In my career, I have been very blessed and fortunate to be able to make friendships with quite a few people that I never in a million years thought I would even meet, let alone str ike up a relationship with.
One of those people for me was legendary Nashville personality Buddy Killen. Best-known as the head of Tree Publishing Company, he was among the first to sign such songwriters as Bill Anderson, Joe Tex, Dolly Parton, and Roger Miller. He also was one of Nashville's most prominent businessmen, having owned the Stockyard Restaurant for many years--even doing the memorable commericals that ended with the tag like "I wanna be seen at the Stockyard." In addition, he gave back to the area a hundred fold----having donated time and resources to several charities, most notably Easter Seals. Just how well-known and tuned-in to Nashville was Buddy Killen? In 1974, when Paul McCartney spent some time in Music City to do some recording...who was his tour guide? You guessed it....Buddy Killen.
I remember in the spring of 1993, Buddy released his autobiography, BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS.. He hd scheduled a book signing at Brentano's Bookstore in Bellevue, TN. I got there a little late, but he was still there. You know how some people reportedly have "it." He was gathering his stuff to leave, and you could just tell by the way he carried himself, that Buddy Killen had "it."
Flash forward about a decade later. Long after selling Tree to Sony, he still was very active in the business, and was producing a new act on Lofton Creek Records, a label that is run by another of my good friends, Mike Borchetta. Mike asked me if I wanted to go to lunch with / and interview Buddy Killen. After thinking about it for a half-second, I said yes, and a few weeks later, it came to be.
We ate at Valentino's. I don't remember a lot about the meal, but I do remember watching how people responded to him in the restaurant. Have you ever dined with someone who knew everybody there? That was the case.....but yet, I got a crash course on how to make everyone feel important and not ignore who your guests are.
OK....I got a meeting, and I got lunch.....But it didn't end there. I had already started my journalism career by then, and asked if I could put him on my mailing list. He agreed, and that's where it usually ends. Every now and then, he would respond about something I wrote.....Then, on a couple of occasions, I would get a phone call asking me to come to his office. He just wanted to talk...about the music business, or life in general. When I lost a job in record promotion, he had some timely words of advice. When my mother died the next year, he offered me some insight on how he dealt with that in his life.
In no way, am I trying to say that we were tight as twin fiddles in a Bob Wills band, nor did I get an invite to sit at the table with him for Thanksgiving dinner.....but there's no doubt about it....Buddy Killen made Chuck Dauphin feel like he could contribute to the music business, and also life. There's a lot of so called "Power People" in Nashville today who have not achieved half of what he did....that act like you are beneath them....They all could learn a lesson or two from this native of Florence, AL.
I say all this to pay tribute to Buddy, who passed away three years ago tomorrow. It's a crime that he hasn't been inducted in the Country Music Hall Of Fame yet.....Hopefully that will take place in the next few years. They did name the infamous "Roundabout" at Music Row after him.....the one with the statues..but that's not enough....In addition to what you did for all the writers and artists, Buddy Killen, thank you for making a radio guy from Dickson County feel ten feet tall!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
FOUR YEARS AGO
October 25, 2005 (1:30pm)
I was coming back from an interview in Nashville when my cell phone rang around the Pegram / McCoury Lane exit on Interstate 40. It was my father. "If you can, you probably need to get here this afternoon," he said, referring to Dickson County Healthcare, a place where he and I had spent many a early morning and a late night since my mother had been admitted as a paitent for about a month. Neither one of us had missed a day since she was admitted. That's something that I have to say I felt pretty good about. In just a month's time, you find out that many people do not ever visit their "loved ones" in the nursing home, including one of Dickson's biggest "movers and shakers," who actually is nothing more than the other name for a mule....but anyway...There seemed to be some kind of complication with my mother's health. You worry, but you also know that with her situation, she's probably going to be here a while. Four years later, I can't say that I totally understand what happened or why, but there would be getting no better.....as things would only get worse. Still, how many times had we braced ourselves...and she would rebound enough to make it to the next day. There was one night, after a football game, where I stopped there on the way home, and they said that I probably shouldn't leave. Her vitals were dropping.....only to be normal again in just a few hours. So, even though she wasn't having a good day, I wasn't going to go anywhere but there....just in case.
October 25, 2005 (10:30pm)
It had been a long night, but everything seemed to have gotten better. I don't remember there being a moment where I think she was aware of her surroundings, but we had our goodbye moment about a week prior. I was tired--it had been a long day, plus I was to do some fill-in work at the radio station where I was working the next morning. Daddy was still there, so I thought I would go on home and go to bed. It was a down day, but there would be others....and who knows tomorrow just might be better.
