0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Nashville, Tennessee.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12It's long been known as Music City, USA,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15but it's fast becoming the music capital of the world.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18This is the undisputed home of country -
0:00:18 > 0:00:20America's biggest music genre.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It could only have been born in Nashville
0:00:22 > 0:00:24and I'm going to show you why.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31In this programme we'll go back to the place where it all began,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34tread the boards of its spiritual home
0:00:34 > 0:00:38and find out how a few blocks in downtown Nashville became the heart
0:00:38 > 0:00:40of country music in America.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44We'll visit the historic recording studios of Music Row
0:00:44 > 0:00:48and witness just how big the country business really is.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52I'll meet a couple of fellow Brits who've made the pilgrimage
0:00:52 > 0:00:57to Music City, and discover why this unrivalled Mecca of music continues
0:00:57 > 0:01:01to draw songwriters and artists from all corners of the globe.
0:01:01 > 0:01:07# That's why we call it Music City, USA. #
0:01:23 > 0:01:28# The sign says welcome to Nashville
0:01:28 > 0:01:32# From whatever road you've been down... #
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Musicians have always flocked to Nashville because it's forever
0:01:36 > 0:01:39been a place where songwriters gather to share songs.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Music has shaped and defined the town of Nashville,
0:01:44 > 0:01:49and at the same time Nashville has massively influenced
0:01:49 > 0:01:52the sound of American music.
0:01:52 > 0:01:59This is the one city in America that still has a living, breathing,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01and closely knit music community.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Nashville's roots as Music City stem from a prosperous past.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11It lies on the Cumberland River in north central Tennessee.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15After the American Civil War its strategic location as a river port
0:02:15 > 0:02:19and rail hub made it a thriving centre of commerce,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22and with many highly-regarded universities and colleges,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Nashville also earned the nickname the Athens of the South.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29In fact, they even built their own Parthenon here
0:02:29 > 0:02:31for the Centenary of Tennessee.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35But in the 1920s Nashville's fate changed forever,
0:02:35 > 0:02:40and that was all thanks to the modern miracle of radio.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44# Welcome to Nashville on a Saturday night... #
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Country music owes its existence to a Nashville insurance company
0:02:50 > 0:02:55who saw radio as the perfect way to sell their policies.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59In 1925, WSM created the Grand Ole Opry,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02a play on words to describe
0:03:02 > 0:03:05the late-night hillbilly music played after the opera.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08The name stuck and it's now the longest running
0:03:08 > 0:03:10live radio show in history.
0:03:10 > 0:03:16This is WSM Nashville, Tennessee,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20presenting the Grand Ole Opry.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Let 'er go, boys.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25# Late in the evening about sundown
0:03:25 > 0:03:27# High on the hill and above the town
0:03:27 > 0:03:29# Uncle Pen played the fiddle Lord, how it would ring
0:03:29 > 0:03:32# You could hear it talk, you could hear it sing. #
0:03:34 > 0:03:38The very first Grand Ole Opry started with hard-drinking fiddler,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Uncle Jimmy Thompson.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Gold-toothed banjo-man Uncle Dave Macon and homespun string bands
0:03:46 > 0:03:50like the Fruit Jar Drinkers and the Possum Hunters were all regulars.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53The programme could be heard all over America
0:03:53 > 0:03:59and right up into Canada, thanks to WSM's 50,000-watt transmitter
0:03:59 > 0:04:01standing at a whopping 878ft.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05It was the tallest radio tower in North America
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and one of the oldest still in operation.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12Everybody could hear WSM, couldn't they? Here and in Canada?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Yes, sir, in the early days before modern electronic marvels
0:04:16 > 0:04:18started introducing interference,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- it was heard in the better half of the country.- Yeah.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- Can we have look at it?- Absolutely. Do you want to head on down? - Yeah, lead the way.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27This is very exciting, actually.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I've been so much looking forward to seeing this.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42- You maintain this transmitter. This is your responsibility.- Yes, sir.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Does it mean that you have to climb, sometimes,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- right up to the top there? - I've never gone to the top.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52A few years and 60lbs ago, I used to do some tower climbing
0:04:52 > 0:04:55but we leave that to a man,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58he's actually in his 70s and he runs up that thing like a squirrel.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I don't make a habit of going up it.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- It must be one hell of a view from right at the top?- It's amazing.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10What is the significance of radio to Nashville?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12In regards to country music it IS Nashville.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16It was given a stage here, it was given a home.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19WSM is where the world discovered country music
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and without this facility here that would have simply,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24in my opinion, not happened.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29# Turn on all your radios I know that you will wait
0:05:29 > 0:05:32# Hear little Jimmy Dickens sing... #
0:05:32 > 0:05:35As The Grand Ole Opry introduced America to country music,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39fans eager to experience the music live journeyed to Nashville,
0:05:39 > 0:05:44and it rapidly acquired an audience far too big for a radio studio.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Only one place in Nashville could cope with the ballooning numbers -
0:05:48 > 0:05:50the iconic Ryman Auditorium.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00Originally a church, it was built in 1892 by Thomas Ryman,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04a prosperous businessman who had a miraculous conversion to faith.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09It cost him 100,000 - 2.5 million in today's money -
0:06:09 > 0:06:11and took seven years to build.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The Opry moved there in 1943 and the good word of the Lord
0:06:15 > 0:06:18gave way to the holler and twang of country.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21# At the Grand Ole Opry on a Saturday night. #
0:06:24 > 0:06:27This is the Ryman Auditorium.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31This is the mother church of country music.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34It's impossible to overstate the importance of this building
0:06:34 > 0:06:37to the history of country music.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40As a building it attracted not just the artists who came to play
0:06:40 > 0:06:43on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry
0:06:43 > 0:06:47but it attracted a wide range of musicians into this town.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51So the growth of Nashville and the growth of the popularity
0:06:51 > 0:06:54of the Ryman in many ways went side by side.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02# Hey, sweet daddy are you ready for me
0:07:02 > 0:07:05# It's your good rockin' mamma down from Tennessee
0:07:05 > 0:07:08# I'm just out of Austin bound for San Antone
0:07:08 > 0:07:11# With the radio blastin' and the bird dog on... #
0:07:11 > 0:07:14There's a lot of emotion in this building.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17This is the place where Johnny Cash told June Carter
0:07:17 > 0:07:22that he'd marry her someday and where Hank Williams took six encores
0:07:22 > 0:07:25when he brought the house down on his Opry debut.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27The hallowed boards hold many stories,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31and Emmylou Harris has trodden them more often than most.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36Walking out onto this stage, how does it feel to you?
0:07:36 > 0:07:39You must have walked out onto this stage many, many times?
