The band was deafening — country rock turned up to 11. The band next door boomed even louder. I covered my ears in the hot, sticky Nashville night. My daughter Katie and I made a beeline for the Ernest Tubb Record Shop where the air conditioning and soundproofing offered a haven from the chaos just feet away. We strolled the aisles of this iconic shop, looked at classic country and bluegrass promo shots, hefted a few LPs and CDs, and swapped stories with each other about our visits in Nashville.
Katie started. A few years ago, traveling with her band “Old Man Markley,” their bus broke down in Nashville. It was January, and the eight-degree temps meant that nobody would stop and listen to them if they tried busking on Broadway. So they found a huge (and warm) hotel lobby that had banjo players, bass players, fiddlers, even full bands wandering around. It was the annual SPGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America) convention, going in full swing. They went inside, set up, and started playing to the famously tradition-minded organization’s members. The younger membership was drawn to their eclectic mix of punk attitude, performance style and acoustic instruments. Old Man Markley soon sold out of their CDs and merch, and they made new friends and fans.
I shared a few stories too. Although most of my band touring was west of the Mississippi, and quite a few years ago, recording work still takes me to Nashville several times per year. I told Katie how Gruhn Guitars finally gave up on the obnoxious tourist street’s noise level, sold out, and moved away from Broadway. Having gone to the shop several times to interview George Gruhn and Walter Carter, I understood their frustration. Carter Vintage Guitars is now the premier acoustic instrument shop in Nashville, and it’s located a safe mile away.
In the quiet and cool store, we chatted with the manager and then braved the crowds and noise to make a retreat. I took Katie by the Ryman Auditorium, former site of the Grand Ole Opry. We reveled in these hallowed grounds of country and bluegrass history before catching a ride back to our hotel near Music Row.
We had come to Nashville for an event I attend annually, the International Country Music Conference, held at Belmont University. This year, both Katie and I delivered papers. Attendees include music historians, musicologists, journalists, broadcasters, bloggers, musicians, and more. Scholars present new research on historic figures and topics in the field of country music, as well as contemporary and emerging trends.