Taylor Hicks ~ Standing by Music City

Taylor Hicks tweeted Friday:
“Help Nashville Flood Relief donate $10 to red cross by texting 90999!! TaylorRHicks Fri 07 May 23:12 via txt”

The music community is standing by Music City.

In 2007, David Wild coauthored “Heart Full of Soul,” the autobiography of Taylor Hicks for Random House and wrote about Nashville as Taylor tried to make it in Music City. He is a TV writer, contributing editor for Rolling Stone, and author of “He is…I Say.”

Last week, he wrote about Nashville again, “They are Nashville: Standing by Music City” as devastating floods destroyed homes, lives and historic landmarks.

“I love Nashville. …Like New Orleans, Nashville is a unique American City that still makes its own kind of music, and it does so in its own way at its own pace. Although I don't get to spend as much time there as I would like, Nashville still feels like a second home to me whenever I am fortunate enough to spend time there.”

“I blogged here about my ongoing love affair with Nashville last November right before the Country Music Association Awards, a big TV event that I feel very privileged to have written in recent years. I wrote that piece having just spent a night standing backstage at the Grand Ole Opry during its weekly radio broadcast feeling both at the center and the top of the world. Today the Grand Ole Opry building has been devastated by the flooding of the Cumberland River, as have so many other truly historic and special places in Music City. Nearly thirty people have died, and the damage there seems almost impossible to calculate or comprehend.”

He alluded to a piece by another blogger, Patten Fuqua, “who I believe usually blogs about hockey for something called Section 303. Today, however, Mr. Fuqua wrote a short but powerful piece called ‘We Are Nashville.’” It focuses on the lack of media coverage given to Nashville in light of other pressing news stories. It also pays tribute to the people of Nashville who simply did what they needed to do last week because “We are Nashville.”

David continues: “…I think every American should take a few moments and read his piece. And I think everybody who loves music - any kind of music really - should make plans to visit Music City in the not distant future and be a part of this city latest and greatest comeback story. Knowing the city and the people pretty well, I fully expect Nashville to be greeting the world warmly again by the time the CMA Music Festival comes around in June.

“See, whether you know it or not, Nashville has already touched and graced your life through some of the greatest music America and the world have ever known -- all kinds of music too. Let's all do our part to help Nashville and its people keep the music playing forever more.”

Some writers gave it the press it deserved. AOL’s News contributor, Michelle Ruiz, put it in a Nashville context:

“The losses felt in Nashville in the wake of its historic flood may someday inspire a heartbreaking country song. For now, though, Music City is assessing the untold damage caused by the record-breaking rains and subsequent flooding that killed at least 29 people in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky.”

The Grand Ole Opry House was flooded with three feet of water covering the stage; ten feet of floodwater filled the Opryland Hotel. The bars and clubs on 2nd Avenue and the Sommet Center Bridgestone Arena, home of the annual CMA and CMT Awards shows, were flooded. The Country Music Hall of Fame reported five feet of water in a mechanical room and damage to a theater in the building. The Schermerhorn Symphony Center, home to the Nashville Symphony, had 15 feet of water in the basement putting instruments at risk and already lost are two pianos and their organ.

For the first time since 1975, the Grand Ole Opry shows had to move to other locations—one to the Ryman Auditorium.

As I saw the news from Nashville this week, I tried to picture the flooded areas, but I didn’t see much of Nashville in 2007 when Taylor Hicks brought his solo tour to the Ryman Auditorium. Remembering that afternoon walking up the steep hill in front of the Ryman, I was quite sure that it was high above any flooded areas. We were across the street and only saw a few blocks around the traditional home of the Grand Ole Opry. But I knew that Taylor had spent time there. Taylor and David had written about those lonely days in a cold Music City.

I also remembered many, many years ago watching the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights with my Dad. I am sure it was coming from the Ryman. He loved the show—Little Jimmy Dickens, Ernest Tubb, and Porter Wagner in the Nudie Cohen-style flashy suits which were the inspiration for Taylor’s Teen Angel rhinestone-encrusted suit.

Country music star, Marty Stuart, said last week that he had taken over Porter Wagner’s backstage dressing room at the Grand Ole Opry after Porter died and that he had little hopes of recovering from his dressing room a rhinestone bedecked tapestry he kept on display there, fashioned from what was to have been a new Nudie Cohen suit for Porter before he died. It was only one of the many, many treasures that were buried last week in the muddy waters of the Cumberland River.

As the Grand Ole Opry will play once again in Ryman Auditorium this week, a member on our message board posted a comment with an interesting perspective:

“Interesting how life comes around full circle=the Opry STARTED in the old Ryman Auditorium-and it has come home. Nashville is rising.”

Again.

In 2007, Taylor Hicks took the stage at the historic Ryman for his encore. He sang an emotional, “May the Circle Be Unbroken.”

Another circle may be closed as Taylor has hinted that he wants to spend some time in Nashville after his run in “Grease” that ends just two weeks from today. He may find a little different city, but no doubt, the same spirit of surviving and rebuilding as Country Music stars and the resilient people of Nashville come together to meet this latest challenge.

And you can bet your Gibson Les Paul Vintage that country music will set it to song!

“Help Nashville Flood Relief donate $10 to red cross by texting 90999!!
TaylorRHicks Fri 07 May 23:12 via txt”

You can also donate at the Middle Tennessee Red Cross Chapters which includes Nashville: http://www.nashvilleredcross.org/index.asp?IDCapitulo=78T3Z2WSK0

Stand by Music City! Nashville music has touched the hearts and lives of us all.

Taylor's tour bus outside the Ryman in 2007:

The TaylorHicks Community blog banner picture above is from Taylor's 2007 appearance at the Ryman.

~~~
Sunday morning reflections:
Last Sunday morning I was looking at pictures of Gulf Shores, Alabama, where they were preparing for the onslaught of the massive oil slick, and I was remembering Biloxi. The news is still not good as efforts fail to contain the gush of oil.

This Sunday morning I am looking at pictures of flooded places in Nashville and remembering the second stop of my Taylor Tour in 2007.

We need a breather from disasters.

Next Sunday morning I expect to be looking at media pictures of Taylor Hicks in Cleveland and blogging about the spectacular run of “Grease!” It’s almost over.

This is a happy Sunday morning as I celebrate being a mother!

Happy Mother’s Day to mother’s everywhere and to my beautiful daughter who is one of the world’s best young mothers!

I am a very blessed mother!

~~~
Blogger references:
“They are Nashville: Standing by Music City” by David Wild
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wild/they-are-nashville-standi_b_563706.html

“We are Nashville” by Patten Fuqua
http://www.section303.com/we-are-nashville-4366

A calm Cumberland River winds through Nashville (from section303.com):

“Floods Damage Nashville's Music Landmarks”Michelle Ruiz, Contributor, AOL News
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/floods-damage-nashvilles-music-landmarks/19465631

“Nashville music landmarks devastated by floods; Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, more tweet their status.” (Also: info on how to help!)by Whitney Pastorek
http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/05/03/nashville-flood-devastates-opry-brad-paisley-dierks-bentley/

“As flooding subsides, Music City surveys damage”
by By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011778891_flooding05.html

And special thanks to TTHC’s Cath for bringing together a comprehensive thread on Connections about the Nashville story. For more information and articles:
http://taylorconnections.com/topic/3276740/1/#new

And thanks to OBG, Connections member, for her thoughtful perspective.

On the mp3 player~Pure Nashville country: the ever-beautiful classic, “Tennessee Waltz” by music legend, Patsy Cline.