Wandering Among the Roots

This week, I didn’t realize that I was going to spend a week wandering around my own family's roots. It all began when the Country Music Capital began to creep into my soul. I have always enjoyed Country Music. It was a big part of growing up in a working-class family, listening to classical country from the beginning. Before that, they listened to Appalachian Folk Music when they crossed the South from North Carolina to Texas. Banjos, guitars, yodeling, string bass, and harmonicas filled the musical soundscape of the Dees family. My Dad loved to sing along with Hank Williams. Even my Mother, the daughter of a classically trained violinist, attended Willie’s musical celebrations, collected country western albums, and loved to dance the schottische and Texas Two Step with her friends at Canyon Lake. Some of my earliest memories are watching my Mom and Dad dance to local country bands at the Devil’s Backbone Tavern on New Year’s Eve. All of this bubbled up as Marlene and I explored Nashville. It was as if I was walking around the roots of my own family on the streets of Music City, USA.

 

Our week began with a trip to see the Grand Ole Opry Building near our campground. The Opryland Amusement Park was severely damaged by flooding in the 1990s. This park included the New Grand Ole Opry building after it moved from Ryman Auditorium in 1974. Rather than rebuild, they redeveloped the site into Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. It includes massive hotels, Opryland Mills Mall, and the buildings that sit on the grounds of the Grand Ole Opry. We walked the mall to get some steps in and then walked across the street to the Opry. Live music from the outdoor stage created a festive atmosphere. Booths sat under the trees selling festival wares. The tickets to the Grand Ole Opry are out of reach for common folks on a budget, so we passed up the ticket booth and enjoyed a nice walk and some music instead. After posting, the campground offered us some complimentary tickets to the Saturday Night show. I will begin next week with our night at the Opry!)

 

On Sunday, we made our way to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's Plantation, outside of Nashville. In the 1850s, it was a full day's ride from Nashville, but today it is a 15-minute drive. This was Jackson’s retreat from the life of politics during a painful era of American History. Jackson was deeply involved in shaping the future of our country before, during, and after his time in the White House. He got tangled up with the westward expansion of the US, including the Trail of Tears. He dealt with tensions over the enslavement of people in the South and the balance of power between slave and free states. He faced the Southern Nullification Movement that tried to redefine the meaning of being a united republic. The Hermitage offered him a respite from a world that tried its best to consume him. Jackson was a very complicated man. He was a staunch unionist who claimed ownership of 150 enslaved people. He had a fiery temper but could be remarkably tender with his grandchildren. His home and lands help us peek behind the stories and catch a glimpse of the man in his times. In many ways, he is a perfect character study for understanding the Southern Character. We Southerners are more than the caricatures that fill our history books and popular media. Looking at his life gave me hints about my own Southern Roots. Not all of them are noble or worthy of emulation. But they are our roots, nonetheless. Here are a few pictures from The Hermitage.

The Road up from Rachel's Lane

Uncle Arnold's Cabin

The Farmland

Enslaved Quarters (formerly the 1st Hermitage)

The Springhouse

Rachel's Garden

The Tomb

 

Tim Atwood

After a wonderful birthday dinner with Marlene, we returned to the campground. We walked up to the campground patio for an evening of music. The performer was Tim Atwood. Tim was the piano player and keyboardist for the Grand Old Opry for 38 years and has written and recorded a few songs and albums. He is an entertainer and shared the stage with his Son, Tristan, who is also a Nashville musician. Between "groaner" stage jokes, reminiscing about Nashville Stars, and the music, we spent an enjoyable couple of hours doing the Nashville thing, live country music. As I listened, the classic country and the gospel music felt right. It was like sitting around the dining room table, hearing the clack of dominos as my Dad and Mom beat everyone at 42. It felt like sitting and listening to the family stories and laughing together in ways that only family can do. It was as if I could hear voices, long silenced in death, come alive with these old memories. Thank you, Tim and Tristan. You sang to and through my soul.

