Sounds like a great time! I've gotten more curious about Nashville in recent years (probably as I've gotten more into country music). I'm always surprised at how much more established country music there is that doesn't make it to country radio (at least, my country radio in the Chicago area).
It's a really interesting place to me. Lots of history, lots of natural attractions, a good bit of culture, and of course the music scene. You know the Jason Aldean song "Crazy Town," with the line "everybody plays, everybody sings"? I think there's something to that. I hadn't walked around downtown much until this trip, and especially at night--every bar you pass (and there are a lot) there's a live band on stage that you can hear through the windows or piped out to the sidewalk on speakers, and even along the street there are street musicians playing. Some on guitar, some on other instruments. Even saw a few (I presume) homeless guys playing paper cups, of all things. Heck, even the electrical cabinets near traffic lights have speakers built in that play music. Lots of music everywhere you go. Pretty cool. :)
The Oak Ridge Boys and Larry Gatlin are country icons! That's awesome you go to go to the Ryman. I've only driven/walked past it. Have you been to Tootsie's yet? That's where Willie Nelson signed his first recording contract. Apparently it has a back door into the Ryman so a lot of the singers from the Opry would slip in after a performance.
Apparenly the Gatlins and Oak Ridge Boys have also been friends pretty much since childhood. The things you learn at these shows! The first time I went to the Grand Ole Opry was at the Ryman, back when I was living in Nashville and my Dad came for a visit. Brad Paisley was one of the performers that night, and I wasn't too familiar with him yet, so that definitely made me a fan. I've actually found a few acts I had to go check out after hearing them at the Opry--The Steeldrivers are one that definitely comes to mind. This show was a little different from the regular Opry, since it was geared towards the classics (and was also a tribute to Ray Price, who passed away a few months ago--each act worked in a Ray Price tune). He was apparently a good friend of Larry Gatlin's, who wrote this piece after he died, good stuff
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I've only been to the Opry once, back in about 1980-81 when my sister and I were on spring break and it was at Opryland. The Gatlin Brothers may have even performed that night. I remember the Tennessean would publish who was performing at the Opry that night and my mom was reading it and I remember her saying "I've never heard of these people." She started reading the names and when she said Roy Acuff, my dad said "Are you kidding me? Roy Acuff? He basically STARTED the Opry!" I think the Ryman was closed at the time. I remember the Opry was televised and I remember during the telecast they would cut away to clips of Johnny Cash inside the Ryman because they were trying to raise money to restore it.
Funny, I was reading some Ryman history earlier and came across a story about Roy Acuff. Shortly before he died he was in failing health and nearly blind, but one of his last wishes was to visit the Ryman and stand onstage one last time. So they loaded him into a car, drove him down and helped him in through the stage door. When he grabbed hold of the railing along the ramp up to the stage, he said "I'm all right now--I know where I am." I thought that was pretty awesome.
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