When we realize our insignificance in this world,
it some how relieves the pressures from society to succeed -  Cindy Bonish 04/07

Night Train To Nashville
Music City Rhythm & Blues 1945-1970
CMF Records – Lost Highway

When most people think of Music City, Nashville, they think of Country music and the Grand Ole Opry. Most have forgotten about the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s when this area was a thriving Mecca for the R&B scene. Those years’ following World War II was when Nashville played a major role for the R&B scene and made it the recording capitol it is today. The Lost Highway Record Label is looking to remind people of those years and what they brought to the music heritage that the nation is listening to these days.

The two-disc set, Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945 – 1970, is something that no one should be without in their music collection. I don’t care what style of music you listen to, this set will touch on one, if not every form of music on the radio today. Lost Highway bills it as R&B, but I believe this was back in the day before we had so many different categories of music to choose from. This music is what molded the last few decades of Blues, Country, Jazz, Rock ‘n’ Roll, R&B, Doo-Wop and almost everything else in between. I have heard these names spoke by the great musicians when ever they were interviewed, but have never heard most of them for myself.

The music’s ability to cross cultural boundaries is evident in the mix of country and R&B musicians. The station WLAC-AM (1510) that was responsible for broadcasting these hits from Nashville has been credited by musicians from all over the nation and into Canada as an influence. The 50,000-watt clear-channel signal was key to this new style of music.

WLAC was the first big station to broadcast rhythm & blues; they started playing the hits at night in 1946. Michael Gray, who producer the Night Train album with Daniel Cooper says, “The station had these legendary DJs, John Richbourg, Hass Allen and Gene Nobles, who ignored the color lines and exposed several generations on listeners and musicians to a variety of black music.” Remember this was back in the days when segregation was still present, especially in the south.

Jefferson Street was just as crucial to the development of R&B as Memphis’ Beale Street. Nashville is recognized as Music City but mostly because of Country. Jefferson Street was what got the city recognized in the first place and got people to step up and notice the place. This was back when Country music was still mostly Gospel. By the 70’s music was changing and R&B was turning more into Disco. Clubs that once had bands were now hiring DJs and people were looking for different styles. That was when the R&B side of Nashville was forgotten and Country took ahold.

You will be dealing yourself a major raw deal if you don’t check this two-disc set out. So many of these classics were remade only to become huge hits, why not hear the way they were originally recorded.

Pat Bonish - Every Miles A Memory

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