She don't know Sunday Morning Coming Down
She can't see what's so cool about he stopped lovin' her today
Or angel flying too close to the ground
No she don't like to play my kinda music
So I had to tell that girl to kiss my ass!
( excerpted from Ray Scott's 2005 single 'My Kinda Music')
An awesome earthly address : 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
She can't see what's so cool about he stopped lovin' her today
Or angel flying too close to the ground
No she don't like to play my kinda music
So I had to tell that girl to kiss my ass!
( excerpted from Ray Scott's 2005 single 'My Kinda Music')
An awesome earthly address : 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
I guess the heavens had a need to make us North Texans feel the thunder at 4AM on this August Sunday. The rain was coming down on this Sunday morning like it was the end of the world and it finally stopped at 11AM which meant missing church. That was fine because I could always turn to a 55 year old Kitty Wells rendition of Amazing Grace in my iTunes library.
I've been travelling to Tennessee over the last 3 months. Long enough to spell the state name without missing an alphabet right out of my deepest daydream. I might have missed church this Sunday, but what I truly missed this Sunday morning was The Mother Church of Country Music. I've even given it a 'palindrome acronym' - MCCM ( it reads Mother Church of Country Music even if you expand it from R-L ).
I can see this August rain trying to flood my neighbors pool through the right corner of my eye and a flash flood warning lights up on my iPhone through the left corner of my eye. This harked me back to tales of the great Nashville flood of 2010. That biblical level flood caused more than a row on Music Row. Texas floods have contributed to the music scene and it doesn't get better than Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Texas Flood" does it ?!
Below are 4 pictures of the "Historically-Cool-Since-1892" Ryman Auditorium in Nashville I shot standing in the same spot that David Allen Coe parked his hearse back in '67 trying to get some attention and pursue a musical ambition. The Ryman clearly presented an opportunity for historic exploration of a historic proportion.
I'm a history Buff, Jamie. Seeing the Ryman Auditorium for the first time took my breath away because of that 'history' word. The Ryman historians have done a fantastic job of capturing the timeline of the Auditorium starting with ( appropriately ) the birth of Captain Tom Ryman in 1841 in south Nashville.
What I find ironic is that Tom Ryman's personal life is very fish-y which makes it the perfect Sunday morning story to me because fish ( & bread ) has been associated with stories from the Bible. So, what's fish-y about the Captain?!
Tom Ryman's family relocated to Chattanooga when he was a kid. It was there he learnt the ways of the 'river life' by fishing alongside his father in the TN river. Oh Big River! When Ryman was 19, in 1860, his family returned to Nashville and his father passed away shortly thereafter. Using the skills he learned as a boy, Ryman earned money to support his mother and four siblings by fishing throughout the Civil War years.
Although barely literate, he was a shrewd and industrious businessman amassing a fleet of 35 riverboats by 1885 which was named the Ryman Line. That same year, legend has it that Tom Ryman became fed up with the immensely popular Reverend Sam Jones preaching against the evils of alcohol and gambling - two of the very things that made him money in his saloons and on his riverboats.
So on May 10, at age 44, Ryman and some friends went to one of Rev. Jones’ famous tent revivals to raise a Ruckus About Revival. But something in Jones’ sermon spoke to Ryman and he was so deeply affected that his life was changed forever. He pledged to construct a building large enough to hold all who wanted to hear Sam Jones and others preach. He wanted to ensure the citizens of Nashville would never have to attend a revival under a tent again.
The Union Gospel Tabernacle took seven years and approximately $100,000 ( couple a million bucks in 2014 money ) to complete. This picture below is how the UGT looked upon it's completion in 1892.
On June 1, 1892 Rev. Jones preached in the newly completed building he inspired. He declared, “I believe for every dollar spent in this Tabernacle, there’ll be $10 less spent in the future on court trials. This tabernacle is the best investment the city of Nashville ever made.” Rev. Jones had a vision grander than John The Revelator had on the Patmos island.
