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scrivi al direttoreTravels in America di James Weaver
Nashville, Music City
Nuovo appuntamento con la rubrica mensile di James Weaver. Oggi il giornalista americano ci racconta nella sua lingua la città di Nashville e il rapporto speciale che la lega alla musica.
Thomas Edison, inventor of the phonograph and audio recording technology, should rightly be credited as a founding father of Nashville, Tennessee. Without the recording industry, a good deal of what you find in Tennessee’s capital city, would not exist today.
It’s easy to think music recordings have always been around. Actually, Edison patented his invention in 1877. Before that people attended live performances by musicians or make their own music. Radio technology took off following World War I, and by 1921, Westinghouse Corporation had established four major broadcast stations in Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, and New York City. In 1922, a “broadcasting boom” took place and more than 500 stations of all varieties sprung up across the nation. The tremendous success of radio provided a ready market for recorded music and the record business took off.
Nashville’s Music Row (a number of professional recording studios on 16th Avenue South) developed in the 1950s and the city rapidly become one of the nation’s major music centers. During a 1950 broadcast, WSM Radio announcer David Cobb referred to Nashville as Music City U.S.A. and the name stuck.
When Elvis Presley left Sun Records and signed with RCA Victor, the company recognized the need for recording operation in the Southeast and chose Nashville. It was here Elvis’s first RCA recording sessions occurred. Nashville played an even more crucial role in the career of the Everly Brothers. They had come to the attention of Chet Atkins in 1955. The result was a string of hits on Cadence Records, including Bye Bye Love, All I Have To Do Is Dream, and Wake Up Little Susie.
Rock & roll now dominated the airwaves and country music sales dropped. Record executives realized it must change to compete on the pop music charts. Chief architects of the new sound were Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins who found a way to soften and sweeten country music to gain wider public acceptance. The “Nashville Sound,” smooth and sophisticated, featured mellow strings and vocal choruses.
RCA’s Studio B (now a historic site operated by the Country Music Hall of Fame) studio is where Elvis Presley recorded more than 200 popular hits, along with many other popular artists including The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, and Willie Nelson. Built in 1957, it’s the oldest surviving recording studio. In 1996, it was restored to its vintage 1957 look and is open for public tours.
Studio musicians have played a major role in the success of the recording business. The new (opened 2006) Musician’s Hall of Fame & Museum in downtown Nashville recognizes this contribution. Although its not widely known, record companies hire musicians to play at recording sessions. So the band you hear on a record is NOT the band whose name is on the record label or the one seen on tour. In Nashville, the best studio musicians were the “A-Team.” Record producers would simply say we wanted the A-Team and studio managers would know who to contact.
The Musician’s Hall of Fame is not limited to country music or Nashville, but salutes studio musicians throughout the country in all musicals forms. See www.musicianshalloffame.com.
Nearby are the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium (the original home of the Grand Ole Opry). Beyond the recordings, Nashville is a great place for live music. Everything from the Nashville Symphony Orchestra to the country bands that play from noon ‘til the wee hours at bars along Broadway’s Honky Tonk Row.
Plan a visit and begin your plan at www.musiccityusa.com.
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Bravo Jim! Great story on Nashville! I enjoyed reading it very much!