October 25, 2005 (11:45pm)
Daddy got in, and I had just got done with everything I needed to do, and about to hit the bed. Prayed a prayer for God's will. I had learned after talking with some counselors from Hospice that it was alright to let them go. I didn't pray for that, but I did ask that God's will be done. She had suffered so much, and there didn't look to be any kind of turnaround......So, I got in bed. 104.5 The Zone was talking about the Chicago White Sox's game in the World Series that night, and I was drifting.
October 26, 2005 (12:25am)
The ringing of the phone breaks the beginning of sleep. At first, I thought it might be one of my friends who would call having ran out of gas in the middle of the night. Caller ID, however, said the rest of the story. "Dickson Heathcare,' it said. Daddy answered the phone. A football coach and and a good friend of mine named Jerry Pearson once told me that the phone doesn't ring for a good reason past midnight. It seemed at the 12:20 night check, my mother's pulse and heartbeat had stopped. It was over. We drove to Dickson, and I didn't know whether I should cry or not...I was numb. After we called Taylor Funeral Home, there wasn't nothing much to do except to go back home. The sun shone the next morning, of all things.
October 27-28, 2005
For all the bad memories of the week, the outpouring of love and sympathy was great. So many of my friends from radio, music, and DCHS came by. The funeral was what funerals are supposed to be. I spoke. It wasn't that bad. The burial, however, was something else. That night, I was on the air, broadcasting a football game in Williamson County. Some probably didn't understand or understand that fact now.....but I sleep at night. Even though I wasn't "on" that night, that's where I needed to be. The week was over.
October 26, 2009
Four Years......That's hard to believe. It took me a while to get over my guilt about not being there, and what I prayed about just within a few minutes of your death....Couldn't my sleep have waited a couple of hours? My preacher, James Hinkle, put it in perspective for me....Maybe, just maybe....she didn't want you there...because she knew how I would handle it. Looking back, that's probably the truth. I'll be honest with you...People put a lot of stock in graveyards and dates and such, and I guess I am since I chose to write about this today....but I cried just as much a couple of Saturdays ago than I will today.....and I put some artificial flowers down a few months ago, and I'll decorate it for Christmas in a few weeks, but I don't pull in that much. But, I know where she's at....and it's not there.....
Mama, in the past four years, I've done (debating on who you talk to!) a lot of growing up. I met and married the love of my life, became a father, and have continued my career (even though this year, I feel like I am in the fight of my life to keep it going...but someone always told me "Do what you do....Things will always work out like they should...," so we will see.)....Daddy remarried a couple of years back, and you know what....Marcia is a great friend to me, and she makes him happy...and that means a lot....
I say all that to say all this.....You're still here. When we, as a family, go to Christmas In The Country in a couple of weeks...you're there....When I take Bella Christmas Shopping on Black Friday....you're there.......and I wouldn't have it any other way....four years later. It's not about the pain of missing you anymore, though some days it hurts like it did on the dates above, it's about reflection. You gave me so much...I hope I am proving myself worthy....Some days, I wonder. Anyway, with October 26 coming up as a blog date, I couldn't write about music, the Dallas Cowboys, Christmas Shopping, or any of that stuff. It would ring too hollow....I'll just say...I love you and I miss you!
Your Son,
Chuck
I was coming back from an interview in Nashville when my cell phone rang around the Pegram / McCoury Lane exit on Interstate 40. It was my father. "If you can, you probably need to get here this afternoon," he said, referring to Dickson County Healthcare, a place where he and I had spent many a early morning and a late night since my mother had been admitted as a paitent for about a month. Neither one of us had missed a day since she was admitted. That's something that I have to say I felt pretty good about. In just a month's time, you find out that many people do not ever visit their "loved ones" in the nursing home, including one of Dickson's biggest "movers and shakers," who actually is nothing more than the other name for a mule....but anyway...There seemed to be some kind of complication with my mother's health. You worry, but you also know that with her situation, she's probably going to be here a while. Four years later, I can't say that I totally understand what happened or why, but there would be getting no better.....as things would only get worse. Still, how many times had we braced ourselves...and she would rebound enough to make it to the next day. There was one night, after a football game, where I stopped there on the way home, and they said that I probably shouldn't leave. Her vitals were dropping.....only to be normal again in just a few hours. So, even though she wasn't having a good day, I wasn't going to go anywhere but there....just in case.
October 25, 2005 (10:30pm)
It had been a long night, but everything seemed to have gotten better. I don't remember there being a moment where I think she was aware of her surroundings, but we had our goodbye moment about a week prior. I was tired--it had been a long day, plus I was to do some fill-in work at the radio station where I was working the next morning. Daddy was still there, so I thought I would go on home and go to bed. It was a down day, but there would be others....and who knows tomorrow just might be better.
October 25, 2005 (11:45pm)
Daddy got in, and I had just got done with everything I needed to do, and about to hit the bed. Prayed a prayer for God's will. I had learned after talking with some counselors from Hospice that it was alright to let them go. I didn't pray for that, but I did ask that God's will be done. She had suffered so much, and there didn't look to be any kind of turnaround......So, I got in bed. 104.5 The Zone was talking about the Chicago White Sox's game in the World Series that night, and I was drifting.