0:07:39 > 0:07:44I have. It's...I don't want to say it's intimidating but you do feel
0:07:44 > 0:07:49it's not so much about you as that you're just continuing
0:07:49 > 0:07:51a history of music.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54This is such a special place where so much of the music
0:07:54 > 0:07:57that we still are inspired by and draw on today
0:07:57 > 0:07:59took place on this stage.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03There is a little bit of, "Gosh! This is where Hank Williams stood..."
0:08:03 > 0:08:05You know? A little bit of that.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07But ultimately you just give yourself over to,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09"I hope I don't forget the words!"
0:08:09 > 0:08:12# Cos me and my boys got this rig unwound
0:08:12 > 0:08:17# And we've come a thousand miles from a Guitar Town... #
0:08:18 > 0:08:22It's not just a historical monument where music was played,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and we just keep it for that reason,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28it's actually a beautiful performance hall.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30The seats are still really uncomfortable.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32They're church pews, aren't they?
0:08:32 > 0:08:37It was a tabernacle and you must pay attention, you know,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41when we're speaking the word!
0:08:41 > 0:08:46# Wonderin' why I don't stop
0:08:46 > 0:08:48# Gotta keep rockin' why I still can
0:08:49 > 0:08:52# I got a two-pack habit and a motel tan... #
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- You've been in Nashville for 30 years...- Long time.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58What are your observations about the town?
0:08:58 > 0:09:02The core of Nashville, the heart of Nashville is always determined
0:09:02 > 0:09:05by your friends and family, the people you interact with.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10The song writing is still real important, the "in the rounds",
0:09:10 > 0:09:13the beauty of words, the beauty of the melody.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16To me it's the songwriters that are keeping that alive.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22I know my way around and it's the only place I want to come home to.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25# You're all I want
0:09:25 > 0:09:27# You're all I love
0:09:27 > 0:09:29# Please don't tear my soul apart... #
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Nashville's Ryman Auditorium gave country musicians
0:09:36 > 0:09:38a place to call home.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Fans travelled from far and wide to see their heroes,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and bars and shops sprang up nearby.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49Ernest Tubb opened his record shop across the road in 1947
0:09:49 > 0:09:53and it's still THE place to buy your favourite country tunes.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Hey, Peter!
0:09:57 > 0:10:02'From here Tubb started the Midnite Jamboree,'
0:10:02 > 0:10:05his very own radio programme featuring late-night gigs
0:10:05 > 0:10:08from the likes of Loretta Lyn, the Wilburn Brothers,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10even Elvis played here!
0:10:10 > 0:10:13This little store is a Nashville institution.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23This was the stage from which the Midnite Jamboree was broadcast.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25What actually was it?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Well, it started actually in the afternoon and then that led to the
0:10:28 > 0:10:32idea, let's do this at night, let's do it after the Opry for the people
0:10:32 > 0:10:37who aren't ready to go to sleep after that 11.30 Opry segment stops.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41And at midnight, Ernest Tubb or whoever it was that was playing
0:10:41 > 0:10:44would come out and be on this little tiny stage
0:10:44 > 0:10:46and sing into a WSM microphone.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48They would just jam in here, you know,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51and it would be hot in the summertime
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and they would've just got out of the non-air conditioned
0:10:53 > 0:10:58Ryman Auditorium and they'd come in here and just huddle in,
0:10:58 > 0:11:04but hear the heroes of country music on this humble little stage.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06# ..as my heart breaks right in two
0:11:06 > 0:11:09# Waking the floor over you. #
0:11:09 > 0:11:13It was live radio, warts and all, whatever happened.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15But it had a lead-in of the Grand Ole Opry,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and if you're going to be up until midnight, why not be up until one?
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Outside Ernest's shop the streets thronged with more
0:11:30 > 0:11:36and more country fans, and in 1950 WSM radio announcer David Cobb
0:11:36 > 0:11:40dubbed Nashville "Music City, USA".
0:11:40 > 0:11:43A lot of people refer to that moment as being an absolute golden age
0:11:43 > 0:11:46of country music here in Nashville.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Yeah, the late '40s, early '50s in Nashville.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52This place was just bursting at the seams.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54And for these musicians,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57they had yet to have any competition from rock'n'roll.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01This was still a music that young people enjoyed.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03They were building heroes in the '40s and '50s.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Because of this nerve centre in downtown Nashville,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08you had a reason for musicians to be here,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12you had a reason for songs to be written so they could be performed,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16you had radio to send all this out into the ether,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20you had a place here where people could order the recordings.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22You had the beginnings, the nucleus,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26of what would become Music City and it spread from here.
0:12:30 > 0:12:36# It'd be just another river town
0:12:36 > 0:12:38# Streets would have a different sound
0:12:40 > 0:12:45# There'd be no honky-tonks with whisky round
0:12:45 > 0:12:49# No dreamers chasing dreams down. #
0:12:50 > 0:12:55When the sun sets on Lower Broadway it becomes a different place.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Across the alley from the Ryman are Nashville's honky-tonks,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01spit 'n' sawdust bars that have long been
0:13:01 > 0:13:05choice watering holes for the stars of the Opry.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Johnny Cash famously kicked out the footlights
0:13:08 > 0:13:11during an Opry show after one too many here in Tootsies.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15With live bands playing 24/7,
0:13:15 > 0:13:19they're the place for song writing hopefuls to cut their teeth.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22OK, we're here on Lower Broadway
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and I absolutely love this part of town.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27It's a cacophony of sound
0:13:27 > 0:13:31with all the bands playing in the windows for tips.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34The musicianship here is unbelievable and we're just about
0:13:34 > 0:13:40to go into this bar to meet up with a really good friend of mine.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44# Singin' hey ho a lina Hey ho a lina... #
0:13:44 > 0:13:49Good-time country band BR5-49 tasted success in the '90s
0:13:49 > 0:13:52but they paid their dues here on Broadway in the '80s,
0:13:52 > 0:13:57playing for tips in the window stage of Robert's Bar.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01It was a different place, wasn't it, in the '80s?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- People tell me it was rough? - Yeah, it was rough,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06but when I was coming down here in the '80s I loved it.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08I'd visit Adult World.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10The Wheel across the street was a little peep show too, you know?
0:14:10 > 0:14:12It was a little bit seedy, a little bit rough
0:14:12 > 0:14:15but there was a guy always sitting in the window playing his songs.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18And it was always great, that's what I wanted to do
0:14:18 > 0:14:20when I came to Nashville, come down and play in this street,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24because to me that was where all the ghosts of country music...
0:14:24 > 0:14:27You know, Ernest Tubb's record shop and all that?
0:14:27 > 0:14:29And it really turned me on.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43We had this guy who would come in from Arkansas
0:14:43 > 0:14:47with a gallon plastic milk jug full of moonshine
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and he'd give it to us
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and then when it got to be tedious time of the night, you know,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55like midnight, and we still had two hours left and we were all tired,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58take a little nip off of that, you know,
0:14:58 > 0:15:04- everybody had a little more spring in their step!- Absolutely!
