level of talent in such a historic place, but my quest for live music didn’t stop there.

The Grand Ole Opry is a rite of passage for any country music fan.  But the large venue with its network level production was built specifically as a tourist attraction.  For 25 years there was even a theme park known as Opryland USA adjacent to the venue.  As great of an experience the Opry is, any artist who got their start in Nashville would agree that it is not what the reputation of the city is built on.  Rather, the heart of Nashville is beating with the live music in every little bar or restaurant that has enough room in the corner for a few instruments to be played.  The real Nashville comes from the “open mic” nights and jam sessions that are overflowing with aspiring musicians trading heart and soul for a chance to be heard.

Tucked away off the beaten path twelve miles outside of downtown Nashville is a restaurant called Papa Turney’s Old Fashioned BBQ.  Exit the highway, weave through a quiet neighborhood, and take a winding side road over a forested hill that opens into a lakeside marina.  If you were to then wander into the Nashville Shores “Captain’s Quarters” to rent a boat or purchase some fishing bait, you’re liable to catch a whiff of hickory smoke or hear the standard 12-bar blues rhythm beating from the floor above.  Outside the door on the second story is a sign declaring “We are all family here!!”  Inside, the walls are covered with music memorabilia and the tables are covered in red-and-white checkered polyester.  The barbecue comes in a Styrofoam container even if you are dining inside.  It’s not fancy, it’s Southern.  In any case, the food is only half the reason for being there.

About two feet from the front of the dining tables in Papa Turney’s is an alcove nicknamed “Miss Zeke’s Juke Joint” where every Wednesday and Saturday are live jam sessions that are host to anyone and everyone who might show up.  Pictured above, blues artist Lance Lopez literally played the strings off his Frost Blue Epiphone Firebird while burning the place down; hence him switching to a friend’s Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul before this YouTube short was recorded: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/svwUelOtI00.  Look closely to see he came into the dining area and played his solo while standing on a chair at our table.  That, as they say, is entertainment. 

It’s Nashville, so failing to eat fried chicken would be just as sacrilegious as skipping out on the barbecue or live music.  A renowned brunch spot is Biscuit Love in the trendy Gulch neighborhood (go on a weekday to avoid an hour-long line).  Their “East Nasty”, consisting of a piece of fried chicken slathered in sausage gravy and stuffed in between two halves of a flaky biscuit, was voted Bon Appetit’s Best Sandwich of 2015.  The egg is optional, but if you go for it, I recommend sunny side up as opposed to scrambled like I did.  Also, go crazy and ask for the “Nasty Princess” off their secret menu; it’s the same thing but with spicy chicken (plus it sounds funnier when you order it).

In Blog #32 we learned that New Haven, Connecticut is renowned for its pizza.  Blog #34 was all about the famous pretzels and beer of Munich, Germany.  Nashville enters the analogy with its hot chicken.  Legend has it that back in the 1930s, Thornton Prince’s scorned girlfriend fried him up a mess of chicken seasoned with revenge, jealousy, and way too much cayenne pepper.  Contrary to the intentions of his soon-to-be ex-lover, Prince loved the meal so much that he was inspired to open what would eventually come to be known as the famous Prince’s Hot Chicken.  Over the years, spicy chicken became quite popular throughout certain Nashville neighborhoods.  But it wasn’t until the inaugural Music City Hot Chicken Festival in 2007 that a new era of hot chicken offerings started popping up all throughout the region.  By 2016, Nashville hot chicken was available at KFC.  Buffalo Wild Wings followed suit.  Today, it’s all over the country.  And while I didn’t make it over to Prince’s during my visit to Nashville, I did enjoy what is arguably the next best choice of Hattie B’s.

Perched next to the Johnny Cash Museum just off the famed Broadway strip in downtown Nashville is a diner that combines the history of music with great homestyle Southern food.  Sun Diner was named in honor of Sun Records, the first label to record Elvis Presley.  Despite having only been in business for less than a decade, Sun Diner quickly rose to prominence not only by serving great food but by being the first 24-hour restaurant in Nashville.  Its location just steps from the Honky Tonk Highway and its breakfast-all-day menu became a hit for late night partygoers looking for comfort food to soak up their libations.  Pictured above is Sun Diner’s “Let’s Do The Twist” crème brûlée French toast which is made with cinnamon bread drenched in Rum Chata batter, topped with berries and whipped cream.  However, the most talked about dish at Sun Diner is without a doubt their short rib hash consisting of beer braised short rib meat and potato hash topped with caramelized onions, eggs, béarnaise sauce, provolone, and arugula.  All were fantastic – in fact my short rib hash couldn’t even survive on the plate long enough to get its picture taken.  Alas, there won’t be any 10:00pm French toast orders during my next Nashville trip; I have been told the Sun Diner is now operating only during typical brunch hours as opposed to catering to the late-night crowd.

I did manage to eat more than just fried comfort food during my trip to Tennessee.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my visit to the Nashville Farmers’ Market happened to be during their first annual Watermelon Festival.  At first glance the Nashville Farmers’ Market appears similar to any other: a combination indoor-outdoor market with fruits and vegetables, honey, jam, pastries, cheese, etc. spread among the booths of vendors selling their various trinkets.  But the history goes back to 1802 when the market was first opened as a means for farmers to bring their goods into town.  It has evolved today to include a pub and some 30 eateries in addition to the market vendors.

The Nashville Farmers’ Market is adjacent to the 11-acre Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park which opened in 1996 on the 200^th anniversary of the statehood of Tennessee.  The picture above was taken from the Court of Three Stars and the Carillon, which contains 95 bells representing the counties in Tennessee.  The Carillon plays music, including the Tennessee Waltz at the top of every hour.  The view across the park to the Capitol is quite lovely especially on a day with pleasant weather.

Another walkable spot in Nashville is the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge which was completed in 1909 and spans the Cumberland River to connect the downtown area with the East Nashville suburbs.  Known simply as “the pedestrian bridge” to most locals, it is a Nashville icon that offers a great view of the city skyline.  The General Jackson Showboat can be seen from the bridge; as can Nissan Stadium, the home of the Tennessee Titans.  Fun fact: the entirety of the music video for Big & Rich’s hit song “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)” was shot on the bridge.

I would like to think this trip was a good example of how a few days in Redneck Las Vegas doesn’t automatically mean nonstop uproarious debauchery in the saloons along Broadway.  The bachelorette party attendees may disagree with me, but there is so much more to do in Nashville than stay up all night drinking and dancing.  While it might not be the most family-friendly vacation one could possibly plan, any music or food lover will surely have a good time in Smashville. 

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