Embark on an eclectic Costsaver tour in the USA’s deep south and you’ll find everything from discounted cowboy boots to Elvis’ recording studios and, possibly, the next Taylor Swift driving your Uber, writes Lorna Riley You’ll find some discarded love songs / And tear stains all over the ground In a city where dreams get shattered / And swept to the outskirts of town - Sundown in Nashville (Carl Butler and Pearl) Where dreams get shattered - or dreams come true? As a first-time visitor to Nashville, I am feeling the latter while, all around me, people are striving to become stars. I’ve arrived at my hotel , ironically enough, at sundown, about to embark on a 10-night Costsaver tour called Rhythms of the South - taking in three states hailed as the birthplace of blues, soul and rock and roll. As I wander down to dinner, I hear the most beautiful voice - it’s the server, singing between taking orders, hoping to be discovered here, just like Taylor Swift (at 14) and Amy Grant (at 15) were.
This theme is repeated during our first full day in Nashville: from the Uber driver who plays us his own tunes (check him out on Instagram: @ryan.alfred.music) to the leopard-clad seductress belting out a Guns N’ Roses song at Kid Rock’s bar on Broadway (a must-visit), and Bella who drives us, with compulsory tiaras and karaoke, to the Grand Ole Opry.
READ MORE: US travel: 10 classic American holidays and their under-rated alternatives The Opry is the longest-running live radio.