0:15:04 > 0:15:08COUNTRY MUSIC
0:15:18 > 0:15:21And you weren't getting paid by Robert at that point, were you?
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Well, Robert gave you 25 a man and then all the tips you could garner.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29And that's the key thing now, isn't it? The tip jar.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34Yeah. You get a base pay still, but then the real money comes from your
0:15:34 > 0:15:37ability to garner a little bit of somethin'-somethin' for the effort!
0:15:37 > 0:15:39How would you do that, then?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Well, you know, I'm more abusive than most!
0:15:49 > 0:15:53I think this kind of place still holds the spirit of country music.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56I mean, when people come into town and they call me,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59"Hey, I'm going to be in town. Where should I go?"
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Well, go to Lower Broadway
0:16:00 > 0:16:03because you're going to get a good taste of it.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Today Lower Broadway is a tourist trap and in the last ten years,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32downtown Nashville has developed beyond recognition.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Down the road from the honky-tonks is a modern monument
0:16:36 > 0:16:40to the giants of country music - the Hall of Fame.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48It's a special place if your family are like royalty in this town.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51# We got married in a fever
0:16:51 > 0:16:54# Hotter than a pepper sprout
0:16:55 > 0:16:59# We've been talking 'bout Jackson
0:16:59 > 0:17:02# Ever since the fire went out
0:17:02 > 0:17:05# I'm going to Jackson
0:17:05 > 0:17:08# I'm going to mess around
0:17:10 > 0:17:13# Yeah, I'm going to Jackson
0:17:13 > 0:17:16# Look out, Jackson town. #
0:17:16 > 0:17:20I have this personal connection to the Hall Of Fame, you know?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I feel really connected to them
0:17:23 > 0:17:27because so much of my family's archives are in that building.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And I go in and it's quite moving to me,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34the things they've collected from my dad,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38my step-mother, my step-grandmother, and myself, too.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I've given them a lot of things over the years.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44My last record was based on this list that my dad gave me
0:17:44 > 0:17:48of what he considered 100 greatest country songs.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52And, of course, the Hall Of Fame was so supportive and I previewed
0:17:52 > 0:17:56the record by doing a live show there in the Ford Theatre.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01# I've told you baby, from time to time
0:18:01 > 0:18:06# But you just wouldn't listen or pay me no mind
0:18:06 > 0:18:08# Now I'm movin' on
0:18:10 > 0:18:13# I'm rollin' on... #
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Just sweeping round the square for a moment,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18the Bridgestone Arena is there and, of course,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21that's the home of the CMA Awards these days.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- The Schermerhorn Symphony Center. - Beautiful symphony hall.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29This is symbolic of the regeneration of the centre of Nashville.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Nashville has changed SO much, every time I come I see another change.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Since I moved away 22 years ago it's been phenomenal,
0:18:36 > 0:18:38kind of breathtaking.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44# We're movin' on
0:18:44 > 0:18:47# Oh, hear my song... #
0:18:47 > 0:18:50So, being so connected to this area specifically,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52but Nashville generally,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55in your life, Rosanne, what does the city mean to you?
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Well, you know, I lived here for a decade,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00I feel a deep family connection.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05I come back and songwriters are still so valued here,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and, you know, as a songwriter, that means the world.
0:19:12 > 0:19:18Radio, the Ryman, record shops and rowdy honky-tonks
0:19:18 > 0:19:22created Lower Broadway, Nashville's country music hub.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25It was built by great songwriters
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and they're still what keeps this city alive.
0:19:27 > 0:19:33# Sitting in this diner with a coffee in my hand
0:19:33 > 0:19:40# Waiting on a bus to some promised land
0:19:40 > 0:19:46# I got a one way ticket as far as it goes
0:19:49 > 0:19:51# And I came out like a rose. #
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Nashville isn't just about playing music.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Publishing songs is a major part of its history and success.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Through the 19th century,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13the city was a major rail link between north and south
0:20:13 > 0:20:17and its port on the Cumberland River bustled with trade.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Nashville was a distribution hub for all sorts of commodities
0:20:20 > 0:20:25and was a prime location from which to print and publish music.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Publishing songs in Nashville began way back in the 1800s
0:20:31 > 0:20:35with a book of hymns called The Western Harmony,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37and the city's historic hand-cranked presses
0:20:37 > 0:20:40are still in operation today.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Nashville was the fourth largest printing city in the United States,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49mainly because all of the American churches had their publishing
0:20:49 > 0:20:53houses and printing houses here so all of the Bibles and sheet music,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55the original sheet music in America
0:20:55 > 0:20:58that was printed was through the churches.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02In addition to the publishing of the music,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05people were touring and because Nashville was in the centre
0:21:05 > 0:21:08of the country it was basically a day's drive
0:21:08 > 0:21:12from any other city in most of the United States.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14So, at some point they could stop in Nashville,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18meet their printer and set up their orders
0:21:18 > 0:21:20for the next leg of their tour, whether it was west or east.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25So, the actual process of this then, Selini? How does it actually work?
0:21:25 > 0:21:30Hatch has been printing posters the same way that they printed them
0:21:30 > 0:21:33since they opened in 1879, 134 years ago,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35and that's letterpress printing.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37# Nashville is fine
0:21:37 > 0:21:39# Fine as can be
0:21:39 > 0:21:41# If you've got some juice
0:21:41 > 0:21:43# You're good with me... #
0:21:45 > 0:21:49I'm typesetting a poster for Willie Nelson's New Year's Eve show.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55So, that translates into that? That's amazing. Look at that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58You can tell it's been printed so many times.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Once we've designed a poster and the poster is ready to print,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08we lock it into the press bed here.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10She just pulls this knob forward
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and that moves the whole carriage over the press bed.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- It's sort of miraculous in a way. - It is, for us.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Having a hatch poster is a tradition that any entertainer
0:22:29 > 0:22:33that's coming to Nashville looks forward to.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Because so many of the forefathers of all the music genres
0:22:36 > 0:22:40here in Nashville started with hatch posters.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44So, a hatch poster is like a stamp in your country music passport
0:22:44 > 0:22:49- in a way, isn't it?- It is. Yes. It is, yeah.- This is just great.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52# I'd rather be in Nashville
0:22:52 > 0:22:55# Than to be back at home... #
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Printing sheet music was big business in Nashville
0:23:08 > 0:23:11from the beginning of the 19th century,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13but it was pressing songs on vinyl
0:23:13 > 0:23:17that turned country into a multimillion dollar machine.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22Drive down 16th Avenue and it feels like a regular Nashville suburb.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26But these unassuming houses are the record labels and studios
0:23:26 > 0:23:30that make up Music Row, the beating heart of Nashville's music business.
