THE BUS TOUR
Back in 2017, Rich made me promise to see more than just him and the inside of a hotel on my far-flung convention jaunts. While it doesn’t always work out, I did take his words to heart. And what better way to do this than on a bus-tour of the convention city, in the company of the reason for our trip?
While Creation has run several city tours over the years, the Nashville tour guided by Richards Sr. and Jr. is the original, and most beloved. It came about at Rich’s own suggestion, and it clearly means a great deal to both father and son (see the end of this piece for Rich’s thoughts on the tour).
The day began with Richard Sr. checking our eligibility for the tour by leading a singalong of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” as he got onto the bus. Our credentials proven, Beth and I gifted our hosts with the “Speight & Son Music City Tours” hats I’ve been holding onto since 2020, they put them on, and off we went.
The tour began downtown, with father and son alternating on the mic as they pointed out some of Nashville’s most famous landmarks. We heard how the country performers of yesteryear would spill out of the back door of the Ryman Auditorium and into Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge (both “Nashville the Speight Way” picks). And looming over the Ryman is a building well known to anyone who’s appreciated the aerial photography on @visitmusiccity’s twitter - AT&Ts Batman Building. At 617 feet high, the quirky 33 story skyscraper dominates the city’s skyline.
While oft-thwarted on our route by Nashville’s large amount of construction (a joke on the bus was that the official bird of the city is a crane), we got a good view of that skyline before we made our first tour stop, at the Country Music Hall of Fame for ‘Hatch Show Print’. Another of Rich’s ‘Nashville the Speight Way’ picks, the letter press shop has been producing iconic wood block images since 1879. It has, of course, a more personal link to Rich since 2019, when he chose Hatch for the cover of Dick Jr & The Volunteers’ debut album. In a lovely moment during our stop, Rich got to meet the actual artist for “The Dance and How to Do It” for the very first time.
Back on the bus, a ride along Music Row took us through the heart of the Nashville’s music making machine. Music Row area is centered on 16th and 17th Avenues South, which are known as Music Square East and West respectively (coincidently, Team FanWorld stayed in an apartment on 16 South for our Nashville trip). At this point of the tour, Richard Sr. pointed out the studio where the soundtrack for “Old Brother, Where Are Thou?” (starring “Old Henry” himself, Tim Blake Nelson) was recorded and Columbia’s Historic Quonset Hut, the first recording studio on Music Row. Less reverently, he also had the bus in raucous laughter with his reaction to the rampantly frolicking genitalia on display in Alan LeQuire’s roundabout sculpture, “La Musica”.
Apparently, a popular student prank is to dress the giant naked figures. And talking students, as this is also a university area, we were treated to some historical detail about Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities, too.
It’s very clear that Rich’s gift as a storyteller, as well as his sense of fun, was inherited from our co-host. But while Richard Sr. has enough Music City tales to work a professional tour guide, perhaps the biggest treats of the tour were the personal memories he shared throughout the tour, from his being offered a recording contract as a young man, to memories of his own children’s early brushes with fame. Did you know, for instance, that Rich’s eldest sister Lindy played Dolly Parton’s daughter in a TV special with Carol Burnett?
Another child’s early performances came up as we visited Centennial Park to see the replica of Athens’ Parthenon. Richard Sr. pointed out the rec centre where Rich Jr. took tap lessons as a boy.
Built in 1897, the Parthenon was a centrepiece of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. While we didn’t go inside, Rich talked about the Athena Parthenos replica statue on display, which was sculpted by Alan LeQuire, creator of the naked frolickers of Music Row. One cool moment for me was Rich pulling me to one side to point out how the end of the pillars form a vase shape when viewed from the right angle – a delightful detail I would have missed without his intervention.
By this point, we were all more than ready to eat, so it’s a good thing that our next stop was for lunch, at Corky’s BBQ. While the food was good (and much needed after a long morning), for me the highlight of this stop was getting to talk more with Richard Sr., and to surprise him with the fact that my own, late father had the TV movie based on his book, Desperate Justice, in his own collection! Lunch turned into a true family affair when Rich’s sister Barby popped in for a drink. It was lovely to see her, and to talk with her about her latest acquisition - a painting by Jaci’s cousin, Tyler Hays.
While Corky’s fed us well, there’s always room for dessert. So our final stop was hip 12 South, where Christie Cookie Co came highly recommended by Rich. While I would get to sample their chocolate chip cookie later in our Nashville trip, for me there was really just one destination on this street - Imogene + Willie. Housed in a former service station, this denim store has been a favourite online stop for me since Rich introduced them to me back in lockdown. Shopping the store with Rich was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, even if I didn’t need his encouragement. No danger of me being the richest person in the cemetery, Rich.
One 12 South site we didn’t see was Dolly Parton’s Inca Hoots Productions, despite Richard Sr. attempting to point it out to us twice while Rich Jr. was entertaining his captive audience.
Fanworld outside of Imogen + Willie's.
As we made the trip back to our hotel, the focus of conversation shifted from Nashville to more general chatter, with Rich Jr. fielding questions about everything from favourite cocktails to his appearance in a Hallmark Hall of Fame commercial.
While it’s almost impossible to cover the vast number of cool sights and stories we experienced on the tour (everything from the Bluebird Café to Rich’s high school), hopefully this piece will encourage those on the fence to sign up for the next one. It truly is the very best introduction to the city.
But, don’t take my word for it. Here’s Rich himself on why the bus tour is so dear to him -
“Hosting a bus tour of Nashville is uniquely special because I get to do it with my dad. He has SUCH a blast doing it. He has so much civic pride and knows so much about Nashville’s origin story along with all the little details and lore that are the fabric of Music City’s rich and fascinating history. Not to mention that the man loves to ham it up on the microphone for the bus’ captive audience. The joy he derives from sharing his city and all he knows about it with others is pretty fantastic and makes for a very unique father/son bonding experience. He and I both look forward to doing it again next year” – Richard Speight, Jr. (December 2023)