Rev. Jones couldn't have envisioned the Outlaw movement in country music that was about 6-7 decades away! I've had smaller visions. I have a vision of walking Broadway with Loretta Lynn and telling her "Hey Loretta, there's a lotta Wine, Women & Song on this little lane'. She might have advised "don't go home a-drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".
It was at Ryman's funeral on Christmas Day 1904 that Rev. Jones proposed to 5000 ( also the number of folks who were fed with just 5 loaves & 2 fish in the Bible ) mourners that the building be renamed the Ryman Auditorium in his honor. The idea was immediately embraced. From that day forward, the Union Gospel Tabernacle became known as the Ryman Auditorium and it has been called that for the last 110 years!
I'm trying to give this story of the Ryman a big Texas sized Milky Way spin. So you had Tom Ryman, the shrewd businessman, who went to create some ruckus at a revival meeting because the preacher was asking people to not kill that bottle of Tennessee Whisky and spend their lives Drinkin' and Dreamin' ( advice long lost on all the country stars who performed at the Ryman in the many decades later ). So Mr.Ryman shows up in a raging fit but the words of the preacher put a dent in him under that tent and thus was born a great American landmark. Come follow me, I'll make you fishers of men. There was a case for great architecture. Only In America, right Kix & Ronnie ?!
I'm not going to write about everything that has happened at the Ryman Auditorium in this post! It's impossible to do. But it's worth noting that what began as a stage for preaching gospel launched the careers of many talented musicians. Buildings have purpose but some buildings have "Re-Purpose". The only constant is change and it's worth noting that the Ryman's purpose changed over the years and it was kept relevant by hosting presidential speeches, controversial plays ( Tobacco Road in 1939 ), Houdini acts, Charlie Chaplin, Hellen Keller, the world-famous vaudeville acts of Will Rogers and last but not the least the Ryman hosted that famous barn dance called the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. Elvis gyrations were a one-time event at the Ryman and the Mother Church didn't give an inch to the counterculture of the 60's. Long hair was rare in admission to the Ryman stage those days.
One of my favorite facts about the Ryman is that Sissy Spacek ( playing Loretta Lynn in Coal Miners Daughter ) appeared alongside Ernest Tubb ( the real deal ) on stage at the Ryman. The Johnny Cash show was taped at the Ryman during it's almost 2 year run from 1969-1971 and it hosted greats like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and a certain Gordon Lightfoot.
One of my favorite facts about the Ryman is that Sissy Spacek ( playing Loretta Lynn in Coal Miners Daughter ) appeared alongside Ernest Tubb ( the real deal ) on stage at the Ryman. The Johnny Cash show was taped at the Ryman during it's almost 2 year run from 1969-1971 and it hosted greats like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and a certain Gordon Lightfoot.
It's worth noting that Captain Ryman's son Tom Ryman ( pic below ) made the headlines by performing at the Ryman in March of 1919 ( F Scott Fitzgerald was only a few months away from being launched into the limelight from inside a literary canon! ).
Besides country, the Ryman was hugely instrumental in launching 'Bluegrass' as a genre by showcasing the works of Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys in the very early 1940's. This marker shown below which can be found at the back right side of the Ryman documents this piece of Ryman Bluegrass history for the reading pleasure of those curious...
Some big names of country all have had their share of 'bluegrass sessions' covering Bill Monroe songs most notably Hag and Alan Jackson. The Blue Kentucky Girl never did a bluegrass album come to think of it. Does that Blue Moon Of Kentucky ever shine on you, Toby Keith ?
Long Black Trains, Striking Matches & Haywire Women
Towards the end of my stay in Nashville, I had finally decided to go see a show at the Ryman auditorium to experience history that is 'every evening in the making'. Sadly, I didn't have a lot of show options to chose from but I was quite pleased to see that Josh Turner was playing the night of the 15th. I knew 4 songs of his going in and I really hoped he'd play my favorite song of his which was and is still "Loretta Lynn's Lincoln".
I walked into the Mother Church and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pews of the original church are still intact. This could be the most fun I would have sitting in church I thought. I was praying for a "Revival" of life fortunes at this concert.