0:23:30 > 0:23:35# So God bless the boys who make the noise
0:23:35 > 0:23:37# On 16th Avenue... #
0:23:39 > 0:23:42RCA Studio B was the first purpose-built studio here
0:23:42 > 0:23:46and it's one of the most important in the world.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Roy Orbison cut Only The Lonely
0:23:48 > 0:23:52and Elvis recorded It's Now Or Never in this very building.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Over 1,000 singles have been sprinkled with the Studio B magic.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04When it was built in 1957, the rock'n'roll craze had swept America
0:24:04 > 0:24:08and country music realised it needed to move with the times.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14Studio B producer Chet Atkins invented a new sound
0:24:14 > 0:24:17to compete with rock'n'roll -
0:24:17 > 0:24:19a sweetened country music which appealed to the masses -
0:24:19 > 0:24:23it became known as the Nashville Sound.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30# Four walls too near me
0:24:30 > 0:24:36# Closing in on me... #
0:24:38 > 0:24:41But one guitar hero had a foot in both camps,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45a rock'n'roller who couldn't ignore his country roots.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50One of my great friends here in Nashville is Duane Eddy.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I used to know Duane well in the '70s
0:24:52 > 0:24:54because he appeared on the Old Grey Whistle Test and stuff,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57but we met up again here in Nashville.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58It's become a tradition between us
0:24:58 > 0:25:01to go for a curry on my first night when I arrive in town.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05And, of course, Duane was part of that rock'n'roll revolution
0:25:05 > 0:25:09that began to sweep country music aside.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12But it was interesting because at his heart,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Duane has always absolutely loved country music and it was a massive
0:25:16 > 0:25:20ambition of his to come down here to Nashville, and eventually he did do.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25He came down in 1962 and recorded at the RCA studio.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34- My goodness!- Wow!
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- Studio B! Great memories here.- I bet.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Country music would be like...
0:25:50 > 0:25:53COUNTRY CHORD PROGRESSION
0:25:56 > 0:25:59And the same thing in rock'n'roll would be...
0:25:59 > 0:26:02SPIKIER CHORD PROGRESSION
0:26:06 > 0:26:10- You know? Just more drive and more power.- Yeah, yeah.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Duane was a '50s megastar.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21He took his country passions,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24mixed them with a healthy splash of rock'n'roll
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and became the grand master of a sound that he called twang.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Well, everybody in those days were going...
0:26:31 > 0:26:33HIGH BLUESY RIFF
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I can't even do it. I'm so sloppy.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51- You know what I mean?- Yeah. - So, I thought, hey, down here...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53LOWER PITCH
0:26:53 > 0:26:56..is a much bigger, fatter sound, you know.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59So, I wrote this song called Movin' N' Groovin'
0:26:59 > 0:27:01where I played part of it up high.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02HIGHER PITCH
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Then higher...
0:27:11 > 0:27:12BOB LAUGHS
0:27:22 > 0:27:24BOB LAUGHS And that was, er...
0:27:25 > 0:27:27..so, that was my first record.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28GUITAR SOLO
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Knowing they were onto a winner, the record labels arrived en masse,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36colonising 16th Avenue.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Music Row was born.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43It grew into Nashville's equivalent of the Hollywood Studio system.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48It's a beautiful sunny day here on Music Row
0:27:48 > 0:27:52and we're just about to meet up with Scott Borchetta,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55who is the label manager of Big Machine Records,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59the biggest record label here in Nashville, Tennessee.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Hey, Scott.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06BOB LAUGHS
0:28:07 > 0:28:09# Greetings from Nashville... #
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Scott is the undisputed king of Music Row.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18'His incredible instinct for developing new talent
0:28:18 > 0:28:20'has brought him massive success.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22'He certainly doesn't have to worry about his car
0:28:22 > 0:28:25'only doing ten miles to the gallon.'
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Scott, we've got to talk about this car first of all...
0:28:28 > 0:28:32- SCOTT LAUGHS - ..because it's just so beautiful. - It's a 1948 Cadillac
0:28:32 > 0:28:34and you get this thing going,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37you'd better give yourself a little bit of space
0:28:37 > 0:28:38- if you want to stop.- Yeah.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41There's a lot of American metal right here.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43BOB LAUGHS
0:28:43 > 0:28:46MUSIC: Greetings From Nashville by Jason & The Scorchers
0:28:46 > 0:28:49For people who come to Nashville for the first time,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51you wouldn't know it was Music Row, would you?
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Because I think people have this idea
0:28:54 > 0:28:56that it's going to be big office blocks
0:28:56 > 0:28:58and it's going to look very corporate,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- but of course it doesn't at all.- No.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02A lot of these are literally houses.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05- You look at what's happened up and down these two streets...- Yeah.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08- ..and it's truly remarkable. I mean, they were all here...- Yeah.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11..whether it was Johnny, or Kris Kristofferson,
0:29:11 > 0:29:15or Willie Nelson and Chet Atkins, and all the greats.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18- They still roam, man. You know? - Yeah.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25'Scott knows how to spot a true talent
0:29:25 > 0:29:27'and take them all the way to the top.'
0:29:27 > 0:29:29He discovered a country songbird
0:29:29 > 0:29:31who's become a genre-smashing phenomenon,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35selling in excess of 26 million albums.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Today the biggest pop star in the world is Taylor Swift.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42# I was riding shotgun With my hair undone
0:29:42 > 0:29:44# In the front seat of his car... #
0:29:44 > 0:29:47So, really the things that Taylor already possessed,
0:29:47 > 0:29:49I really thought could work.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54The songs were amazing, she was incredibly smart and funny
0:29:54 > 0:29:56and had almost an ageless look
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and all the things that I loved about great artists,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01I just thought she had them.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04# Our song is the Slamming screen door
0:30:04 > 0:30:06# Sneakin' out late, tapping on your window. #
0:30:06 > 0:30:09I was just intrigued by her thought process.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13You know, everyday life comes in and extraordinary comes out with her.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18# Oh, oh...
0:30:18 > 0:30:21# Trouble, trouble, trouble
0:30:21 > 0:30:25# Oh, oh...
0:30:25 > 0:30:28# Trouble, trouble, trouble... #
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- What fun. - THEY LAUGH
0:30:30 > 0:30:35# Or anyone, or anything, yeah...
0:30:35 > 0:30:38# I knew you were trouble when you walked in. #
0:30:38 > 0:30:40And here's Taylor.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44- There she is.- Yes.- My baby. BOB LAUGHS
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Put the size of the country music industry
0:30:50 > 0:30:53into some kind of context.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56It's arguably the hottest format in America right now.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59You know, we have 2,000 country radio stations.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03You know, we have venues you can play in across the entire country.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06So, it's...it's huge. You know,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10we called the company Big Machine, almost as a challenge.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13BOB LAUGHS You know, it was, "What makes you think we ain't?"