October 26, 2005 (12:25am)
The ringing of the phone breaks the beginning of sleep. At first, I thought it might be one of my friends who would call having ran out of gas in the middle of the night. Caller ID, however, said the rest of the story. "Dickson Heathcare,' it said. Daddy answered the phone. A football coach and and a good friend of mine named Jerry Pearson once told me that the phone doesn't ring for a good reason past midnight. It seemed at the 12:20 night check, my mother's pulse and heartbeat had stopped. It was over. We drove to Dickson, and I didn't know whether I should cry or not...I was numb. After we called Taylor Funeral Home, there wasn't nothing much to do except to go back home. The sun shone the next morning, of all things.
October 27-28, 2005
For all the bad memories of the week, the outpouring of love and sympathy was great. So many of my friends from radio, music, and DCHS came by. The funeral was what funerals are supposed to be. I spoke. It wasn't that bad. The burial, however, was something else. That night, I was on the air, broadcasting a football game in Williamson County. Some probably didn't understand or understand that fact now.....but I sleep at night. Even though I wasn't "on" that night, that's where I needed to be. The week was over.
October 26, 2009
Four Years......That's hard to believe. It took me a while to get over my guilt about not being there, and what I prayed about just within a few minutes of your death....Couldn't my sleep have waited a couple of hours? My preacher, James Hinkle, put it in perspective for me....Maybe, just maybe....she didn't want you there...because she knew how I would handle it. Looking back, that's probably the truth. I'll be honest with you...People put a lot of stock in graveyards and dates and such, and I guess I am since I chose to write about this today....but I cried just as much a couple of Saturdays ago than I will today.....and I put some artificial flowers down a few months ago, and I'll decorate it for Christmas in a few weeks, but I don't pull in that much. But, I know where she's at....and it's not there.....
Mama, in the past four years, I've done (debating on who you talk to!) a lot of growing up. I met and married the love of my life, became a father, and have continued my career (even though this year, I feel like I am in the fight of my life to keep it going...but someone always told me "Do what you do....Things will always work out like they should...," so we will see.)....Daddy remarried a couple of years back, and you know what....Marcia is a great friend to me, and she makes him happy...and that means a lot....
I say all that to say all this.....You're still here. When we, as a family, go to Christmas In The Country in a couple of weeks...you're there....When I take Bella Christmas Shopping on Black Friday....you're there.......and I wouldn't have it any other way....four years later. It's not about the pain of missing you anymore, though some days it hurts like it did on the dates above, it's about reflection. You gave me so much...I hope I am proving myself worthy....Some days, I wonder. Anyway, with October 26 coming up as a blog date, I couldn't write about music, the Dallas Cowboys, Christmas Shopping, or any of that stuff. It would ring too hollow....I'll just say...I love you and I miss you!
Your Son,
Chuck
Sunday, October 18, 2009
THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THOSE WEEKS
Do you remember how sometimes Seinfeld was called the "show about nothing? Well, I might be taking a cue from Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and company this week. I have a list on my computer of things I am going to write about each week---some obvious, some not so....This is not one of those. The past seven days have been crazy to the point that I have no idea what to write about this week.
Maybe...just maybe I'm thinking about things too much this week. After all, it would be rather big-headed of me to think that reading this blog each week would be a highlight of anyone's time. That's not putting me down, but there are simply more important fish to fry in the world.
But, in any case....I pondered and I pondered....then I pondered some more....Music? Naah, the CMA Awards are coming up, and I've got a few music-related posts to write over the next few weeks. Sports?....Well, didn't I do that just recently? Maybe I could get really issue-oriented and talk about something like health care reform...Well, I did that and I didn't lose any friends about it, that I know of, but I've said what I think, and there's no need to revisit it again!
Wait a minute....I could reminisce about things from my childhoo---ok, I did that before...just a few weeks ago, and I appreciate all the comments I did get from that one. I could talk about the leaves changing, and it getting cooler than it has---Stop me if you've heard that one before....
The next few weeks are some of the most meaningful times of the year for me, and I guarantee that you will hear about it...and then some....So, I'm just going to pause and reflect and close this week's "MLOG"...(short for mini-log), and end this week's extemporaneous (betcha didn't know I knew that word, did you?) column by speaking about someone very close to me---in fact, the closest of all. I guarantee you she is probably sitting down at her desk on the other side of the same house I am in as I am writing as of this moment. It's someone who is working her you-know-what off right now, and has the past couple of years to get to where she is at career-wise. It's someone who has been very supportive of her husband who can almost be compared to the leaf at the beginning of the film FORREST GUMP---wondering what he is going to do next, and clinging to what he has always done-----hoping that he is still going to be able to stay in the game.
