When Sing-Out First Came To Nashville--Day 5--January 21, 1966

On Day 5 when Sing-Out first came to Nashville on January 21, 1966, it was back on the college campus circuit as another "strike force" of Sing-Out '66 cast members performed a one hour show for 800 Peabody and Scarritt College students in the auditorium of Peabody's Social-Religious building (see photo above).

According to THE NASHVILLE BANNER, there were again rave reviews. "Each cast member seems so dedicated. We need more of this kind of thing," said one student after the show. Said another:"This show makes you proud to be an American." A third student added:"This the best thing I've ever seen." And a final student remarked:" The whole performance demonstrates to me that young people in this country still have something and are not going to the dogs." (Ironically, Nashville's Sing-Out South would soon be singing a new song, written by Bill Cates, entitled "WE REFUSE TO GO TO THE DOGS."

Leaving Peabody, the Sing-Out '66 task force went back downtown to once again perform in the ballroom of the Hermitage Hotel. This time it was a luncheon performance for members of the Tennessee Press Association who gave the cast two standing ovations. Said one editor: "Thank God these kids are for America. If they were on the other side, I'm afraid we wouldn't have a chance." Added THE BANNER story: "Some just walked out with tears in their eyes."

So impressed were some TPA members that the next night over 100 of them would stay in Nashville to attend the full Sing-Out '66 show held at Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym.

Following the TPA show that Friday afternoon, according to THE BANNER "cast members relaxed....some of the male members took advantage of going to the (old downtown) YMCA (above) for a round of basketball, handball, volleyball and swimming."

The paper also reported that later Friday evening "most of the troupe...attended WSM's internationally-famed Grand Ole Opry (held in the Ryman Auditorium above) where the MRAers observed a television taping of the country western music show and participated in a portion of the two hour radio program.

According to THE BANNER: "The Colwell Brothers, stars of "Sing Out" sang "Freight Train Blues" and the cast joined them for "Up With People." The audience gave them a standing ovation."

So it was quite a day, even an historic one for Sing-Out '66, as it appeared on what has become the longest running live radio show ever.

But as the cast of Sing-Out '66 tried to get a good night's rest after the Opry show, something was happening. Facing major two-hour show performances, one set at Vanderbilt Saturday night and two closing shows on Sunday back at the Fairgrounds Coliseum, the weather took a bad turn (see above) as a winter storm blew into Nashville dumping 7.5 inches of snow on the city and bringing frigid artic air that plunged temperatures well below freezing. 45 years later the snowstorm still ranks 12th among the largest one-day snowfalls ever in this community.

Today Nashville has a well-deserved reputation as a town that panics and all but shuts down when it snows. What happened during Sing Out '66's last weekend in Music City?

You might be surprised when you read our next installment posted tommorrow (Saturday, January 22) here on the blog.