My fortunes revived real quick because the 36B seat that was assigned to my ticket was consumed by a rather obese woman which forced the super friendly usher to move me a lot closer to the stage allowing for a 8mm ultra wide of the whole Ryman stage! One of the advantages of having church pews for concert seating I thought and this is the only place in the world where folks have seen Elvis gyrating sitting in a church pew back in the day!
The show opened at 8PM with an energetic acoustic guitar act by the "Striking Matches", a boy-girl duo of Justin Davis ( a GA native ) and Sarah Zimmerman ( a PA native ). Zimmerman also happens to be Bob Dylan's given last name at birth.
The Striking Matches have already checked off "appear on the Grand Ole Opry" from their "things to do to be country stars" and I think they make a good 'millennial band' who can actually write a song! Sarah demonstrated her striking guitar skills and set the stage on fire on their last number. I almost think she is a female Tim Reynolds ( of Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds fame ). My final review of the Striking Matches is that they have some serious 'fire power' and they are a 'striking match made in music heaven'.
Josh Turner finally took the stage at 9PM and it was a very mellow entrance as opposed to the entrance Motley Crue made at their show which was taking place just a block away at the Bridgestone Arena. Josh Turner only had fireworks on the TV screens that lined either side of the stage!
Josh Turner ( fresh from a Switzerland tour eating lotssa cheese and chocoate per his admission ) fired away all his major hits starting with "Backwoods Boy" in his signature full bodied baritone and he made it look so damn easy. The chics in the audience were going haywire by the time he sang his 2010 hit Haywire.
What do you call a string of hay strands tied together ? HAYWIRE. That's what I was thinking when he sang that. As you'd expect there was a 'talking part' of the show where Josh Turner talked about his website store, social media, tour schedules and all that marketing stuff which was new to me because I have never heard a singer/band advertising in the middle of a show.
They take the business part of the 'music business' seriously in this city and I wasn't too happy about that part. I mean, the guys' already sold 12m records...and guess what ? Josh Turner also pointed out that he has a "Walmart-Only" 2-CD set called "Icon". The guy's an icon, so why even advertise ?!
The show ended with him singing "Long Black Train" and there was absolutely no trace of my favorite song "Loretta Lynn's Lincoln" ( nor does that Walmart Only 2-CD Icon set ) in the setlist tonight. I was shocked because it was a song they played on the radio. I'd give the show only a 7/10 for not singing that and for the marketing. I give it full marks for the acoustics and the huge seat upgrade that I got! Another page in the history book turned....
Some big names of country all have had their share of 'bluegrass sessions' covering Bill Monroe songs most notably Hag and Alan Jackson. The Blue Kentucky Girl never did a bluegrass album come to think of it. Does that Blue Moon Of Kentucky ever shine on you, Toby Keith ?
Long Black Trains, Striking Matches & Haywire Women
Towards the end of my stay in Nashville, I had finally decided to go see a show at the Ryman auditorium to experience history that is 'every evening in the making'. Sadly, I didn't have a lot of show options to chose from but I was quite pleased to see that Josh Turner was playing the night of the 15th. I knew 4 songs of his going in and I really hoped he'd play my favorite song of his which was and is still "Loretta Lynn's Lincoln".
I walked into the Mother Church and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pews of the original church are still intact. This could be the most fun I would have sitting in church I thought. I was praying for a "Revival" of life fortunes at this concert.
My fortunes revived real quick because the 36B seat that was assigned to my ticket was consumed by a rather obese woman which forced the super friendly usher to move me a lot closer to the stage allowing for a 8mm ultra wide of the whole Ryman stage! One of the advantages of having church pews for concert seating I thought and this is the only place in the world where folks have seen Elvis gyrating sitting in a church pew back in the day!
The show opened at 8PM with an energetic acoustic guitar act by the "Striking Matches", a boy-girl duo of Justin Davis ( a GA native ) and Sarah Zimmerman ( a PA native ). Zimmerman also happens to be Bob Dylan's given last name at birth.
