Nashville: July, 1976

Before departing Alabama, cousin Steve made sure I saw Kaw-Liga, the wooden Indian who was the title character from the cassic Hank Williams song. At some point, I also bought a biography of Hank Williams, who along with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Satchell Page, Gomer Pile (Jim Nabors), Conoleeza Rice, Lionel Richie, Kenny Stabler, Jesse Owens, Emmylou Harris, Paula Poundstone and Taylor Hicks were all Alabama natives.

I intermittently read that biography while the bus rolled along country highways, but the scenery was pretty captivating, too. I could play my guitar quietly and look at the scenery, so I did that more. I thought Hank Williams Junior played at the concert cousing Steve and I attended near Montgomery, but in double checking my facts, I found he was still recovering from a serious mountain-climbing accident, so I must have been wrong.

The novelty song "Uneasy Rider" by Charlie Daniels was a popular country song I had never heard until my cousin Donald told me about it on this trip, and maybe Daniels was at that concert instead of Bocephus. Anyway, I decided to head to the hub of country music, Nashville, to learn a little more.

Upon arriving, I sat myself down on a bench and began playing a few songs on my guitar, which I seemed to do upon arriving anywhere in those days. I knew lots of chord patterns and lyrics, so I could play and sing several hundred songs, something that probably was depressing for anyone who had to listen to me play, because I never seemed to run out of songs. As I played, this guy with long blonde hair and a cowboy hat came by to offer encouragement.

Country Rich was a little older than me, and he had been in Nashville for several months, hoping to get his big break. He asked me if I would be interested in going to a recording studio, and I quickly accepted the offer. They knew him at the studio, but I can't say they were impressed to meet another guy off the street. Nonetheless, they let us sit in the control room and watch some track recording, which is really kind of tedious as they seek perfection.

I wish I could say I remember more about the two days I spent in Nashville, but the memories have faded. I know Country Rich and I played and sang a lot of songs on street corners, offering a little lead guitar to each other's songs, and sometimes we received donations.

At the time, I mostly strummed out songs, which served to give a beat and wall of sound behind my pitiful voice, but it definitely lacked a lot. Country Rich helped me incorporate more flat picking into my country songs, with the thumb thumping out a base line to accompany the chords. I'm pretty sure I previously flatpicked on a few songs, definitely on "Mr. Bojangles" in the key of D, but he showed me a few simple techniques that helped.

Country Rich also introduced me to Jimbo's Biscuit Barn, where they had delicious biscuits and great prices. I think two biscuits with butter and honey was 40 cents, and they also had great sausage biscuit and fried chicken biscuit sandwiches for under a dollar. This was before McDonald's introduced their line of biscuit foods, and I was duly impressed by the concept. I returned there a couple of times to eat. I'm not sure why I took the photo of this sandwich shop. Maybe this was Jimbo's, but I don't think it was. Nonethess, it is representative of the many greasy spoons I enjoyed when I couldn't find the familiar golden arches to have my primary sustenance of French fries and a vanilla shake.

You always have to be leery of strangers you meet on the road, but Country Rich proved to be just a friendly guy seeking his dream of being a recording star in Nashville. He was a good guide and friendly traveling companion in Nashville. I wonder if he ever broke through as a country artist.