In case you didn't connect the dots, the person is my wife, Shannon. I love you,honey, even if I don't say it as much as I should.....
Maybe...just maybe I'm thinking about things too much this week. After all, it would be rather big-headed of me to think that reading this blog each week would be a highlight of anyone's time. That's not putting me down, but there are simply more important fish to fry in the world.
But, in any case....I pondered and I pondered....then I pondered some more....Music? Naah, the CMA Awards are coming up, and I've got a few music-related posts to write over the next few weeks. Sports?....Well, didn't I do that just recently? Maybe I could get really issue-oriented and talk about something like health care reform...Well, I did that and I didn't lose any friends about it, that I know of, but I've said what I think, and there's no need to revisit it again!
Wait a minute....I could reminisce about things from my childhoo---ok, I did that before...just a few weeks ago, and I appreciate all the comments I did get from that one. I could talk about the leaves changing, and it getting cooler than it has---Stop me if you've heard that one before....
The next few weeks are some of the most meaningful times of the year for me, and I guarantee that you will hear about it...and then some....So, I'm just going to pause and reflect and close this week's "MLOG"...(short for mini-log), and end this week's extemporaneous (betcha didn't know I knew that word, did you?) column by speaking about someone very close to me---in fact, the closest of all. I guarantee you she is probably sitting down at her desk on the other side of the same house I am in as I am writing as of this moment. It's someone who is working her you-know-what off right now, and has the past couple of years to get to where she is at career-wise. It's someone who has been very supportive of her husband who can almost be compared to the leaf at the beginning of the film FORREST GUMP---wondering what he is going to do next, and clinging to what he has always done-----hoping that he is still going to be able to stay in the game.
In case you didn't connect the dots, the person is my wife, Shannon. I love you,honey, even if I don't say it as much as I should.....
Sunday, October 11, 2009
UP AND DOWN THE DIAL
Over the past twenty-five years, I have had an infatuation with the radio. I think that regardless of whatever format you work for, if you make your living from the airwaves, you've got to have somewhat of a love affair with it. Most of the time, it has served me well. Even this year---though my eighteen-year association with the first station I have ever worked for has come to an end,--the third and fourth stations to employ me have treated me well.
So, for those of you that took the more sensible career route, you might be asking---Why radio? I don't know if I can give you an answer or not. It's like my love of music---I can't define it. I can't play. I can't sing. Neither of my parents really had a deep love of it....other than appreciation of Conway Twitty and Barbara Mandrell. (I'll let you figure out who was a big fan of who on that one!) So.....all I have to go on is my memories.
Growing up with a father who worked in Nashville at the Tennessee Air National Guard, I was blessed to spend more time in Nashville than most kids in Dickson County. Whether it was trips to the mall, Red Lobster (a family favorite), or wherever, I remember hearing certain songs at certain places in town. But, my first memory of radio being something that I might want to do came sometime in the early 1980s. Some of my father's family were down from Illinois, and we took them around Nashville. I remember driving around town, and the radio station being on WSM-AM. Charlie Douglas, the legendary disc jockey, had in his studio the afore-mentioned Mandrell and Grandpa Jones. Now, I've got to tell you at the time, I was probably more excited about hearing the "Hee Haw" star than I was the CMA Entertainer Of The Year. Time would change that---I am my father's son! But, it was one of those moments that I can't say I knew that I wanted to be on the radio when I was older---but I dang sure knew it was cool!
The next summer, 1983, was the first summer that my parents let me stay up as late as I wanted to during my vacation from school. Now, don't go getting aghast....I was not more than twenty feet away. I would be in my room watching David Letterman until about 11:30, and then I would go to bed....but there was this one night.
My grandmother had bought me a boom box for Christmas the year prior, and just for kicks, I started to play with the radio dial. There were several FM stations on the dial that were huge at the time----Y-107, WKDF, WSIX, and WJKZ---KZ COUNTRY, which was my favorite on the FM dial. But, what was this? There was something called AM....I knew of its existence, but I wondered 'What's on here at this time of night?'
The answer was....plenty....WMAQ out of Chicago....670 I believe...WLW out of Cincy, WBAP out of Dallas, and for some reason WDAF out of Kansas City. There was a guy on the air giving a weather forecast at 12:45 in the morning. It fascinated me, and still does to this day, that 500 miles away....you can be heard...late at night...when the world is quiet and still.
So...that was the beginning. Over the years, I like to think I took the best of people like Keith Bilbrey and Kyle Cantrell (my two biggest influences), Al Wyntor, Chuck Hussey (a local radio guy who was very entertaining), and Hairl Hensley, and injected some of my own personality...and maybe came up with something unique. I never did develop one of those deep, magic voices....I guess that might have been why I have yet to test the waters of medium or larger markets, but I love it.
