Transcripts For CSPAN C-SPAN Cities Tour- Music Of A Nation

Or impacts different points in our countrys history. Over the next 90 minutes, we take you across the United States and through time as we explore the music of a nation. We begin with a visit to nashvilles Ryman Auditorium as itauthor talks about how andme a home to events grand ole opry. Today we are at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown nashville, tennessee. The nickname of the auditorium is the Mother Church of Country Music, which tells the history of both things it is famous for. It was built by a riverboat captain famously converted under a tent in downtown nashville in may of 1865, and after his conversion, he believed traveling ministers should have a permanent home inside that was large enough to take the large crowds of traveling ministers who came to town. Rymann ryman built the auditorium, it opened first in 1892 as a tabernacle. That is the church part of the history. The music part of the history, the Country Music part deals with the grand ole opry, which came here in 1943 after being in many different homes in nashville and stayed here until 1974 when the new opera house was built. The 40s, run of 50s, 60s and 70s, some of the most famous people in all of Country Music history debuted here at the grand ole opry, including hank williams, george jones, dolly parton all of these grand names of Country Music cut their teeth and got their start in this wonderful building. The Ryman Auditorium almost didnt happen because of the 1884 president ial race, Grover Cleveland versus blaine. Literallyats had lost sixth president ial races and had not won since 1856. A bad gambler and he was walking the streets of downtown nashville and he was goaded to bet on the president ial election. People thought that blaine would win and ryman took the bets for the people that thought blaine would win, he said i will bet 100 for you, 1000 for you, and before captain ryman knew what he was bet his entire wealth on the outcome of the president ial election in 1884. Fortunately for us, Grover Cleveland won. If not, captain ryman would have been penniless and would not have built this grand billman grand building. During his life, he envisioned the building as a whole for all types of religious denominations, and it could be rendered for anybody. It did not have a slant for religion, it was available for anyone. It was the Largest Convention hall when it was built south of the ohio river. Nashville got a lot of groups hereeople who had events because it was an incredible indoor space. Opryd 1925, the grand ole started in another building in downtown nashville near the state capital, but during that at we had fiddling contests the Ryman Auditorium. Competed iniddlers a contest here at the ryman. Were early versions of Country Music. Rymaninteresting that the had been around about 50 years when the grand ole opry came calling in 1943. Betterlding had seen days from a physical standpoint. It did not have any airconditioning, of course, or proper heating at the time. Newer buildings were being built in nashville. The War Memorial Auditorium across from the capital, and other venues for concerts. When the grand ole opry move from the War Memorial Auditorium to the ryman, it was perfect marriage. We needed weekly events for the building and the grand ole opry saved the building, in my opinion. If it werent for the weekly concerts every saturday night, the building would not have had the revenue to support it and would have been torn down long ago. Provided new energy to the building and provided a 30005000e literally people a week got to hear the most popular and oldest Country Music show in the world. Interestingly enough, there is a Teddy Roosevelt story relating to the assassination attempt in 1912, related to the Ryman Auditorium. Teddy roosevelt was in the walking wisconsin and campaigning for president after he left office, campaigning again. And thesin shoots him bullet enters his chest. About this long speech of 50 pages that slowed down the bullet, but it still enters his chest. Teddy roosevelt goes out and gives the speech anyway. One of the things he says is i have just been shot and shows the audience. He gives his long speech in the goes to the hospital. The person who assassinated him tracked him down, stayed in a hotel a few blocks away from the ryman. In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt had been to memphis, chattanooga and knoxville and was supposed to come to nashville, that an antiTeddy Roosevelt group had booked the ryman and only 200 people showed up. This assassin was down the street thinking the president would be here, and probably the reason Teddy Roosevelt did not come to nashville is this other group had booked ryman. Only 200 people showed up, including the congressman. When they can the a session in milwaukee after he shot him, the plans he had to shoot Teddy Roosevelt and follow him around were on the back of the hotel stationary from nashville, tennessee two blocks away from the ryman. The Ryman Auditorium played a key point in the Womens Suffrage Movement and passing the 19th amendment that gave 27 million women the right to vote. Tennessee was the last state to ratify that on august 18, 1920. Before that, susan b. Anthony spoke in this building in 1897, when tennessee was celebrating their 100th anniversary as a state with the centennial exposition. That was the first time women were able to hear from this National Leader