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Out nine til late – Tennessee’s Music City Nashville gives Mark Silver plenty to raise a glass to. He stopped off in the city where legends including Dolly Parton and Elvis made it big
Thinking I’d hit a brick wall when the tour guide asked if we knew the name of Dolly Parton’s first big record, it turned out I wasn’t too far off the mark.
We had just visited the brilliant Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, and were now heading to part two of our excursion – Historic RCA Studio B, where so many music legends have recorded, including Dolly.
But arriving there for the first time, she was so nervous she drove straight into the car park wall. Later, Dolly joked it was her first big hit. I soon realised you needed to be on the go more than “9 to 5” to see the delights Nashville has to offer. The music centre of the world, for sure, but with lots more, including fabulous art.
Studio B did turn out to be one of my best stops, especially as my favourite, Elvis, recorded most of his hits here. Our guide, Ron, confessed to being a massive fan, too, and he made us close our eyes to imagine when The King recorded Are You Lonesome Tonight in darkness at 4.30am after insisting the lights were off.
His biggest-selling track, It’s Now or Never, was also recorded here. If you are feeling peckish after and want to be All Shook Up, then you may fancy trying the city’s famous spicy hot chicken at nearby Assembly Food Hall.
Its founder, Thornton Prince, was a womaniser and, after again returning home late one night, was served chicken by his wife but did not realise she had made it ultra, ultra spicy as a punishment. She was then shocked to see her husband actually enjoying it… and he then made a fortune from it.
I chickened out and went with a recommendation from guide Ron – an Elvis Shake. The mouthwatering combination of peanut butter and banana ice creams was, ahem, the wonder of two. After lunch we toured two more fantastic venues – the National Museum of African American Music and the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum.
The great Jimi Hendrix literally had to get his teeth into performing in these parts and said: “The idea of playing guitar with my teeth came to me in a town in Tennessee. Down there, you have to play with your teeth or else you get shot. Those people were really hard to please.”
The most frequented area in Nashville is the long street called Broadway, where country singers play in terrific bars known as honky-tonks. Music is on offer from mid-morning until way into the early hours –it’s the most entertaining street on the planet.
Just ensure you carry ID as it is probably the strictest city in the States – you have to be at least 21 to enter and, even if you are in your late 50s, expect to be asked. One evening we did something totally different and cheered on NHL team Nashville Predators. It delivered ice hockey action, plus non-stop fun in between, including a live singer and an air-guitar contest between three fans.
The next morning we ventured about 90 minutes out of town to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, where we heard such stories you wanted to order a large whiskey too.
Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel worked on a farm as a young boy in the mid-1800s and there he learned all about whiskey-making from a slave, Nathan “Nearest” Green. A few years later, Daniel purchased the whiskey operation and hired Green, who by then was a free man, to be the master distiller.
Years later, Daniel tried to open his safe but the lock would not budge… he kicked the safe so hard he broke his toe and developed gangrene, which killed him six years later, aged 61. The distillery still prospered and these days produces about 18 million cases a year – although not a single drop goes to residents in its home city as it is in a dry county.
But the distillery employees are happy as every first Friday of the month they get a free bottle. There are no end of excellent restaurants in Nashville, and my favourite was Gannons where not only was the food delicious but their live entertainment was amazing.
My main course, Timpano di Manzo – white wine, braised beef, shallots, mushrooms and mozzarella in puff pastry – was a very successful take on a beef Wellington. A highlight from my trip would be the Fisk Jubilee Singers at the Tennessee Performing Arts Centre. The choir was first formed in 1871 to tour and raise funds for its black college. They crossed the pond and impressed Queen Victoria, who told them, “You must come from a musical city”… hence Nashville’s nickname of Music City.
I also enjoyed listening to a country band at the equally renowned Ryman Auditorium, also the venue for such esteemed acts as Houdini, Charlie Chaplin and Elvis. My trip concluded, rather nicely, with a visit to the Tennessee Brew Works – an independently owned and operated craft brewery that has thrived since opening 11 years ago and only distributes locally.
I’m normally a wine drinker, but I may be converted after trying a few superb beers. And as for a return to the Music City in the not-too-distant future to enjoy more of that magnificent honky-tonk sound… yep, I’ll certainly drink to that…
Where to stay
Nashville used to be something of a heartbreak for visitors seeking good hotels, but a recent period of investment means its accommodation scene is now blooming. I split my trip between the boutique Noelle, right, in downtown, which features the popular Rare Bird rooftop bar, and the arty Bankers Alley Hotel Nashville, Tapestry Collection By Hilton, left, a couple of blocks away near the Cumberland riverfront. Both are ideal for a Nashville break.
Book the holiday
- British Airways flies from Heathrow to Nashville, Tennessee, starting at £560 return. ba.com/nashville
- Connections via Reykjavík and Dublin with Icelandair and Aer Lingus also available.
- Rooms at the Noelle Hotel in Nashville start at around £230 a night. noelle-nashville.com
- Rooms at the Bankers Alley Hotel Nashville, Tapestry Collection by Hilton start at around £180 a night. hilton.com
- More info at visitmusiccity.com