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Nashville is the goldmine of America's music industry.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23With an annual economic impact of 10 billion,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26the percentage of locals employed in the music biz here
0:31:26 > 0:31:29exceeds LA and New York put together.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31There's room for a galaxy of stars.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Dierks Bentley is little known in the UK,
0:31:34 > 0:31:39but with ten number one hits, he's big business here.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41# I'm a riser
0:31:42 > 0:31:46# I'm a get up off the ground Don't run and hider
0:31:48 > 0:31:52# Pushin' comes to shove Hey, I'm a fighter
0:31:54 > 0:31:58# When darkness comes to town I'm a lighter
0:32:02 > 0:32:05# A get out aliver
0:32:05 > 0:32:09# Of the fire
0:32:09 > 0:32:11# Survivor. #
0:32:11 > 0:32:17Country music has traditionally partly been about Christian values.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20This is the buckle of the Bible Belt, it really is,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23but those values and the reflection of those values,
0:32:23 > 0:32:25everything's beginning to change.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29There are new artists bringing in an entirely different
0:32:29 > 0:32:32and contemporary take to life issues
0:32:32 > 0:32:36and one of those artists is Kacey Musgraves.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41# If you can't lose the weight Then you're just fat
0:32:41 > 0:32:45# But if you lose too much Then you're on crack... #
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Kacey has caused controversy with her lyrics.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50She writes about gay relationships,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53smoking pot and kissing whoever you like,
0:32:53 > 0:32:56'subjects that grate against Southern conservatism,
0:32:56 > 0:33:00'but it didn't stop her winning two Grammy awards
0:33:00 > 0:33:03'and the hearts of young America.'
0:33:03 > 0:33:05- Hey, Kacey. - Hey! Hey, Bob, how are you?
0:33:05 > 0:33:07I'm fine. How are you, then?
0:33:07 > 0:33:10- I'm great.- So, this is your local? - Welcome to Santa's.- Yeah.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14- If it's Santa's, this must be Santa.- Hey, Bob.- How are you?
0:33:14 > 0:33:15- Glad to meet you. - Good to meet you.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20# Follow your arrow Wherever it points. #
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Lyrically you're brave,
0:33:24 > 0:33:29you're putting yourself out there, aren't you, with your lyrics? You're addressing issues
0:33:29 > 0:33:35that one wouldn't necessarily expect country radio to embrace.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37These things aren't controversial to me, you know?
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I mean, as a songwriter,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41I'm just taking bits and pieces of things
0:33:41 > 0:33:43that have inspired me along the way.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Just being inspired by real things that people really go through.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48I don't care if, you know...
0:33:48 > 0:33:52- Don't sweep it under the rug.- Yeah. - You know, this is music,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55it's supposed to be embodied by what life is,
0:33:55 > 0:33:56especially country music.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Specifically let's say, Follow Your Arrow,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03er, where you use the word "joint" and a lot of the radio stations,
0:34:03 > 0:34:08they just dip the fader down so that we don't hear that one word.
0:34:08 > 0:34:09I mean...
0:34:09 > 0:34:11how do you feel about that? It's strange, isn't it?
0:34:11 > 0:34:13The thing is,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16I mean, everybody's allowed their opinion,
0:34:16 > 0:34:21and that's kind of what the song embodies in itself, you know?
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Not everyone's going to agree with that and I'm cool with that,
0:34:24 > 0:34:29that's everybody's freedom to be able to live how they want to live.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32The thing is, I just don't feel like it's any different
0:34:32 > 0:34:33than singing about moonshine,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36which country has for, how long now?
0:34:41 > 0:34:43# Roll up a joint, I would
0:34:43 > 0:34:48# And follow your arrow wherever it points. #
0:34:48 > 0:34:51I mean, that's one of the things I really love about country music
0:34:51 > 0:34:55is that it's unabashed, or it should be, you know?
0:34:55 > 0:34:57And it's, um,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01it's for people who are hurting, and are, you know,
0:35:01 > 0:35:02loving, and fighting
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and just literally, just living, you know?
0:35:09 > 0:35:14'Country lyrics have always had a brutal honesty about everyday life.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18'When Loretta Lynn sang in support of the pill in 1975,
0:35:18 > 0:35:20'there was public outcry.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23'Controversy and country go hand in hand.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27'Southern rocker Eric Church continues that tradition.'
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- What would you like? - Jack Daniels, Diet Coke.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Thank you. How much do I owe you?
0:35:33 > 0:35:36- On the house?- No, this is my...
0:35:36 > 0:35:38BOB LAUGHS ..I've been here a lot.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43# Boss man can shove That overtime up his can
0:35:43 > 0:35:46# All I want to do Is put a drink in my hand... #
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Well, even the first album,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50I mean, Two Pink Lines was a song about teen pregnancy
0:35:50 > 0:35:53and it was our second single on country radio
0:35:53 > 0:35:56and it wasn't,
0:35:56 > 0:35:58you know, wholeheartedly received!
0:35:58 > 0:36:01BOB LAUGHS I just thought it was interesting,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03I thought it was something, as a new artist,
0:36:03 > 0:36:06it was a subject matter I felt people were talking about at night
0:36:06 > 0:36:09when they sat around the dinner table and that should be written and sung about.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12# Yeah, I was foolish and wild
0:36:12 > 0:36:14# She was classic and regal
0:36:14 > 0:36:18# We were fresh out of school Both barely legal
0:36:18 > 0:36:22# We were young and on fire And just couldn't wait
0:36:22 > 0:36:25# Six weeks in she was Three weeks late... #
0:36:25 > 0:36:29I've never been afraid. I think that's music, that's what we're supposed to do,
0:36:29 > 0:36:31to look at what's going on in society
0:36:31 > 0:36:34and as songwriters and artists, write songs about it and make music about it.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37# Drink a little drink, Smoke a little smoke
0:36:39 > 0:36:40# Yeah. #
0:36:43 > 0:36:45I think that's where we found our fan base
0:36:45 > 0:36:48is talking about those things to middle America,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51to the world, when nobody else was.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54That's what made us country music, that's what made us popular.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57I get a little concerned when we're not looking there.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00We HAVE to do that, we have to mine that ground.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04You can't worry about radio, you can't worry about sales, you can't worry about labels,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06if we don't do that we go no farther.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09I feel like as long as we're paying attention to that world,
0:37:09 > 0:37:11we can do anything on the other side.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- Definitely drink to that. - Thank you, sir.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17- Cheers, Eric.- I appreciate that. BOB LAUGHS
0:37:24 > 0:37:27Nashville will always be home for a hot new songwriter
0:37:27 > 0:37:29with something to say,
0:37:29 > 0:37:34but it's also a place where old pros get new inspiration.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37In 1968, Gram Parsons brought The Byrds here
0:37:37 > 0:37:41to cut the first true country-rock album, Sweetheart Of The Rodeo.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44A year later Bob Dylan went country,
0:37:44 > 0:37:49recording Nashville Skyline with Johnny Cash, here in Music City.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51'No wonder Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame
0:37:51 > 0:37:53'followed in their footsteps.'