and get involved in the movement. Had the firstssee womens suffrage parade in the south, and based on that and what the local women did, the National Womens Suffrage Convention that susan b. Anthony started had their convention right here at the ryman. Many people have been to conventions that had more free time than work time. The women who came here in the fall of 1914 wanted the right to vote, they were going to work session they were going to work hard and the sessions lasted until 3 00 a. M. The ryman has always been a little too large for Convention State parties. Select it was time to delegates to go to the Democratic National Convention Held in San Francisco, they met here at the Ryman Auditorium. For the first time, tennessee sent two women delegates to that convention, which was historic. That was months before they passed the 19th amendment so the women could get the right to vote. History was made here even at the ryman before the right to vote was granted. The Civil Rights Movement was very important in nashville, tennessee. Here, young from students from fisk university, i, now tennessee university, all did lunch counter sittings, including congressman john lewis. They got arrested and challenge the system going on in nashville, tennessee and the conscience of the country. , Martin Luther king was at the ryman to present an award of scholarship money to riderof the freedom students. One of those students was john lewis. Part of the history of the ryman is also Martin Luther king was here and spoke as well. Fewie robinson spoke a years later here on the Civil Rights Movement as well. Even before that, booker t. Washington came to the ryman and spoke about three different times, sometimes for graduation. He had a crowd of about 5000 people, the capacity back then. If you wanted to hear one of the leading voices in america during any time of the rymans history, they came to the Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman Auditorium is the most interesting place to hear a speech or music in america. It is home of the grand ole opry, a museum, but today it is a thriving concert venue that has over 200 bookings. In the last five or 10 years, people like diana ross, paul simon, aretha franklin, the foo fighters, the list goes on and on. Some people who normally play arenas 15,000 or 20,000 play the ryman because it is such an interesting building that people want to perform in. The acoustics are some of the best in america. Mormonople think the tabernacle in utah has better acoustics. The reason people like the Ryman Auditorium is because it is unique, a small venue, there is not a bad seat in this whole place. The great thing about seeing a concert is you get to see one of your favorite performers, but you get to see them in a much smaller space. When you go to a concert now, most performers think their band and fans. When you walk across the stage at the ryman, you pay homage to the building. Most people, their first words are saying something about the building and how wonderful it is to be in here. I talked to former face the duringhost bob schaffer the president ial debates in 2008. Gaylord entertainment, now Ryman Hospitality group, had a special performance of the grand ole opry in this building, and they invited of schaffer, who has a country band, to perform, and brad paisley was hosting the opry that night. I talked to bob schaffer about that because later on, he was moderating another president ial of president ycle obama and john mccain. I asked him, where you mourn nervous were you more moderating the debate or playing at the ryman . It was an easy answer, he said i was more nervous at the ryman, it was my childhood dream and just as excited as i thought it would be. Legacy on a National Level is a venue that has literally had speeches of president s, organized parties here. We have had famous politicians, even in the 20th century. Al gore senior and al gore junior. Another name people may not know is joe burns, speaker of the house during president roosevelts time. He had many debates for congress here at the ryman. When joe burns died, his funeral was in nashville and fdr came to that. The legacy of the ryman is tied to the legacy of the opry. It is now heard world why worldwide because of the internet. It is the oldest show in the world music show in the world. Winters back here in the for a few months and you can still see it where it was famous, in the Ryman Auditorium. [applause] as the Ryman Auditorium reflects 20th century history, in the mid19th century, a Musical Group called the hutchinson family singers became the most famous entertainers in america as they traveled the country singing about freedom for enslaved african americans. [singing] their 1844 song, get off the track, one of their most popular songs. It became the anthem of the Antislavery Movement in the 1840s and 1850s. [singing] the book is on the hutchinson family singers, this group of antislavery singers born in new 1810s andin the late early 1820s. They are a family group, thus the name. Three brothers and one sister. They are antislavery singers who are one of the most popular musical acts of the 1840s and 1850s. I wrote it because the uniqueness of the hutchinsons and their story, but also one really big question how does a group that sings for social reform, musical social activists , how does this group become so popular . Initially there is the three. Rothers they are somewhat captivated by this idea of music. They come