I rolled out of Memphis last evening, still a bit dazed from Graceland, and headed for Nashville. It was the week of Fan Fair, a week-long gathering of country music performers and fans with performances, autograph signings, etc., so I was a bit concerned about lodging but I found a spot without too much trouble.

I got up this a.m. and headed for the Ryman Auditorium. This was formerly the home, from the '40s until the '70s, of the Grand Ole Opry and it's a great place. They've left it pretty much as it was when the Opry was presented here. The original backdrop still hangs at the back of the stage, as if Porter and Dolly might walk out and do a song at any moment.

Visitors are allowed access to the stage. It's an excellent photo opportunity: you on the stage with that big barn backdrop, standing behind the same microphone that so many country stars sang into over the years.

The Ryman was originally built as a church, the Union Gospel Tabernacle. Capt. Tom Ryman, owner of a steamboat line, had it built to honor Sam Jones, the evangelist who showed him the path to heaven. Completed in 1892, it was re-named the Ryman Auditorium when the steamboat magnate went to his final reward in 1904. The big hall was renowned for its acoustics and it soon became host for entertainment events, political gatherings, meetings, and rallies in addition to its ongoing church services. The balcony was added in 1897, the stage in 1901. In the early years, such luminaries as Sarah Bernhardt, Enrico Caruso and Will Rogers trod the boards here.

In 1920, the last legitimate theatre in Nashville was turned into a movie house, so the Ryman was in even greater demand. All the touring theatrical and musical companies that came through town appeared there. From the Twenties on through World War II, such stars as Katherine Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Orson Welles and Ethel Barrymore appeared onstage at the Ryman.

In 1943, the Ryman became the new home of the Grand Ole Opry. Every Saturday night, the hall's 3,000 seats were filled with country music fans thrilling to the sounds of Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Marty Robbins and so many others, while millions more listened in their homes to WSM's remote broadcasts.

In 1974, the Opry moved to its new home in Opryland U.S.A., opting for slicker surroundings, even as country music itself was growing slicker and more pop-oriented. So, if you'd rather see the site where Patsy and Hank performed, as opposed to the one where Garth and Reba strut their stuff, then the Ryman should top your list when you're in Nashville.

Following the Ryman, I took in the Country Music Hall of Fame. I must say that I was quite impressed with this facility. Somebody with a little taste and style is behind this, that's for sure.

I once read that there is no market for an oldies station in country music. Apparently, this format has been tested and has always failed. This is quite a contrast to rock and pop music. In fact, as I've traveled the eastern half of the U.S., I've been amazed at how widespread the oldies format has become. As one drives from town to town and state to state spinning the radio dial, one constantly comes across an old Motown hit, a Monkees tune or a favorite by the Beatles. These stations are everywhere and their broadcast areas overlap greatly. Often, on a single spin through the AM and then the FM dials, one can find five or six stations playing blasts from the past.

For some reason, though, this approach doesn't appeal to most country fans. Knowing this, I wondered if the Country Music Hall of Fame would give proper due to the stars of yesteryear and the year before that. I'm pleased to report that it does. In fact, there's a bit of scholarship evident in the museum's displays. One can actually learn quite a bit about the origins of this very popular music.

I'm certain that many of the fans who come through the Hall, hoping to get a look at one of Garth Brooks' hats or Naomi Judd's guitars, have never before heard of Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter family or others of the pioneers of Country and Western. Many of them leave this place just as ignorant, too; if a display isn't about Alan Jackson, Vince Gill or Clint Black, I noticed that many of the visitors pass right by. But, to the Hall's credit, anyone who takes the time to read the information given, to listen to the narrated voice-overs and to watch the old film clips will learn a great deal about the history of this music.

They have plenty of artifacts for the casual fan to see as well. Elvis Presley's solid gold Cadillac, Patsy Cline's cigarette lighter, Hank Williams's guitar, one of Dolly Parton's costumes (it's not hard to tell, at a glance, whose costume it is, if you know what I mean), and an entire room devoted to the career of Johnny Cash's career. The admission price to the Hall of Fame also gains admittance to Studio B a couple of blocks away. This recording studio was used by some of the greats of country music in the '50s, '60s, and '70s, including Elvis, Dolly, Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings, and makes for an interesting half hour.

I had to leave Music City and head north, giving short shrift to Kentucky along the way. I was due in Chicago early Friday morning and so intended to reach Indianapolis tonight. I took I-65 north, passing right through Louisville and on into Indiana. I arrived in Indianapolis around midnight.

Continue on the American Odyssey.
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