"Live the life you love, Love the life you live"
Graceland
Elvis is a unabashed legend. He is a hands down, unmatched, bigger than life rock and roll superstar. If it was possible to combine the personas of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Jim Morrison you still could not come close to matching the power and impact that Elvis has had on the world. To date he has sold 1 billion records. Elvis Presley brought rock and roll to the masses.
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When you have a cross country road trip itinerary that includes Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and Austin you better be prepared to have your musical mind expanded. So far, that is exactly what it happening and the 5 of us are all “feeling it”.
Wild Bill’s of Memphis- The Dance party never stopped
So, after much deliberation and debate we decided to blow out of Nashville (Charly in tow) to hit up a musical city with deep roots in blues, gospel, and rock and roll. Johnny Cash, Elvis, and BB King all got their start in Memphis in the 1950s.
We had one last egg and toast breakfast at the “Charly Salvatore Bed and Breakfast” in Nashville and hightailed it for Memphis. The 4 hour drive was not bad at all. I drove with Charly, Jess and the BV show were together in “the Beagle”, while the Binck/Daddio combination piloted the Volvo station wagon.
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Every single person that we met in Nashville gave us strict instructions to visit the “Pancake Pantry” (pictured to the right) before we left town. It was an absolute mandate. So, on the morning of our last day in Nashville we fulfilled the commandment and stuffed ourselves with some of the finest pancakes in the entire world.
From left to right: Daddio, Dave Binck, BV show, Jess, Charly, Me
Charly Salvatore, our gracious host in Nashville, Tennessee has had a side job at the Bluebird Cafe for a while now. Fortunately for him, the Bluebird Cafe is world famous singer/songwriter venue and has propelled his career in the world of country music. The Bluebird is listed in a few “1000 places to visit before you die” books.
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The BV Show at the Honky Tonk bar Tootsies on Lower Broadway in Nashville
The illustrious “Cross Country TV” crew pulls into the “heart of country music land” deep in the hills of Tennessee.
Music oozes from every nook and cranny of Nashville. During our stay we were fortunate to be able to stay at the “Charly Salvatore bed and breakfast”. Charly and I went to school together years ago and he now works in the publishing side of the music business in this vibrant city of the south.
Sidenote: It is a breath of fresh air to come to a city where you are almost required to wear jeans and a t-shirt out to the clubs every night. Anything more would be simply overdressing. A cowboy hat and a collared shirt would work as well.
Charly told us many stories about the chilled out vibe in Nashville. The pace of life is slow. Celebrities love Nashville as the people here respect their rights to live like normal human beings. Kid Rock, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Al Gore and just about any country music star you could think of live in Nashville.
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Harpers Ferry West Virginia
NOTES
>Instead of leaving for the cross country adventure at 530am as planned we left at 1pm in the afternoon. Yeah, we were not even close. We decided to bypass the living hell that is Washington DC traffic for the scenic mountains and farmland of Western Maryland. It turned out to be a great choice.
>I secured walki talkies for communication purposes for the two cars.
>Jess and I were in the minivan while Dave, Ben, and Daddio manned the Volvo station wagon.
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