To many, Nashville is known as the Music City, the unofficial honky-tonk capital of the world but it is so much more than that. It often surprises to initial visitors to find a chic American city, scintillating skyscrapers, and a healthy financial community, embracing new commerce, publishing houses and other offshoots of the music industry.

Located in the center of Middle Tennessee, Nashville is the flourishing city of the upper South, where gracious Southern hospitality mixes with a genuine friendliness. The population is rapidly expanding as it attracts citizens escaping the brutal northern winters, or leaving New York and Los Angeles for a more easy-going lifestyle. Being a transplant from the wintry conditions of Chicago, I was definitely drawn in by the climate and surrounding proximities to other urban locales was also a major plus. The city is strategically positioned at the convergence of three major interstates and at the center of various surrounding travel destinations.

Nashville also prides itself on its education. Boasting over 20 plus schools in the area, it is home to a triad of historical black colleges/universities: Tennessee State University, Meharry Medical College and last but definitely not least, my alma mater, …

Our party arrived at the quaint campus of the beautiful Fisk University to take in the Aaron Douglas Gallery. They hold great importance as they are currently one of the few reasons this historic institution still has its doors open. After talking to the helpful librarian, we learned that Douglas was an acclaimed Harlem Renaissance Artist who founded the Fisk University Department of Art in 1939 and served as its department head until 1966. Housed in a single room on the third floor of the John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, the Aaron Douglas Gallery displays an incredible array of diverse expressions of mixed media. The gallery serves as a living testament to his artistic greatness and while it is small in stature, its artistic greatness speaks volumes. It features works past and present from such luminary artists as Georgia O’Keefe, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Malvin Gray Johnson, Romare Bearden, James Lesesne and of course, the gallery’s namesake. One piece, in particular, stood out. Created in the 1970’s, this multi-hued sculpture visually depicted the thoughts of the artist, the evolution of the Black race/man and how he felt the world viewed him. As a young Black male, I definitely …

After leaving Fisk, our party was in the mood to see more culture so we piled into the car and went in search of adventure – and we definitely found it! The evening’s entertainment we had selected was taking place in the heart of downtown Nashville at Nashville’s B.B. King’s Blues Bar at 152 Second Avenue North. This locale was definitely a place worth a visit, if only to check out the fixtures and fittings! Each piece had a story to tell. Our table, in particular, was an enameled map of the crossroads made famous by the noted Blues singer, Robert Johnson. After seeing that, I knew we’d be in for a treat and we were not disappointed one iota. Entertaining us for the evening was the phenomenal house band, Herschel Bailey and the B.B. King’s House Rockers. The band played your normal bluesy selections and then regaled us with their own renditions of funk from the 70’s and 80’s. I’m normally not a big dancer but I couldn’t help but sway my head in unison as the music began to move me. If you’re looking for a good time for an …