Blame it on the love of Rock n Roll...

So, Nashville, Tennessee. A place pretty much synonymous with Country music. I soon discovered you can't go anywhere without being reminded of the fact. Not that I minded in the slightest. And it's not just country music. This is music city. The whole city hums with a love for music and the promise  of a performance in every doorway.

Walking downtown, you are surrounded by a mix of vinyl stores, instrument shops, music memorabilia emporiums, shrine-like museums, dive bars and high end musical eateries. We visited a selection of these, one of my favourites being The Johnny Cash Museum. Being immersed in his music, history and film was a real treat. I could've spent all day there listening to rare, old recordings from a whole range of eras of The Man in Black.
What a star, and who knew he was once in Columbo?

The musical pilgrimage then moved on to The House of Blues for dinner. Dad was in his element as we soaked up the live blues music as he ate meatloaf and mash. We stayed much longer than the main courses, marvelling at the skill and showmanship of the band on stage. The cocktails kept coming and the night got later.

Moving on, we crammed into a nearby bar to watch a random band made up of a plethora of instruments. As a rule, any ensemble with a giant double bass is ok in my book.

The next morning we headed off to join a musical trolley tour of the city. Before even setting foot on the trolley, we were treated to a star performance by a true southern entertainer. A tuxedoed, older gentleman styled as a 20s jazz singer was serenading passers by with old tunes. As Southampton faithful we were delighted to hear a new rendition of 'Oh when the Saints'. A little taste of home on the sidewalks of Nashville.

Guided by a cowboy hat wearing true entertainer of a raconteur (who also plays country music on the side in the evenings; who doesn't in Nashville?), we took in the key sights of the city including the dizzy heights of Taylor Swift's penthouse apartment block.

Nashville is a fantastic city with much more to explore than we had a chance to. But as they say, the show must go on.
And so we piled in the car to start the road part of the road trip. Singing along to our old friend Mr Cash we headed West.