0:37:55 > 0:37:59# Love is a stranger in an open car
0:37:59 > 0:38:03# To tempt you in and drive you far away. #
0:38:06 > 0:38:07# Uh... #
0:38:09 > 0:38:12- Hey, Dave.- Hello, Bob. BOB LAUGHS
0:38:12 > 0:38:16- Nice to see you.- And you too. How's things?- Great, considering.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19- Fantastic space, this. - It's amazing, yes.- It's beautiful.
0:38:19 > 0:38:20I idolise it, Blackbird Studios.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23I think, best studio in the world, you know.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27# And love, love, love Is a dangerous drug. #
0:38:27 > 0:38:29So this is one of the studios
0:38:29 > 0:38:32where I did a lot of the overdubs on my album,
0:38:32 > 0:38:37but I was brought there by this guitar, strangely enough.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41So this was a sort of divining rod that pointed you in this direction?
0:38:41 > 0:38:44I saw this guitar on the wall in Denmark Street.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- Immediately it was like, I couldn't see any other guitars.- Yeah.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51And he brought the case and I knew I'd got something special,
0:38:51 > 0:38:55because it was an original case with "Make Mine Country" on it.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57God, that's brilliant. That's beautiful.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00The guy said, "Yeah, it was owned by a guy called Red River Dave."
0:39:00 > 0:39:04I thought, Red River Dave, that's another weird coincidence.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05BOB LAUGHS
0:39:05 > 0:39:09This incredible story came out about this Texan country-and-western guy
0:39:09 > 0:39:13who was probably THE most eccentric songwriter.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17I hadn't made a record in 13 years of my own.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20'I thought, I'm going to come here and record one.'
0:39:20 > 0:39:23# Here's a new song for Nashville
0:39:24 > 0:39:26# That's kind of country blues
0:39:30 > 0:39:34# Cos I love the way I'm feeling here
0:39:34 > 0:39:37# It kind of goes with my tattoos. #
0:39:38 > 0:39:42I sense that Nashville's got into your blood, Dave.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44So, what is it, then, about Nashville?
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Well, for me, you see,
0:39:46 > 0:39:50I come from the north-east of England
0:39:50 > 0:39:53and I started off playing acoustic guitar
0:39:53 > 0:39:56and singing in folk clubs.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58And I used to really get into the stories,
0:39:58 > 0:40:03like this beautiful poetry about... down the mines, or,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07you know, the wives waiting for the sailors to come home
0:40:07 > 0:40:08and all this kind of stuff.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10And so when I came to Nashville, I realised
0:40:10 > 0:40:13this is exactly the same feeling as I had then
0:40:13 > 0:40:16and I'd lost that feeling for years and years.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19# All messed up on love
0:40:19 > 0:40:22# All messed up on love. #
0:40:24 > 0:40:28Dave Stewart rediscovered his first love in Nashville
0:40:28 > 0:40:30and he joins the likes of Neil Young,
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Robert Plant and Steve Winwood,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37who've all made that special pilgrimage to Music City.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Nashville's popularity grew on the radio,
0:40:41 > 0:40:44but today it has an international audience,
0:40:44 > 0:40:46thanks to a primetime television drama
0:40:46 > 0:40:50about the highs and the lows of making it in this town.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52# Oh...
0:40:52 > 0:40:54# I can hear 'em playing
0:40:54 > 0:40:56# I can hear the ringing
0:40:56 > 0:40:59# Of a beat-up old guitar... #
0:40:59 > 0:41:02British actor and musician Sam Palladio
0:41:02 > 0:41:06had never dreamt of coming here until he got the call to audition,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08and the rest has been a fairy tale.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14I had this impression that Nashville might be, um,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17this kind of Southern hay bails, and "hey, y'alls",
0:41:17 > 0:41:19and banjos, you know,
0:41:19 > 0:41:22more the kind of traditional things that I'd heard.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25But actually it turned out to be this sort of melting pot
0:41:25 > 0:41:30of culture, of music, of artists and it really blew me away.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Did you find it a friendly town?
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I come from, I'm from Penzance in Cornwall,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39so I grew up with the... the kind of,
0:41:39 > 0:41:42almost the Cornish hospitality of, "How's it going, boy?"
0:41:42 > 0:41:45BOB LAUGHS You know, "How's your mother?" sort of thing...
0:41:45 > 0:41:50- Yeah.- ..and found that was so similar here
0:41:50 > 0:41:52with the southern hospitality of the states.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56# Oh baby, what if?
0:41:58 > 0:42:01# What if you wanted To feel alive? #
0:42:02 > 0:42:07Sam films plenty of scenes in Nashville's Bluebird Cafe,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09which started as a gourmet restaurant
0:42:09 > 0:42:13with live background music, until in 1987,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Garth Brooks was discovered here.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18Since then, many others have followed,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21including Taylor Swift.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23BOTH: Here we are! THEY LAUGH
0:42:24 > 0:42:26- I know this place well.- Yeah.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32- So this is the world-famous Bluebird Cafe, Sam.- Yes.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37And the significance, then, of here, for you?
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Um, it's pretty significant, actually.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44The first live music night I ever saw was here at the Bluebird.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47It was the first experience of, actually the songwriter
0:42:47 > 0:42:49explaining the back story to a song,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52- getting us all in that zone, and then delivering it...- Yeah.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55..which isn't something I'd experienced really before.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- The story element of it is a big thing here in Nashville...- Yeah.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02..and the Bluebird's famous for that.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06# Don't let me sleep I've got a promise to keep
0:43:06 > 0:43:11# You'll be on my mind saying Be strong in this flight
0:43:11 > 0:43:16# Carrying me through These troubled times
0:43:17 > 0:43:22# So wake me up in Nashville Cos it's where I want to be
0:43:22 > 0:43:26# And I will meet you On the platform
0:43:26 > 0:43:28# At 3:15 and I will
0:43:28 > 0:43:33# Look into your eyes In the fading autumn light
0:43:33 > 0:43:37# Wake me up in Nashville
0:43:37 > 0:43:40# And let me hold you tonight. #
0:43:40 > 0:43:44Country music is having a big impact in Britain,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47- particularly with young kids.- Yeah.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49So, you know, what's your take on that?
0:43:49 > 0:43:51I think it's really exciting
0:43:51 > 0:43:54and this, our show has been a bit of a catalyst
0:43:54 > 0:43:57in getting country music out to a wider audience.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00And the show has done a lot to make people realise that there's this...
