When I was living in Little Rock and taking the bus home to Ohio for various holidays, I made a game of it. I started in LR with Ferlin Husky’s “I Hear Little Rock Callin.’” Next was Memphis, I never really chose a song for Memphis because there are so many. But I really love Lonnie Mack. And Roy Drusky’s “Memphis Morning” is an obscure beauty.
Sometimes there were smaller stops, there was occasionally Jackson, TN, but I never took that one seriously, always assumed “Jackson” was about Jackson, MS. (Of course, I was aware Denise LaSalle lived in TN, and might have gone for one of her songs, but I don’t really know any of them. She’s slightly outside my era.) Another small stop in Tennessee reminded me of “Phanton 309.”
Onward, we arrived in Nashville, and I always loved Ray Stevens’ song “Nashville.” (Johhny Cash is at the Ryman, Boots is at the Carousel, God is smilin down from heaven, aw, Mayor Briley’s doin’ well) Next was Leroy Van Dyke’s “Louisville,” depending on the year and the route, we also had the Everly Brothers’ “Bowling Green,” then Connie Smith’s “Cincinnati, Ohio.” The bus would still stop in Columbus and Zanesville but I don’t know any songs about them.
“Next was Memphis, I never really chose a song for Memphis because there are so many.”
The Memphis library maintains a running list of all the songs that include Memphis in the lyrics. I’m not sure of the current total, but it’s well above 1,000 songs. I said “Walking in Memphis” was my favorite, but it’s next to impossible to pick a favorite.
Oh, and I’ve known Denise LaSalle and her husband, “Super Wolf” (James Wolfe) for thirty years.
What a fun game,how about this one smalltownslick ((((Hugs))))
Marc Cohn - Walking In Memphis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK5YGWS5H84
Great story. I live 20 miles south of Nashville.
Oh, btw, I went to high school in Booneville Ark and my wife grew up in Hazen, north of Stuttgart on I-40.
We are both alumni of the Univ of Ark.