Since I started in radio myself in 1991, I have been blessed to work around some fine people---Hank Walker, Randy Tidwell, J. Patrick, Kip Reynolds, Marcia Campbell, and a guy named Ken Loggains, who became one of the best co-workers I have ever been around and a better friend...and even today at the two stations I am working at...people like Steve Turner, Mickey and Sheila Bunn, and Phillip Chambers all have an undeniable passion for what they do...and it shows.
It's not the most lucrative vocation one can choose.....and as I have found out this year...not even the most stable, but whenever I am driving somewhere at night in a town I have never been before...I still usually look for the local station. You never know what you might find....and there's some good ones out there.
Well, friends and neighbors, the hands on the clock say it's about time for me to get out of here for this week, but keep those cards and letters rolling in. Have a great day, y'all!....
So, for those of you that took the more sensible career route, you might be asking---Why radio? I don't know if I can give you an answer or not. It's like my love of music---I can't define it. I can't play. I can't sing. Neither of my parents really had a deep love of it....other than appreciation of Conway Twitty and Barbara Mandrell. (I'll let you figure out who was a big fan of who on that one!) So.....all I have to go on is my memories.
Growing up with a father who worked in Nashville at the Tennessee Air National Guard, I was blessed to spend more time in Nashville than most kids in Dickson County. Whether it was trips to the mall, Red Lobster (a family favorite), or wherever, I remember hearing certain songs at certain places in town. But, my first memory of radio being something that I might want to do came sometime in the early 1980s. Some of my father's family were down from Illinois, and we took them around Nashville. I remember driving around town, and the radio station being on WSM-AM. Charlie Douglas, the legendary disc jockey, had in his studio the afore-mentioned Mandrell and Grandpa Jones. Now, I've got to tell you at the time, I was probably more excited about hearing the "Hee Haw" star than I was the CMA Entertainer Of The Year. Time would change that---I am my father's son! But, it was one of those moments that I can't say I knew that I wanted to be on the radio when I was older---but I dang sure knew it was cool!
The next summer, 1983, was the first summer that my parents let me stay up as late as I wanted to during my vacation from school. Now, don't go getting aghast....I was not more than twenty feet away. I would be in my room watching David Letterman until about 11:30, and then I would go to bed....but there was this one night.
My grandmother had bought me a boom box for Christmas the year prior, and just for kicks, I started to play with the radio dial. There were several FM stations on the dial that were huge at the time----Y-107, WKDF, WSIX, and WJKZ---KZ COUNTRY, which was my favorite on the FM dial. But, what was this? There was something called AM....I knew of its existence, but I wondered 'What's on here at this time of night?'
The answer was....plenty....WMAQ out of Chicago....670 I believe...WLW out of Cincy, WBAP out of Dallas, and for some reason WDAF out of Kansas City. There was a guy on the air giving a weather forecast at 12:45 in the morning. It fascinated me, and still does to this day, that 500 miles away....you can be heard...late at night...when the world is quiet and still.
So...that was the beginning. Over the years, I like to think I took the best of people like Keith Bilbrey and Kyle Cantrell (my two biggest influences), Al Wyntor, Chuck Hussey (a local radio guy who was very entertaining), and Hairl Hensley, and injected some of my own personality...and maybe came up with something unique. I never did develop one of those deep, magic voices....I guess that might have been why I have yet to test the waters of medium or larger markets, but I love it.
Since I started in radio myself in 1991, I have been blessed to work around some fine people---Hank Walker, Randy Tidwell, J. Patrick, Kip Reynolds, Marcia Campbell, and a guy named Ken Loggains, who became one of the best co-workers I have ever been around and a better friend...and even today at the two stations I am working at...people like Steve Turner, Mickey and Sheila Bunn, and Phillip Chambers all have an undeniable passion for what they do...and it shows.
It's not the most lucrative vocation one can choose.....and as I have found out this year...not even the most stable, but whenever I am driving somewhere at night in a town I have never been before...I still usually look for the local station. You never know what you might find....and there's some good ones out there.
Well, friends and neighbors, the hands on the clock say it's about time for me to get out of here for this week, but keep those cards and letters rolling in. Have a great day, y'all!....
Thursday, October 1, 2009
THINGS ABOUT THE "OLD" SOUTH I MISS!
For some reason, I am feeling very nostalgic as of late. Maybe it's the fact that the Fall is here, and there are so many things that I look forward to about the season, but the other day I got to thinking about how much life has changed over the past 25-30 years or so. I recognize that might not seem like too long of a period of time to you, but I have been thinking about things that are no longer....that used to be part of what I call The "Old" South....Whether you consider many of these things "old" or not, they just might make you smile.....
1. HIGHWAY SIGNAGE-----I miss the old signs for businesses that you would see on the highways. Whether it be Quality Inn, Holiday Inn, or the old McDonalds signs....there was something majestic about many of them....One of my favorite grocery store chains growing up was Sunflower, which at the front of the store outside, had a giant...you guessed it...Sunflower. Stores might be more fancy these days, but I don't know if the charm is as alive and well as it once was.
