Harley Kent is angry---really angry—at Vulcan Materials. But first, I need to tell you about my missed shot at having some real fun. On Thursday, April 28, not too far outside of Hartselle, Alabama, where I had been sequestered for two days after the tornadoes had wrought havoc there. I had resumed my trek westward towards Mississippi, and had passed a pair of houses with signs erected outside, big long signs that took up much space and wood. They were big black lettered words on a white background that stated that “Vulcan Materials Co destroyed this house” and the second one next door said that “Vulcan and Timothy McVeigh used same bomb to destroy buildings.”
I figured that someone was pissed off at Vulcan. Clever of me, huh?
I moved on. A mile or less down the road I encountered a small building with pictures of guitars ona sign that said “Little Ryman—Old Country Music”
For those who do not know, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville has been the home of the Grand Old Opry for decades. It is a classic concert venue for country music and is known world wide.
Now here was a small place with that name, and I was curious. There were three men working on something on the side of the building and I approached them to find out what the musical deal was. They explained that a man named Harley Kent owned the building and that he was a lover of country music. He had converted the old garage into a small music hall where local folks would come every Friday night and they would play, while Kent was not there the man I had engaged in conversation opened the place up to show me a neat little room, with stage and a few dozen folding chairs. He told me that there also was a house band, and as he put it, “We got a guy with a Git-tar, and another guy with a banjer, and a guy with a fiddle and a piano player too. And if’n you aint got an instrument we can provide you one. “
I was sorely tempted to hang around for a day, but the urge to keep moving forward was too strong and I decided to move on, a mistake in hindsight. I love playing open mics and know a lot of music that would have went over well there in Hartselle, and the Little Ryman, owned by Harley Kent. It is mu biggest regret of this journey thus far.
I asked the man about some writing on a garage door next door to the Little Ryman that looked just like the signs about Vulcan that I had seen down the road. He told me the story about Harley Kent being pissed off. It seems that after Harley had built his house down the road, Vulcan Materials, a commercial mining outfit, allegedly blasted Harley’s house to pieces while detonating explosives during the course of their mining. Not literally to pieces but it shook the house so badly that the walls and foundation cracked and now the house is lopsided. Harlye took Vulcan to court, according to the man, and lost. The suit over Harley was told by the authorities to take the signs down. He so far has refused. As I said, Harley Kent is a very angry man. With great taste in music.
SF, I told U there was a lot of git-tar and fiddles there. Wonder how I knew that?
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