James E. Akenson
Life can bring some unexpected experiences. The passing of a former neighbor resulted in my learning something new about the history of our small city and its connection to Country Music.
After the passing of former neighbor Stan Huff, the family wanted to have a social event to honor Stan’s memory with friends in Cookeville. The email inviting us to Stan’s memorial said come to The Bitter Inn.
The Bitter Inn? Never heard of it. It took some time to figure out the location The Bitter Inn. Located on the historic town square of Cookeville, I drive by The Bitter Inn several times a week. Then again, there is only a three-foot rectangular sign hanging next to a narrow stairway entrance.
The owner told me they like to fly off the radar. No wonder I didn’t know anything about it. The Bitter Inn at least has a FaceBook page. but I’d never seen any advertising about it.
On an August Sunday afternoon daughter Ashley and I parked on the Cookeville Town Square. We knew it was safe parking since “In God We Trust” was posted on the Putnam County Court House that serves as the center of the square. We went up the steep steps where we thought The Bitter Inn must be located. Bingo! We found it.
We loved the vibe with the exposed wooden beams, the open spaces with varied places to sit and gather, a performance stage, and a stairway to the roof.
Most of all, though, the diversity of photographs, posters, banners, flags, and memorabilia impressed me. How could I not like the iconic photo of Elvis from the 1956 Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo, Mississippi? Let’s not forget that Elvis started out as the Hillbilly Cat and made waves on the Louisiana Hayride Barn dance in Shreveport, Louisiana. And, yes, Elvis didn’t have such a great time on the Grand Ole Opry.
Many of the photos reflected the history of The Bitter Inn as a tee, young adult gathering place during the mid to late 1960s. Cookeville didn’t exactly stand out as a happening kind of place despite being ‘The Hub of the Upper Cumberland’ region of Middle Tennessee.
Four Tennessee Tech fraternity brothers from Cookeville founded The Bitter Inn in 1965. Take a look and listen as Rick Jones tells about the founding of The Bitter Inn.
The Bitter Inn sounds like a fine, harmless venue for teens to enjoy. But, let’s not forget that the rural South featured…and still features…a strong presence of Conservative Evangelical Protestant Christianity denominations such as Baptist, Methodist, and Church of Christ. They didn’t ‘cotton’ to activities like dancing or worldly music. Linda Bussell Daniel remembers The Bitter Inn vividly.
You are speaking my language with the Charlie McCoy band and the Bitter Inn. I wasn’t allowed to go to the Bitter Inn as my mother thought it a “sinful environment”. But, I was present for two Proms where the Charlie McCoy group played live for our dances. He was really good back then but just getting started. He played whatever was expected and did it well. As for the Bitter Inn I just had to enjoy that place through the adventures of others.
Note the contradiction. Linda Bussell Daniel could go to the Cookeville high school prom where Charlie McCoy and the Escorts played. She couldn’t dance to Charlie McCoy and the Escorts at The Bitter Inn. If you’re not southern and conservative Protestant you don’t need to figure it out. Trust me, there are contradictions in all of our lives.
That brings us to something closely connect to Country Music. Note the name Charlie McCoy, He’s a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Not too shabby. Just ask the likes of Elvis Presley, George Jones, and Bob Dylan if Charlie McCoy did a fine job on their recordings.
And…Charlie McCoy and the Escorts played at the opening of The Bitter Inn on 1 and 2 October 1965. Charlie McCoy and the Escorts frequently came to Cookeville to perform at The Bitter Inn. Even at 1965 prices, it doesn’t seem that $100 could be much of a payoff for Escort members and their travel expenses.
Yes. Gas cost less than a dollar a gallon. Take a look and listen again as Rick Jones tells about Charlie McCoy. And note the reference to a product distilled in Lynchburg, Tennessee.
Charlie McCoy and The Escorts doesn’t sound exactly like the name of a traditional Country Music act to me. Rick Jones says The Bitter Inn didn’t have any Country Music acts. Take a look at the pics of Charlie McCoy and The Escorts. And to think that I think of Charlie McCoy as THE Country Music harmonica man.
That just shows the complex nature of music in general and Country Music in particular. Artists can shift their focus. Jelly Roll has ‘Gone Country.’ I guess we could say the same thing about Post Malone of late.
Country Music traditionalist Alan Jackson didn’t particularly like the Gone Country phenomenon even back in the 1990s. And does Country Music today sound like the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, or the Louvin Brothers…or even George Strait? There are certainly “shifting sands” on which “our hope is built” as to “Is It Country Music?”
Charlie McCoy worked to make a living in a tough business. He became associated with Country Music although he played different genres over the years.
Take a listen to his very much Country Music Orange Blossom Special. And… take a listen to Charlie McCoy on Larry’s Country Diner program playing Precious Memories. That’s a gospel song that folks from a conservative Evangelical Protestant churches can relate. Some strong southern roots although it appeals to lots of people.
Note that each video mentions Charlie McCoy as a Hee Haw cast member. That’s a strong identification with Country Music. It further reinforces Charlie McCoy’s association in our minds with Country Music.
So…The Bitter Inn really wasn’t a Country Music venue despite having Charlie McCoy as a featured artist. Yet, there ARE some other connections to Country Music through The Bitter Inn. Current owner of The Bitter Inn ‘revived,’ Rick Jones connects to Country Music. Rick Jones learned long ago that corporate life was safer, more predictable than being a singer-songwriter. In retirement, his antique store, The Bitter Inn, and other ventures also have a bit of stability.
Rick Jones did work as a singer songwriter before getting a ‘real job’ in corporate life. Want something really cool? Rick Jones participated in a corporate fundraiser at a car dealership along with NFL running back Gayle Sayers. If Gayle Sayers isn’t cool, then what is?
Take a look at the Haunted Streets of Nashville. Looking out over the alley next to the Ryman Auditorium…the home of The Grand Ole Opry…prompted a song. Take a listen to Rick Jones sing The Haunted Streets of Nashville.
Songwriting isn’t easy. Listen as Rick Jones tells how a song “get’s downloaded into you” in just a few minute rather than struggling over a long period of time. The creative process isn’t always step-by-step.
Well now, The Bitter Inn shows the complexity of this thing we call Country Music. Rick Jones tried his hand at being a singer songwriter and found corporate life a bit more predictable.
Still, Rick Jones finds the songwriting process and connection to Country Music important. The Bitter Inn wasn’t a Country Music venue for Cookeville teens and young adults. It did, though, have Charlie McCoy and The Escorts play at the grand opening and many other times.
McCoy’s band wasn’t really Country Music, but he went on to be a member of The Country Music Hall of Fame. Funny how these things work. It’s never as cut-and-dried as we would like to think. Wish it were. Keep it country, y’all!