2. HEE HAW ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS-----Yes, I know that reruns of the popular show air each week on RFD-TV, but there was something about 5:30 on Saturday afternoons on Channel 5, where the TV show was filmed. From Buck's Red, White, and Blue Guitar, Buford the Wonder Dog, and Nurse Goodbody...There was something for everyone....
3. 100 OAKS MALL-----I will forever have an emotional connection to the intersection of Thompson Lane and Powell Avenue. Opry Mills might be flashier, and Rivergate and Cool Springs might have outlasted it, but to a small child, the brown and white floors of the mall will always have a special memory. Saturday mornings usually meant a trip there with my mother and grandmother to JCPenney, Woolworth, and my personal favorite, Woolco. Though people have tried to bring it back as a retail outlet several times since its' heyday, and Vanderbilt Hospital now uses much of it for office space, maybe it's best stuck in time.....but what a time it was.
4. WACKY WEATHERMEN-----Nashville television had such a fun flavor in the 1970s. From the classic suits worn by WSM's CHARLIE MACALEXANDER to the ultra-professional style of Bob Bell and the late Paul Eels, the sports coverage was first-rate. But, who can forget the "Weather Wizard," Tom Siler, or George Goldtrap, who would close his Channel 4 weather with by throwing a piece of chalk into his pocket. I wonder if Lisa Spencer could do that?
5. NEWS ANCHORS SUPREME----Here in Nashville, I guess if it came down to it....you were either a Dan Miller guy or a Chris Clark guy. I always liked them both, and Nashville has never, and will ever, see news anchors that good at what they did again.
6. RECORD SHOPS-----As a child who spent his allowance (and then some) on music.....I remember back to such places as Port O'Call Records, Record Bar, and Camelot Music with a bit of fondness. I also remember when Sears sold music, as well. Tower Records on West End also holds a special place for me...Record stores aren't as plentiful as they once were, but as long as Ernest Tubb Record Shop remains open...all things are well...except my bank account!
7. FOUNTAIN SQUARE-----Sometimes, you're just wrong. I thought this outdoor shopping center would be one of the biggest things to come out of Nashville since Dolly, but it just never took off. I always thought the strip outlet, located near Metro Center, was a neat place...but few others did.
8. THE HUNGRY FISHERMAN---Located on the Cumberland, just adjacent to Metro Center, this was one of my all-time favorite restaurants growing up....You could even feed the fish!
9. SEARS ON LAFAYETTE-----Again, it might be sentimental, but while I came in on the tail end of this store's run in Nashville. I remember the smell of nuts being made in the snack shop, and Charles and Paulette Dauphin bought plenty of Winnie The Pooh stuff for their kid here.
10. JACK FAVIER----Cooks on TV are nothing new, but this chef, who honed his trade at Silver Wings, was a popular fixture on Channel 4 growing up. While he didn't look like Rachael Ray, he was always fun to watch. I never ate at Silver Wings, but can only imagine it was a great experience!
11. THE "OUTHOUSE RACE" ON RALPH EMERY-----5:30 was early in Middle Tennessee, but THE RALPH EMERY MORNING SHOW on WSM-TV was the best way to find out what was on sale at DT McCall & Sons, or if schools were closed. The highlight of this program was the annual outhouse races which featured many of the show's personalites.....I would love to see Steve Hayslip or Holly Thompson in one of these....!
12. TNN----Granted, it was the 1980s, but this cable network meant so much to me growing up. Whether it was interviews with the stars, or Bill Anderson standing in front of the talking jukebox named Edgar on FANDANGO, this was a cool time for any fan of Country Music.
13. DENNY'S-----It's a personal taste thing, but it was good to know that regardless of what time or day you were in Nashville, this chain was, as their sign said, "Always Open." Come back to Nashville, please!
14. SHONEY'S BIG BOY----Ok, I know it still exists.....but I miss the "Big Boy," who stood outside each location proclaiming his burger as the best....I still have one of the famous banks to this day....Well, I bought it at an antique shop...but it's mine!...Hey, and my parents met at the one that used to be on Thompson Lane....so if it weren't for the Big Boy, I might not be a "Big Boy" today!
15. BREAKFAST WITH SANTA AT CAIN SLOAN---One of my fondest Christmas memories growing up was the annual "Christmas With Santa Breakfast" at the Cain-Sloan Department Store....Though they don't exist anymore, it was a fun holiday memory. To give equal time, I also miss the old Harvey's Store and the horse that was perched outside of it.
16. ROSES' DEPARTMENT STORES----Department stores, before Wal-Mart took over, had a personality all their own. Such was the case with this shopping chain. I remember there were locations in Columbia and Clarksville, and they used to be neat stores. You can still find them, especially if you're in Eastern Kentucky or Virginia, and they are worth looking for. In Tennessee, there are still two...one in Murfreesboro, though the one in McMinnville is a little bit newer....It's a trip back in time, and a neat one, at that!