The Striking Matches have already checked off "appear on the Grand Ole Opry" from their "things to do to be country stars" and I think they make a good 'millennial band' who can actually write a song! Sarah demonstrated her striking guitar skills and set the stage on fire on their last number. I almost think she is a female Tim Reynolds ( of Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds fame ). My final review of the Striking Matches is that they have some serious 'fire power' and they are a 'striking match made in music heaven'.
Josh Turner finally took the stage at 9PM and it was a very mellow entrance as opposed to the entrance Motley Crue made at their show which was taking place just a block away at the Bridgestone Arena. Josh Turner only had fireworks on the TV screens that lined either side of the stage!
Josh Turner ( fresh from a Switzerland tour eating lotssa cheese and chocoate per his admission ) fired away all his major hits starting with "Backwoods Boy" in his signature full bodied baritone and he made it look so damn easy. The chics in the audience were going haywire by the time he sang his 2010 hit Haywire.
What do you call a string of hay strands tied together ? HAYWIRE. That's what I was thinking when he sang that. As you'd expect there was a 'talking part' of the show where Josh Turner talked about his website store, social media, tour schedules and all that marketing stuff which was new to me because I have never heard a singer/band advertising in the middle of a show.
They take the business part of the 'music business' seriously in this city and I wasn't too happy about that part. I mean, the guys' already sold 12m records...and guess what ? Josh Turner also pointed out that he has a "Walmart-Only" 2-CD set called "Icon". The guy's an icon, so why even advertise ?!
The show ended with him singing "Long Black Train" and there was absolutely no trace of my favorite song "Loretta Lynn's Lincoln" ( nor does that Walmart Only 2-CD Icon set ) in the setlist tonight. I was shocked because it was a song they played on the radio. I'd give the show only a 7/10 for not singing that and for the marketing. I give it full marks for the acoustics and the huge seat upgrade that I got! Another page in the history book turned....
Hey alien honky tonk angels! This is the Ryman's cosmic address
Since I missed church this Sunday morning, I decided to watch this documentary of the heavens I had recently put on My List in my Netflix queue. I was in a mood for science rather than religion this morning. Yes Toby Keith, the next thing on My List was to see the documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
The first episode aptly titled "Standing Up In the Milky Way" got this Sunday off to a great start. The Blind Willie Johnson classic "Dark Was The Night - Cold Was The Ground" made a brief appearance in the audio as pictures of the Voyager flying through our solar system in 1977 ( Hendrix didn't need the Voyager to sing about the Valleys of Neptune did he ?! ) flashed across the frame. Keep in mind, that BWJ song was actually on the Voyager in case there was a tryst with God.
About midway through this first episode, the narrator started to give our Earth a "cosmic address" to help the curious viewer the big picture of where planet #3 in the solar system fits in the universe. This is what our cosmic address looks like in the observable universe ( who's observing ?! )...
.PNG)
I fused this observation with my pictures of the Ryman and thought that The Mother Church of Country Music Standing Up In The Milky Way needs a damn good Cosmic Address in case God is trying to figure out where to send those Honky Tonk Angels he might make one day. It's not that hard. All that needs to be done is to add :
> NASHVILLE
> TENNESSEE
> USA
on top of that heap of words in the picture above. Heck, who knows there may even be Honky Tonks in Andromeda next door to our beautiful Milky Way. I'm all in favor of Local Groups. So, now do you see where the Ryman fits into the Scheme of Creation ? It certainly was no Hail Mary pass, it was a sure shot structure that was commissioned by divine instincts.
Well, the Sunday Storm is over and my Sunday Science & Music School session is over. It's time to remove this Bible Belt from my waist because Monday morning will soon be here and I get to fly back to Nashville. I think I'll Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad). I'm gonna change genres for a while, put on some T-Bone Walker and cut through the heresy that's a well done T-Bone. Tonight, I'll dream of alien Honky Tonk Angels that God might have made after he sent the Devil down to Georgia.
