fig. a: That Nashville Style
Yes, a number of these tracks were recorded in Nashville by artists who actually lived in Nashville and/or environs for significant lengths of time. In other cases, they were recorded by artists who spent fleeting time in Nashville, but were inspired by its music scene. In still others, they’re tracks that were recorded in other parts of the States, but got channeled through Nashville because of its central role in the North American music industry. Then there were songs that I heard during a remarkable trip to Nashville in April of this year, or ones that I picked up on that trip. Whatever the case, this is a mix that came together soon after I got back from Nashville, and while very, very few of these songs are true examples of “the Nashville sound,” together they go a long way toward conjuring that magical time in that magical place for me. A Nashville of the Mind.
If you happen to be in Nashville sometime soon, by all means visit the Country Music Hall of Fame (after all, ‘round there, “Honor Thy Music” is taken pretty seriously), and, when you do, check out “Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ‘70s” and “Emmylou Harris: Songbird’s Flight”, both of which are pretty astounding if you’re as big on “outlaw” country-folk and country-rock of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and the LA-Austin-Houston-Nashville connection that was so crucial to it, as we are.
If you’re not going to Nashville anytime soon, but you share our devotion to that “outlaw” scene and you haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing James Szalapski’s Heartworn Highways (1981), don’t hesitate. Now is the time. Honor Thy Music.
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