Country Music Hall of Fame

After a day to catch up on some chores, we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Downtown Nashville on Tuesday. We parked several blocks from the Hall of Fame, walked by the Ryman, and crossed Broadway, lined with clubs, including Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. We walked both floors of the Country Music Academy Museum. We saw so many fascinating displays telling the stories of the people and the music. I will let the pictures share some of that. But walking into the actual Hall of Fame was a very moving moment. The walls are covered with plaques for all the Hall of Fame members. Each one brought a new memory or sound bite to the surface. The space's stillness and inner stirrings created a time to stand in awe of the life we share. It was a moment made sacred by the connections forged through music between the world within and the world beyond. Here are some pictures from our morning at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Tribute to Bill Monroe outside of the Ryman

The Ryman Auditorium

Broadway

Minnie Pearl's Hat

Hank Williams Costume

Hank Snow's Costume

Gentleman Jim Reeves' Costume

Elvis' Gold-plated Cadillac

Buck Owen's Guitar

Hee Haw Corn Patch

Grandpa Jones Costume

Hank Williams Martin Guitar

Lester Flatt's Guitar

Earl Scruggs' Banjo

Mother Maybelle's Gibson Guitar

Massive Wall of Gold and Platinum Records

Platinum for Stardust Album

Charley Pride Costume

Bob Dylan's Hat (He started in Nashville)

Jerry Jeff

Willie!

Kenny Rogers

Bandit

George Strait

Garth

NGDB

The Hall of Fame

We grabbed some lunch at the one café we could find that did not have live music blaring from a stage. Tim Atwood said there were 160 stages along Broadway, and I think every single one was filled with an aspiring Nashville Star. The music was great, but the crowds were not. Plus, I prefer being able to talk while we eat, so we enjoyed a quiet meal at the Broadway Brewhouse Downtown. After a nice dinner, we walked around the corner and toured the Johnny Cash Museum. Once again, the memories and the stories shared at the House of Cash were enjoyable. Lots of memorabilia and videos told the story of another complicated Southern gentleman. Though his story is well-known, the museum fleshed out the details and made for an enjoyable early afternoon.

 

The Highwaymen

Roy's Glasses

Cash Family Piano

The Man in Black

Handwritten Folsom Prison Blues

Johnny's 1st Professional Guitar

Sergeant Cash

Broadway

When we left the museum, we could feel the air turning cooler and felt a few drops of rain. So, we went to Broadway and returned to the parking garage. Once again, we passed bars and restaurants that were filled with people listening to the reason this is Music City USA. Most of the performers were young, and I could hear their ambition filling every chord as they sought to sing their way to fame and fortune. They had been inspired by the Musical “saints” that surrounded them and lived in hope of a piece of that immortality for themselves. Few will make it into the Hall of Fame down the street. But the rest will live a lifetime in pursuit of their dream and, like Tim and Tristan Atwood, make a good life for themselves and their family in these Honky Tonks! Thank you, Downtown Nashville. For the memories embodied in your music and the hope embodied in the thousands of people who make you such a special place. Yep, these Honky Tonk balladeers represent all of us who live on the edge of obscurity as we sing our own songs and dance to our own music, whether anyone is watching or not! Sing on!

 

On Thursday, I set a rather ambitious schedule for us. After touring the Willie and Friends Museum near our campground, we would return to downtown Nashville. I had three other places on our list for the day: Marathon Village, The Parthenon, and Fannie Mae Dees Park.

 

The Willie and Friends Museum and General Store was in an entertainment center near our campground. It is owned by long-time Willie admirers and has two galleries dedicated to him. The other galleries are dedicated to his friends, Waylon, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Elvis. There were also displays for other Nashville royalty who recorded with Willie over the years. The displays were well-curated, with one repeated mistake. They talked about his ranch in Pedernales, Texas. Any Texan knows there is no such place or hasn't been in many years. But these folks can be forgiven. Their love for Willie is evident, and I enjoyed walking through the exhibits. Here are a few pictures.

Costume from Barbarosa

Willie's Touring Carpet and the spot where he always stood.

Waylon

Little Jimmy Dicken's Boots, Boys size 2

 

Enjoying Dolly's Banana Pudding

After lunch at the Opry Backstage Grill, owned by Marty Stuart and Connie Smith, we headed downtown to see Marathon Village. This shopping mall was created in the old Marathon Motor Car factory building. This site manufactured motor cars between 1908-1914 based on Henry Ford's production system. While the car demand exceeded supply, the company was plagued by dishonest leadership and was sold off to pay debts. The production was moved to Richmond, IN. The American Picker’s Nashville Store is also located in the buildings. As much as I would have liked to have seen the buildings, we would have had to pay for parking, which was a bit excessive for a shopping mall. So, we moved on to the Parthenon.

 

The Parthenon at Nashville is a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens, the reconstruction of which is based on many years of archeological research. It sits on the site of the 1897 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition. The building is a reconstruction of the original plaster and lathe building that was built for the Exposition. All the other temporary buildings were torn down and not replaced, leaving space for Centennial Park on the Edge of the Vanderbilt Campus. 