0:44:00 > 0:44:04this kind of hotbed of talent here and song writing that,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07that really is pretty unique and you don't find anywhere else.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10- Yeah, and more power to it.- Yeah.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14# Kisses sweeter than Tupelo honey
0:44:14 > 0:44:17# Little bit crazy like... #
0:44:17 > 0:44:19Our perception of country in Britain
0:44:19 > 0:44:23has been dominated by the rhinestone razzmatazz of the mainstream.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25But does the glare of the spotlight
0:44:25 > 0:44:29leave the real truth and soul of country music in the dark?
0:44:29 > 0:44:34# Convinced it's not living If you stand outside the fire... #
0:44:34 > 0:44:37During the '90s, it became bigger than ever.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Garth Brooks had the first ever country album
0:44:40 > 0:44:41to top the pop charts
0:44:41 > 0:44:45and filled stadiums with his Stetson spectaculars.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48But for many, country music had lost its way.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59This provoked a fierce reaction from those on the flip side
0:44:59 > 0:45:00of the country coin.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03# Hey, pretty baby, are you ready for me?
0:45:03 > 0:45:06# A good rockin' daddy down from Tennessee. #
0:45:07 > 0:45:09They rejected Music Row,
0:45:09 > 0:45:13stripped things down and got back to the roots - Americana was born.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20'Exactly what it is is the subject of much debate
0:45:20 > 0:45:23'but I asked the man in the know, Jed Hilly.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32There was a group of passionate people
0:45:32 > 0:45:34who worked in the music business
0:45:34 > 0:45:37who reacted to the commercial country music establishment
0:45:37 > 0:45:41- saying that Rosanne Cash wasn't good enough to be on radio.- Yeah.
0:45:42 > 0:45:43That was very real.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46That Emmylou wasn't good enough to be on your radio station.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50- And it took a few years for the troops to get rallied.- Yeah.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56But it's fascinating that a group, and in some ways a genre,
0:45:56 > 0:46:02came out of a reaction to a business model that did not respect the arts.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05So how do you define Americana - what actually is it?
0:46:05 > 0:46:08I think it's really simple.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11It is contemporary music that honours and/or derives from American
0:46:11 > 0:46:13roots traditions.
0:46:13 > 0:46:14Period. It's that simple.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20Americana has found a geographical home in East Nashville,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24an altogether different place to Music Row and Lower Broadway.
0:46:25 > 0:46:30The East Nashville music scene to me, it's rebel, it's vibrant,
0:46:30 > 0:46:34- it's interesting.- And irreverent. - And irreverent!
0:46:34 > 0:46:38It is a melting pot of talent that is off the radar.
0:46:38 > 0:46:45It is not part of the neon Nashville exterior, but it's truly a jewel.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48I mean, I don't know, Bob, that I want you telling everybody
0:46:48 > 0:46:54about what is East Nashville because it is such a special place.
0:46:54 > 0:47:01There's no make-up before rehearsal, before show. It's, "Can you play?
0:47:01 > 0:47:03"Then let's play." That's East Nashville.
0:47:03 > 0:47:09# There isn't nothing wrong with Nashville
0:47:11 > 0:47:14# These rolling hills of Nashville, Tennessee
0:47:14 > 0:47:16# All right. #
0:47:16 > 0:47:20Cross the Cumberland River, drive for a few minutes
0:47:20 > 0:47:23and you're the other side of the tracks, East Nashville.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31There's a different feel here. Pockets of trendy bars, organic
0:47:31 > 0:47:36eateries and hipster coffee shops have sprung up as musicians and
0:47:36 > 0:47:41songwriters move in. It's become an enclave of Americana and
0:47:41 > 0:47:45"alt country". Eric Brace has watched the scene grow.
0:47:46 > 0:47:50- So I really love this part of town, Eric.- East Nashville?
0:47:50 > 0:47:52What is it about East Nashville?
0:47:52 > 0:47:55Well, I moved here about ten years ago and I moved here
0:47:55 > 0:47:57because it had this magnetic pull to it.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02Musicians look for certain things. One is cheap housing
0:48:02 > 0:48:07and the other is just being surrounded by other musicians
0:48:07 > 0:48:10and other studios, you know? The quality of life for a musician,
0:48:10 > 0:48:14you just gotta have that support system.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19To a degree if you're writing songs for a major label on Music Row,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22you're writing for a corporation.
0:48:22 > 0:48:26They're making this thing, this product, and I think that
0:48:26 > 0:48:32a lot of East Nashville musicians that I know say... In fact they say,
0:48:32 > 0:48:36"please don't call it product, this is my music." And they just
0:48:36 > 0:48:39want to write a great song. They just want to put on a great show.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48'There's always been a rebel community here who didn't
0:48:48 > 0:48:52'quite fit in with the Music City status quo.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55'Those more influenced by the '70s outlaws than
0:48:55 > 0:48:57'the pop hits of Music Row.
0:48:57 > 0:49:02'East Nashville adoptee Todd Snider epitomises the spirit here,
0:49:02 > 0:49:06'a man who refuses to be corrupted by the mainstream.'
0:49:08 > 0:49:12So what's your take on what makes this area so amazing?
0:49:12 > 0:49:16Well, to me it's like a cool, little, like a little drinking
0:49:16 > 0:49:20neighbourhood that has a huge musician problem,
0:49:20 > 0:49:24and I think it's the place that, if you're in Nashville
0:49:24 > 0:49:27and you don't see yourself on CMT but you do see yourself as part
0:49:27 > 0:49:32of Southern music, you come here and that's where your friends are.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36# Like a Phoenix radio
0:49:36 > 0:49:39# We used to listen and where did it go?
0:49:39 > 0:49:45# It went off of the air so more Sheryl Crow could come on. #
0:49:46 > 0:49:50There's a perception certainly from Britain looking at Nashville
0:49:50 > 0:49:53that there is this kind of divide.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57East Nashville cool, Music Row uncool.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01East Nashville left wing, Music Row right wing.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03It's pretty much that.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05I mean, I wouldn't say they weren't cool.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07You know, most of those guys that sing country music,
0:50:07 > 0:50:09they were on the team in school
0:50:09 > 0:50:11and their girlfriend was the cheerleader,
0:50:11 > 0:50:12they sing for the popular.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15Those kids don't want to hear some guy share their heart or some
0:50:15 > 0:50:19poem kind of crap, they'd kick his ass, you know.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21But if some guy goes, "No, the only reason I'm writing a poem is
0:50:21 > 0:50:24"so I can buy a truck for my dad," then they go, "Oh!
0:50:24 > 0:50:28"That makes sense, I don't have to kick your ass now."
0:50:28 > 0:50:31But if you go, "I just wrote it cos I want to say it to the girl,"
0:50:31 > 0:50:33then, "We're going to have to kick your ass!"