17. MINNIE PEARL-----For obvious reasons, Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon was one of the Mid-state's more defining people. As "Minnie Pearl," she was a Country Music icon who was defined Country Comedy, and as Sarah Cannon, she was one of the area's leading humanitarians, who donated her time to many worthy causes, and as a next-door neighbor to the Governor, she was truly one of a kind.
18. THE 24-HOUR KROGERS----- I know that in this day of 24-hour everything, we have grown a little spoiled, but there was something reassuring growing up in Dickson that whether it was 12 noon or midnight, you could find what you were looking for at Krogers. With the overwhelming prices and popularity (and I shop there once a week, at the very least) of Wal-Mart.....Krogers has cut back on their hours. I understand them doing that, but it was cool back in the day to know that Kroger was always open....night and day!
19. THE "SCENE AT SIX" THEME SONG------I touched on the various anchors that have been invited into people's living rooms for years in Middle Tennessee, but almost as important as Dan, Demetria, Rudy, and Bill Hall was the classic music that kicked off and ended the "Scene At Six." With all the great songs that have been recorded here over the course of time, I don't know if any song is more familiar to local citizens that soothing sound that made you aware that all was well in Nashville.
20. TAMMY THE TELLER-----Long before Dolly, Barbara,or any of the other beautiful women that have been a part of Nashville, I was fascinated with Tammy The Teller, the animated Queen of Banking in Nashville. A marketing ploy of Third National Bank when they started their ATM Machines, the blonde made quite a few people change banks. Something I didn't know until I started researching this article was the voice for TammY???? None other than future CMA Female Vocalist Of The Year winner Janie Fricke.
Fortunately, there are still lots of things here that are traditions.....Ernest Tubb Record Shop,Loveless Cafe, Krispy Kreme, Snow Bird, and one tradition that I have never eaten at that I want to before I die-----the infamous "Spinning Top" restaurant that is now the Sheraton in Nashville, formerly the Hyatt Regency....Hopefully, I've made you think a little bit about some of the things you treasure the most about growing up in Nashville.....Let me know if I've missed anything.....
1. HIGHWAY SIGNAGE-----I miss the old signs for businesses that you would see on the highways. Whether it be Quality Inn, Holiday Inn, or the old McDonalds signs....there was something majestic about many of them....One of my favorite grocery store chains growing up was Sunflower, which at the front of the store outside, had a giant...you guessed it...Sunflower. Stores might be more fancy these days, but I don't know if the charm is as alive and well as it once was.
2. HEE HAW ON SATURDAY AFTERNOONS-----Yes, I know that reruns of the popular show air each week on RFD-TV, but there was something about 5:30 on Saturday afternoons on Channel 5, where the TV show was filmed. From Buck's Red, White, and Blue Guitar, Buford the Wonder Dog, and Nurse Goodbody...There was something for everyone....
3. 100 OAKS MALL-----I will forever have an emotional connection to the intersection of Thompson Lane and Powell Avenue. Opry Mills might be flashier, and Rivergate and Cool Springs might have outlasted it, but to a small child, the brown and white floors of the mall will always have a special memory. Saturday mornings usually meant a trip there with my mother and grandmother to JCPenney, Woolworth, and my personal favorite, Woolco. Though people have tried to bring it back as a retail outlet several times since its' heyday, and Vanderbilt Hospital now uses much of it for office space, maybe it's best stuck in time.....but what a time it was.
4. WACKY WEATHERMEN-----Nashville television had such a fun flavor in the 1970s. From the classic suits worn by WSM's CHARLIE MACALEXANDER to the ultra-professional style of Bob Bell and the late Paul Eels, the sports coverage was first-rate. But, who can forget the "Weather Wizard," Tom Siler, or George Goldtrap, who would close his Channel 4 weather with by throwing a piece of chalk into his pocket. I wonder if Lisa Spencer could do that?
5. NEWS ANCHORS SUPREME----Here in Nashville, I guess if it came down to it....you were either a Dan Miller guy or a Chris Clark guy. I always liked them both, and Nashville has never, and will ever, see news anchors that good at what they did again.
6. RECORD SHOPS-----As a child who spent his allowance (and then some) on music.....I remember back to such places as Port O'Call Records, Record Bar, and Camelot Music with a bit of fondness. I also remember when Sears sold music, as well. Tower Records on West End also holds a special place for me...Record stores aren't as plentiful as they once were, but as long as Ernest Tubb Record Shop remains open...all things are well...except my bank account!
7. FOUNTAIN SQUARE-----Sometimes, you're just wrong. I thought this outdoor shopping center would be one of the biggest things to come out of Nashville since Dolly, but it just never took off. I always thought the strip outlet, located near Metro Center, was a neat place...but few others did.
