Last Taste

USA Music Tour 2015 Day 31

Nashville Tennessee 20 September

Our last day in glorious Nashville. A day at leisure, for tomorrow we transit to L.A. and the long flight to Melbourne

The day commenced with some serious discussion as to how to make the most of the day without doing anything too strenuous. There were lots of choices – an Aussie showcase all afternoon and evening, a music bash over in East Nashville and Jay Farrar and Parker Milsap at 3rd and Lindsley tonight. Also, I haven’t been to Robert’s Western World (the best honky tonk bar on Broadway), Ernest Tubbs’ Record Store or the Country Music Hall Of Fame this trip. Plus, it’s been a few days since we’ve had a square, sit-down dinner.

Plans were hatched.

Morning coffee at Bonds was abandoned as it was closed today, so we kept walking toward Downtown, stumbling upon another establishment Tin Cup on 8th for an excellent macchiato.

Then a saunter towards Broadway, past the singing Barbershop Harmony building

photo Jim Jacob

and into the iconic Ernest Tubb Record Store, on-going since 1947, one of the few authentic places on Broadway.

Well, maybe not for much longer? Every time I return, the store looks more bare and the CD stock has diminished even further this time around, with the racks being only about 20% full now. Let’s hope it gets some revitalisation and doesn’t go the way of the rest of the strip.

photo Jim Jacob

I’d been to the Country Music Hall of Fame back in 2008 and was ready to return, particularly given two new exhibits – Sam Phillips/Sun Studio and Bob Dylan/Johnny Cash and the Nashville Cats. There’s plenty to see and it took a while to get through it all. Highly recommended.