History lesson found in country music

To the dismay of some of my friends I’ve started listening to more country music. I’ve had folksy country artists like John Denver in my library for years. But of late I’d added folks like Big & Rich, Bush supporter Toby Keith and our somewhat local girl Gretchen Wilson.

You are thinking what does this have to do with urbanity in St. Louis. Trust me, I’ve got a point. Be patient. Enjoy the story…

I’ve taken to watching a couple of country music channels on the satellite dish – CMT & GAC. Don’t get me wrong, I still watch VH1, MTV & Fuse. I’m just diversifying.

Many have likely seen Gretchen Wilson’s video for ‘Redneck Woman’ where she is 4-wheeling in the mud on an ATV and an old chevy pickup. I had always thought four wheeling in the mud was – well – just stupid. That was, until I went four wheeling in a friend’s Jeep on Halloween weekend. Another friend was having a great party & bon fire on his country place and the corn field had been cut down but not yet plowed under. I have to tell you it was a blast. My Audi is all-wheel drive but it would have looked silly in the middle of an Illinois corn field.

Ok, that last paragraph had nothing to do with my story but I’ve been wanting to share my off roading story for some time – seemed like the best opportunity. I’ll stay on track this time…

One of Gretchen Wilson’s latest singles is “When I Think About Cheatin.” The video starts off with Wilson and some of the other members of the Nashville “Muzic Mafia” walking past Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville in the evening. John Rich, of Big & Rich, pulls on the doors saying he has been trying for 10 years to find them unlocked so he could sneak in. This time a door is unlocked. The video is based on a true story from 2003.

For those of you that may not know, the Ryman Auditorium was built in 1892 as a church but in 1943 it became the home to the Grand Ole Opry radio show. Over the next thirty years the Orpy radio show expanded to television and in the meantime this near perfect hall became a symbol of country music. However, in 1974 that came to an end when the facility was shuttered as the Opry moved to larger facilities – namely suburban and ugly.

Back to the video. Wilson and company are sneaking into the Ryman and she takes her place on stage center. Rich grabs a guitar and stands to the side. The other friends take up seats in the auditorium. The brilliant video director was able to bring in images of classic country stars and audience members from decades past – long before Wilson was even born. The images, combined with a wonderfully written song and a beautiful voice, make this video haunting. When this video comes on I stop whatever I’m doing to watch it from end to end. They have very subtly paid tribute to the importance of place and the people that made that place so wonderful.

In 1994 the Ryman Auditorium underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. For 10 years it has served as a music hall for downtown Nashville for a variety of musical styles. The Grand Ole Opry is still based in its ugly replacement facility but recently they’ve been having a series of concerts called Opry at the Ryman. By all accounts, a huge success. When a country star wants to tape a video at the Opry they don’t use the new facility – they use the old Ryman.

In the 1970s the Grand Ole Opry, like so much of America, decided bigger was better. New was better. Away from downtown was better. They were lucky in Nashville, they just turned their backs on history for 20 years. They didn’t raze this wonderful piece of history for a shopping mall, a plaza, a stadium, or the worst of all – a parking garage. Realizing the error of their way they’ve been able to go back and reconnect with the past in a remodeled facility that serves the community well and will hopefully do so for the next 100 years or so.

And with that we have the point. Once it is gone it is gone. No picture or artifact in a museum can substitute. You lose more than the mere bricks & mortar when you raze a building. You lose the connection with the past that allows you to move forward. Staying put can be more progressive than always striving for bigger and newer.

So there you go, a lesson in why the past is so important to the future – all from a Gretchen Wilson video. Who knew?

For information on the historic Ryman Auditorium click here.

Did I mention I went two-steppin on Christmas night? No? Well, I’ll have to share that some other time…

– Steve