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"The
First Time"
by
Jace Carlton
OH! She was
BEAUTIFUL! Even more beautiful than I had ever imagined! I
smiled
nervously as she welcomed me and made me feel right at home. A
little something to drink? She kept looking at me with this
mysterious
smile, sensing the truth ... this was my first time. As I said, I
was
nervous.
I was also very excited! My heart was pounding like thunder
in my chest. Could she see? It didn't matter ... she
knew. No doubt she'd seen it before. She has that kind of
affect. She
knew just how to look deeply into my eyes and see my heart. Oh,
how I'd
longed for her, and now ... now, after all this time, I was finally
here ...
feeling her gentle embrace. I melted.
It wasn't long before the sun was setting and the stars began to
shine. I'd said my wishes on them plenty of times but it was so
hard to believe that THIS one was coming true!
I wanted to take my time, but she was anxious to show me
everything. I wanted that, too, but I wanted to take it slow, to
make each moment last a lifetime so that when I closed my eyes I would
still be able to see and feel the ecstasy.
Passion was in the air! The kind of feelings I thought would be
too much to wish for! Her embrace melted me deeper and deeper
into her heart ...
I'd waited for so long ... hoping, wishing, dreaming for this
moment. It was so much better than I ever imagined it would be
... my first visit to Nashville. Yes, a dream had finally come
true! I was in Nashville!
* * *
* *
Perhaps a bit dramatic, but I truly had
waited SO long for my first visit and I was SO excited to finally be
there! Plenty of activity was planned for my brief trip - several
people to meet and lots of places to go.
First stop, though, was
Music Row and an appointment at BMI.
Then a good friend, fellow songwriter / author, Jason
Blume, gave me a walking / guided tour of the Row, followed by a
perfectly timed visit to the offices & studios of Journey
Publishing (the home of the Songwriter's Connection
e-Zine) to
visit with Susan Tucker and Kim Copeland. I say perfectly timed
because not only were Susan and Kim available, but a casual catered
dinner had just arrived and Susan invited me to join them! PLUS I
was introduced to Rachel Williams, one of the finalists in Nashville
Star 2 who was in the studio putting the final touches on her debut
album!
I then met up with
friends,
Cassie & Shad, and headed downtown for dinner and some fun.
We finished off the evening with a visit to the
legendary Bluebird Cafe
followed by a drive over to the fabulous Opryland
Resort Hotel.
Up early the next
morning, adding a few lines to a couple of new songs I was working
on, and by late morning it was time for the best part of this trip
... meeting up with my songwriting mentor, Mary Ann Kennedy! Mary
Ann co-wrote one of my favorite songs, "I'll Still Be Loving You"
(Restless Heart).
She had invited me out to her ranch about a
half hour from Music Row and so it was a lot more peaceful than meeting
in an office on the Row and NO distractions! I had hoped to have
about 30 minutes with her, but we spent nearly 3 hours together!
It was GREAT!
After meeting with Mary Ann I headed back to the Row for some more
appointments and then downtown to the Country Music Hall
of Fame and
dropping into a variety of stores and clubs, including the famous Wildhorse Saloon. I
couldn't stay too
long, though, because the Bluebird was calling me back for a very
enjoyable evening ... "D4A$" ... that
translates into "Don For A Dollar"!
Don
Schlitz, the
master songwriter who wrote Kenny Roger's smash hit, "The Gambler",
regularly plays the Bluebird for just a dollar a person. Now, if
you've never been there, the Bluebird is VERY small and intimate and so
obviously Don's not doing it for the money! He just
enjoys sharing some of his big hits, which include "I Take My Chances",
"I Feel Lucky", & "He Thinks He'll Keep Her"
(Mary Chapin Carpenter), "When You Say Nothing At All" (Allison Krause
and Union Station), "Forever and Ever, Amen" (Randy Travis), "I Think
About You" (Collin Raye), and "The Greatest" (Kenny Rogers), as
well
as
regularly introducing some new songs. What a showman! A
GREAT evening!
Another thing that's SO
outstanding about the Bluebird is their TOTAL
respect for the songwriter. Whether there's one person performing
or a whole band there is NO talking allowed during the
performance! Their policy is simple ... "Sh-h-h-h-h-h".
Inspired by such an
awesome day I picked up a late night snack - pizza
at Papa John's! - and headed back to my room, wrote for an hour or so
and then packed up and got ready to leave early the next morning.
Nashville, I've got just
one thing to say ... "I'm coming back REAL
soon, sweetheart, and not too long after that I'll be there to stay!"
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