 

This building is amazing! It contains a full-sized, gilded Statue of Athena and massive Bronze Doors at each end. The doors are one foot thick. We entered the building through the basement, which also housed a display of the reconstruction process and impressive art collections. However, the main attraction is the colossal statue of Athena, the Queen of the Gods. Nashville has seen itself as the “Queen City of the South” since Antebellum days. The statue is covered in 8 lbs. of gold leaf and highlights many heroic themes from Greek Mythology. This was part of the Southern Mythology of the South, which they believed represented a superior, classical Greek culture, while the Northern States were money changers and shopkeepers. Arrogance aside, the building is a remarkable achievement and is truly inspiring. Here are a few photos of the building.

 

Nashville Suffragettes Tribute

Exterior Portico

Exterior Ceiling

Vandy

Exterior of Bronze Doors

Art Gallery in Basement

Athena

Nike is 6'4" tall in her palm.

The Base

Her Feet

Her Shield and Spear

Inside of Shield

A final stop for the day was at Fannie Mae Dees Park in a neighborhood across from Vanderbilt. I was attracted to the park for two reasons. The first is the name. James Emmanuel Dees migrated from Scotland in 1696 and settled in James City, VA. He is the first of the family to cross the Atlantic, and most of the American family traces its origin back to him. As farmers, they had large families to work the fields. In the 1800's, they started moving across the US with the great westward migration. Fannie Mae is likely a third or fourth cousin, but I have not been able to trace the relationships. But, after reading about her, I want to adopt her if she is not already part of the family. I really want to share her roots roots.

 

Fannie Mae Dees was born in Nashville to a working-class family. She never married and lived in a rock house at the edge of Vanderbilt University with her aged Mother, Lillie. In 1965, the City of Nashville wanted her property to expand the hospitals for the University. They started condemnation paperwork under the guise of Urban Renewal. Fannie Mae and Lillie had lived here since the 1940s, and Fannie refused to give up her home. She quit her job as a Medical Technologist and devoted the rest of her life to standing up against the “powers at be” who, she believed, cared nothing for little people like her. She fought the urban renewal process and even ran for City Council. Even though she only received five votes, she did not give up. After a fishing trip, she learned that TVA also forced farmers in the Tennessee Valley out of their homes. She joined them in their fight. Fannie Mae was an avid gardener and would collect mayonnaise jars from recycling bins at the University as vases for her flowers that she shared with family, neighbors, and hospital patients. When a University Security guard told her she was stealing the jars, she replied that she was recycling them. I got to love a righteous curmudgeon! She carried on her fight to save her home for 13 years, but in 1978 she died in her basement, protecting her home at the age of 61, two days before the City filed a last-ditch lawsuit to take it from her. This park includes her home site and was initially slated to be called Sunset Park, but her neighbors petitioned and won the right to name the park after her. A water garden for the kids was added, named Lillie's Garden. 

 

This is the main reason we drove into downtown. I had to pay homage to a proud, tough, and determined champion of the “little people.” I hope we share the same roots. By the way, there was a second reason we came to the park. The park also contains a dragon sculpture that children used to be able to play on. This is a fitting tribute to a Dragon Lady named Fannie Mae. (Here is a link to a story about Fannie Mae from a 2003 edition of The Tennessean.)

 

Dragon Mosaic Detail

Dragon Head

Dragon Body

The Park where Fannie Mae's Home Stood

Lillie's Garden

Indeed, it has been a week spent among the roots of my life. These roots sustain me and help me deal with the day-to-day vagaries of living. They offer nourishment and a foothold hold when the wind blows. We all have roots, and we need to think about them occasionally, lest we take them for granted. It is good to remember that they are there beneath our feet. Our roots have a great deal to teach us about who we are and who we can be! Country Music, Fannie Mae, Southern pretensions, and the realities of life in Appalachia are all part of who I am. And, like everyone else, I am a complicated mess just trying to make sense of all this living. I am grateful for deep roots that keep me grounded and sustain my daily living with the essentials. 

 

We will leave Nashville on Monday and head for a week in Memphis as we wander back to Texas. Thank you for following along. I hope you enjoy the pictures and get something out of the meandering thoughts that crop up as we wander our way around the US. The road continues! 

 

Travel well, my friends!

Bob

 

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.” (Victor Hugo)