0:50:33 > 0:50:37# East Nashville skyline
0:50:37 > 0:50:40# Cross on over to a state of mind
0:50:41 > 0:50:45# Leaving all my troubles way behind
0:50:45 > 0:50:49# That old Cumberland River. #
0:50:49 > 0:50:53The perception, obviously, of Nashville is that it's country,
0:50:53 > 0:50:55that's it - full stop.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00And nowadays it's become a magnet pull for music
0:51:00 > 0:51:01right across the board.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03Yeah, just because of what it has to offer.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05You've got the Black Keys moving here,
0:51:05 > 0:51:08you've got Jack White moving here and setting up Third Man Records,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11and Ed Sheeran who moved to town. I mean, there's this big pop thing
0:51:11 > 0:51:14going on also and Taylor Swift is sort of the queen of that.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16But you can do anything you want here.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19- And is this the home of Americana? - I think so.- Yeah.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Fuck, yeah.
0:51:35 > 0:51:36East side.
0:51:54 > 0:51:57It's a beautiful day, it's just incredible.
0:51:58 > 0:52:03We've driven now about 25 minutes outside of the centre
0:52:03 > 0:52:07of Nashville because we're heading to the home of one of my great
0:52:07 > 0:52:11friends here in Music City, Beth Nielsen Chapman.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14She was actually my sort of passport into Nashville in many ways
0:52:14 > 0:52:17because she introduced me to so many people here.
0:52:25 > 0:52:26Hey, Beth.
0:52:26 > 0:52:27Hey.
0:52:27 > 0:52:28Hey, stranger.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30- How are you?- Good to see you again.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33So good to see you.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36The famous and legendary Bob Harris is in the house.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39And this is where the concert's going to be held today?
0:52:39 > 0:52:42- Wow, it looks fantastic, Beth.- We're going to have so much fun.- Yeah.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51In Nashville, gathering to share songs has always been
0:52:51 > 0:52:53part of the fabric of life.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55It's a tradition that harks back to the
0:52:55 > 0:52:58homesteads of the Appalachian Mountains.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Beth opens her home for new talent
0:53:00 > 0:53:04to play alongside established songwriters.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07- How's things?- You look nice. I like the jacket.- Thank you.
0:53:09 > 0:53:10This is great.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18# There's a man who walks beside me
0:53:18 > 0:53:21# He is who I used to be
0:53:21 > 0:53:25# And I wonder if she sees him and confuses him with me
0:53:27 > 0:53:30# I wonder who she's pining for
0:53:30 > 0:53:32# On nights I'm not around
0:53:32 > 0:53:37# Could it be the man who did the things I'm living now? #
0:53:39 > 0:53:42There's so many different avenues in Nashville for a songwriter. You can
0:53:42 > 0:53:46have more of a day job, you know. My best friend from high school
0:53:46 > 0:53:50is a songwriter here now and he goes to work 9 to 5 like everybody else.
0:53:51 > 0:53:55If somebody's written a great song everybody feels thrilled that
0:53:55 > 0:53:58there's another great song and a little bit jealous that they
0:53:58 > 0:54:00didn't write it, and that's the way it's supposed to be, I think.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03# There's a man who walks beside her
0:54:03 > 0:54:05# He is who I used to be
0:54:05 > 0:54:11# And I wonder if she sees him and confuses him with me. #
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- Sorry.- It kind of made it cool.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21He's so professional.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25Having lived in London and Atlanta, as well
0:54:25 > 0:54:30and other cities that have music as part of them, and a big part of them,
0:54:30 > 0:54:34I feel like Nashville, the heart of the city is music,
0:54:34 > 0:54:37so it gives it a really different atmosphere, I think, living here.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42# Don't I feel like something when you're here
0:54:45 > 0:54:51# Don't I feel my lungs losing air
0:54:53 > 0:54:58# Don't I feel like I can show you
0:54:58 > 0:55:01# I'm the one you can go to
0:55:01 > 0:55:06# When you need another heartbeat near
0:55:10 > 0:55:13# Don't I feel like something
0:55:13 > 0:55:16# When you're here. #
0:55:21 > 0:55:25The music community here in Nashville, it's very tightly knit.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28I always get this impression everybody knows each other,
0:55:28 > 0:55:30everybody's just a phone call away basically
0:55:30 > 0:55:33and there's a great community feeling about that.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36There really is, and it's very supportive.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39If you come to this town and you have a great song - you don't
0:55:39 > 0:55:41have to have a cute butt, you don't have to have a lot of other
0:55:41 > 0:55:44things - but if you have a great song, you have the ingredient
0:55:44 > 0:55:47that pushes you through a lot of resistance that would
0:55:47 > 0:55:50normally face a person that's trying to make it in the music business.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52The song is really the king in this town.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Three chords and the truth?
0:55:54 > 0:55:58That's right. Sometimes there's four chords!
0:55:58 > 0:56:03# Ooh, they always come back again
0:56:05 > 0:56:09# Every time freedom tries to pull me out
0:56:09 > 0:56:11# They shove me back in
0:56:13 > 0:56:18# Ooh, gonna let that fire burn
0:56:18 > 0:56:22# You tell me how you gonna walk on coals
0:56:22 > 0:56:24# And water too. #
0:56:27 > 0:56:31Nashville is so much more than ten-gallon hats, rhinestone
0:56:31 > 0:56:38cowboys and showbiz sparkle. It stands strong as Music City because
0:56:38 > 0:56:41whether you're writing for Music Row, or playing amongst friends,
0:56:41 > 0:56:45Nashville is a city built on songs and the people that play them.
0:56:45 > 0:56:52# So tell me how you gonna walk on coal
0:56:58 > 0:57:02# And water too? #
0:57:06 > 0:57:08Thank you.
0:57:08 > 0:57:09Thanks very much.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20Well, what an amazing week.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24We've been to some of the little venues to hear
0:57:24 > 0:57:27some of the newest stars, we've met up with country legends,
0:57:27 > 0:57:32we've driven down Music Row, we've met great songwriters
0:57:32 > 0:57:35and we've listened to some fantastic music.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38And tonight the house concert in many ways pulls together the
0:57:38 > 0:57:44threads of so much of what I love about this town. Great song writing,
0:57:44 > 0:57:48wonderful, wonderful musicianship and above all great camaraderie.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52It's what you find here in Nashville, Tennessee.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54MUSIC: Nashville Without You by Tim McGraw
0:57:54 > 0:57:55# Hey, crazy
0:57:57 > 0:58:00# You know it's true
0:58:00 > 0:58:02# That Nashville
0:58:02 > 0:58:06# Wouldn't be Nashville without you
0:58:15 > 0:58:18# It'd be just another river town
0:58:21 > 0:58:23# Streets would have a different sound. #