Rolling in to KOA Nashville we really felt Van Morrison was the ‘minnow’ in amongst the huge RV’s & 5th Wheels. Still undeterred we set up camp & set off to explore.

Drawn by the sound of singing like moths to a flame we discovered that a duo had been booked to entertain guests by the pool. It was really a lovely welcome to the ‘Music City’.

If New York holds the title as the ‘city that never sleeps’ then for me Nashville qualifies as the noisiest on the planet. It was crazy walking down the main street to the cacophony of music emanating from what seemed like every brick. Live music is the life blood of this city & we were ready to immerse ourselves.

We took the easy route to downtown via the inexpensive bus from the KOA thus eliminating the need to drive. This proved wise as even the bus driver made jokes about the driving skills (or lack of them) of the locals.

Dropped off by the Country Music Hall of Fame we opted first to wander about & then come back for a tour of the museum later.

The sun shone as we walked towards Riverfront Park & then in and out of the streets of downtown Nashville. Wending along the main street music seeped out of the brickwork & into your soul as you browsed.

From the peddle & drink bars to the souvenir shops you cannot escape the smorgasbord of sound. Whether punk rock or country you could almost guarantee to find someone playing it.

Personally my musical taste leans more to the rock / punk genres than country & western if I’m honest. The songs of Johnny Cash such ‘Walk the Line’ & ‘Ring of Fire’ are songs from childhood that were on the radio. Like those of Elvis I know of them & probably could sing along but they weren’t really ‘my music’ as it were. So it was with a tad of trepidation & maybe a soupçon of curiosity we went in to the Country Hall of Fame if I’m honest.

The Hall of Fame traced the history of county music from its roots to the present day. Featuring a galaxy of artists some of whom were more familiar than others. Most know of & have heard of Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton & Willy Nelson all of whom have left their mark on this genre.

It was a fascinating insight into musical history & for me filled in some ‘jig saw’ like gaps in my understanding of how this style of music has underpinned so many others. It might also explain how someone who loves rock & punk finds she can only write & play songs with a country feel! Either that or it’s that sort of song is slower & kinder to the older stiffer fingers that have yet to master the nimbleness required for throbbing rock.

Someone asked me yesterday how the ‘wtfimu2n’ challenges are doing. I confess the ones that featured writing & performing a song in public are still works in progress. Although I have written some lyrics & music marrying the two together have been challenging. Also I have zero recording skills so some of my time has been spent trying teach myself how to build a song via GarageBand. I have laid down some recordings but they are not quite ready for unleashing to an unsuspecting world.

From a roof top restaurant we scoffed pizza & drank nice IPA then caught the bus back to camp. I liked Nashville & maybe I will get back there as there was lots more to see that we didn’t get time to.

Whilst the country stars of the past may not have totally captivated me. I will admit I do now listen to Margo Price a country singer who I am fortunate enough to have heard play live. A talented musician whose lyrics seem to tackle some tricky issues & for me has opened my ears to that genre.

Back on the road we wound up the speakers to listen to some more tracks for the long drive to Chattanooga.