from a large farming family in milford, New Hampshire , on the southern border of New Hampshire, the southern border with massachusetts. Mainly farming family, male children. It is a family of 11 boys and two girls. One of the things that happens in the family, the two oldest the familyll split farm, are in line to split the moveand the next brothers into what is the west at that time, into ohio and illinois. The next series of brothers will form a three quarters of the hutchinson family singers and they moved to lynn, massachusetts, and early industrialized area. Hutchinsons connect background in music developed in the baptist church. They come from a family that was very active in the Baptist Community in New Hampshire. The church taught them how to sing, how to read music. Music is a little bit problematic, particularly in rural new england at the time. It is dangerous. People who are musicians are immoral in some way. The church provided a moral space to sing because they are singing the word of god. The hutchinson family is active in the Musical Community in New Hampshire through the baptist church. One of the brothers is the choral director of the church and provides Music Lessons for the community. The hutchinsons tried to run with that in lynn and they get the idea that maybe we could become a performing troop. Decide to try their luck as three brothers and they tour new england and upstate new york and it is a complete flop. , in grew up, they claimed the mountains of the old granite state, the White Mountains, even though the hutchinsons milford, New Hampshire, i think the highest point is only a couple hundred feet and they dont visit the White Mountains in New Hampshire until 1843. But they present themselves as coming from the mountains of the old granite state. They try and experiment. Which is, they bring their youngest sister, 12yearold Abby Hutchinson onto stage with them. The stage with im england andith new the soil along with abby creates a family that instantly resonates with audiences. This quartet creates the foundation for the hutchinson family singers that begins to work. One example, in 1842, they play at dartmouth college. This is one of the early concerts with Abby Hutchinson. The first night, they play to the audience and it is all men. They applaud, it is all great. The next night, they come out and it is a mixed vendor audience with children, right . Men, wives and their children. The first night, the men are literally checking this out will this concert be acceptable for my wife and children to experience . This is the kind of gender dynamic the hutchinsons are playing around with in their stage presentation at this moment in time. In 1842, there is an important event in the fall that starts to push the hutchinsons in new directions. 1842, a fugitive slave and his wife arrive in boston. Seven days later, they are recognized by a friend of their virginian master, who then contacts the master, who contacts the u. S. Marshall and boston, and they are immediately thrown into jail as fugitive slaves and there is going to be a trial over whether or not the latimers are fugitive slaves and should be reenslaved under the fugitive slave laws. In hutchinsons are living lynn, massachusetts at the time and they begin their steps toward perhaps becoming antislavery singers. Immediatism, which they pick up from their christian background, is a factor in play. Social betterment that connects also to a youth movement. Many of their fans from what we can tell were a younger generation, a generation increasingly mobile. Socially and geographically mobile. They are moving to cities from rural areas. The u. S. At this time is predominantly a rural nation. 1890s andtil the after that we consider the u. S. An urban population. Itinerant ministers were traveling from town to town, they would stay for one or two weeks, put on a revival. They would have a variety of celebrations, spiritual awakenings. In many ways, these revivals are the earliest example of a kind of Popular Culture in the u. S. Thousands of people of the largest ones would show up. Live kind of very personal performances, whether they be religion or music are one of the earliest sites of entertainment in the u. S. And the hutchinsons branched the divide for these two areas. And thegious realm musical realm. The hutchinsons will bear witness to the great antislavery sensation, the antislavery circuit, the sensation of antislavery circuit of 1842, who is frederick douglass. He is one of the most notable persons through his speeches at antislavery meetings in 1842. Instant mer incident and seeing frederick douglass, perhaps seeing him decidethe hutchinsons to take this up. They perform in boston, their first foray into antislavery singing, and they do it in a formal meeting settings. They do it brilliantly. Tunestchinsons would use others were using. They often come from revival tent songs people were singing in a church setting. There certain cases, would be tunes circulating in popular consciousness. This is an era of a blackface tunes,l creating popular and they would borrow from those and create kind of antiminstrel music. Tunexample of a minstrel they borrowed was ol dan tucker. The firsthe track, antislavery song in u. S. History. It becomes the anthem of the Antislavery Movement in the 1840s and 1850s. Tucker sped up. They took attune every buddy recognized and put their lyrics on top of it. They refused to sing to segregated audiences, concert spaces in the