8. THE HUNGRY FISHERMAN---Located on the Cumberland, just adjacent to Metro Center, this was one of my all-time favorite restaurants growing up....You could even feed the fish!
9. SEARS ON LAFAYETTE-----Again, it might be sentimental, but while I came in on the tail end of this store's run in Nashville. I remember the smell of nuts being made in the snack shop, and Charles and Paulette Dauphin bought plenty of Winnie The Pooh stuff for their kid here.
10. JACK FAVIER----Cooks on TV are nothing new, but this chef, who honed his trade at Silver Wings, was a popular fixture on Channel 4 growing up. While he didn't look like Rachael Ray, he was always fun to watch. I never ate at Silver Wings, but can only imagine it was a great experience!
11. THE "OUTHOUSE RACE" ON RALPH EMERY-----5:30 was early in Middle Tennessee, but THE RALPH EMERY MORNING SHOW on WSM-TV was the best way to find out what was on sale at DT McCall & Sons, or if schools were closed. The highlight of this program was the annual outhouse races which featured many of the show's personalites.....I would love to see Steve Hayslip or Holly Thompson in one of these....!
12. TNN----Granted, it was the 1980s, but this cable network meant so much to me growing up. Whether it was interviews with the stars, or Bill Anderson standing in front of the talking jukebox named Edgar on FANDANGO, this was a cool time for any fan of Country Music.
13. DENNY'S-----It's a personal taste thing, but it was good to know that regardless of what time or day you were in Nashville, this chain was, as their sign said, "Always Open." Come back to Nashville, please!
14. SHONEY'S BIG BOY----Ok, I know it still exists.....but I miss the "Big Boy," who stood outside each location proclaiming his burger as the best....I still have one of the famous banks to this day....Well, I bought it at an antique shop...but it's mine!...Hey, and my parents met at the one that used to be on Thompson Lane....so if it weren't for the Big Boy, I might not be a "Big Boy" today!
15. BREAKFAST WITH SANTA AT CAIN SLOAN---One of my fondest Christmas memories growing up was the annual "Christmas With Santa Breakfast" at the Cain-Sloan Department Store....Though they don't exist anymore, it was a fun holiday memory. To give equal time, I also miss the old Harvey's Store and the horse that was perched outside of it.
16. ROSES' DEPARTMENT STORES----Department stores, before Wal-Mart took over, had a personality all their own. Such was the case with this shopping chain. I remember there were locations in Columbia and Clarksville, and they used to be neat stores. You can still find them, especially if you're in Eastern Kentucky or Virginia, and they are worth looking for. In Tennessee, there are still two...one in Murfreesboro, though the one in McMinnville is a little bit newer....It's a trip back in time, and a neat one, at that!
17. MINNIE PEARL-----For obvious reasons, Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon was one of the Mid-state's more defining people. As "Minnie Pearl," she was a Country Music icon who was defined Country Comedy, and as Sarah Cannon, she was one of the area's leading humanitarians, who donated her time to many worthy causes, and as a next-door neighbor to the Governor, she was truly one of a kind.
18. THE 24-HOUR KROGERS----- I know that in this day of 24-hour everything, we have grown a little spoiled, but there was something reassuring growing up in Dickson that whether it was 12 noon or midnight, you could find what you were looking for at Krogers. With the overwhelming prices and popularity (and I shop there once a week, at the very least) of Wal-Mart.....Krogers has cut back on their hours. I understand them doing that, but it was cool back in the day to know that Kroger was always open....night and day!
19. THE "SCENE AT SIX" THEME SONG------I touched on the various anchors that have been invited into people's living rooms for years in Middle Tennessee, but almost as important as Dan, Demetria, Rudy, and Bill Hall was the classic music that kicked off and ended the "Scene At Six." With all the great songs that have been recorded here over the course of time, I don't know if any song is more familiar to local citizens that soothing sound that made you aware that all was well in Nashville.
20. TAMMY THE TELLER-----Long before Dolly, Barbara,or any of the other beautiful women that have been a part of Nashville, I was fascinated with Tammy The Teller, the animated Queen of Banking in Nashville. A marketing ploy of Third National Bank when they started their ATM Machines, the blonde made quite a few people change banks. Something I didn't know until I started researching this article was the voice for TammY???? None other than future CMA Female Vocalist Of The Year winner Janie Fricke.
Fortunately, there are still lots of things here that are traditions.....Ernest Tubb Record Shop,Loveless Cafe, Krispy Kreme, Snow Bird, and one tradition that I have never eaten at that I want to before I die-----the infamous "Spinning Top" restaurant that is now the Sheraton in Nashville, formerly the Hyatt Regency....Hopefully, I've made you think a little bit about some of the things you treasure the most about growing up in Nashville.....Let me know if I've missed anything.....
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