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Let's Go To Tootsie's

Writer's picture: pbirdchatpbirdchat

Today's Tale From The Orange Room, finds us in Nashville Tennessee around the year 2000. Many years had passed since the Psychedelic days of of the 1970's. Back in those black light and bean bag days, my life was consumed with High School, my band and my girlfriend. They were simpler times and the ORANGE ROOM was headquarters. Back in those heady times, I used to listen to an album by a band called WHITE WITCH. The big stoner song on the record was called, CLASS OF 2000. The first verse went like this:

"Class of 2000, we were wearing silver suits that year. Mom's hair was slick, she looked like a rooster and Dad's was way past his rear.

Dad still hits the weed but us kids, we don't smoke now to get high. We just turn on this machine and it sends out this frequency and it BLOWS OUR MIND!!!!"


Back in 1976, the year 2000 sounded so far in the future that we'd probably never live to see it. However, the year 2000 came and I was managing a small bank inside a Kroger store.

Every year, management were invited to an annual sales rally in various locations across the country. No expense was spared and managers were always excited to attend. A day would consist of eight hours of breakout sessions so your day was very busy. But later, dinner and then the night was yours!!!!!


As I said, this particular rally was in Nashville and we were staying at the Opryland Hotel. The HOME OF COUNTRY MUSIC!!!! After dinner the first night, several of us found ourselves in a blues bar. That was cool, but I kept saying that we should encounter some down home pickin' country music. Maybe go to Tootsies Orchard Lounge. No one jumped on my idea.

At the end of the busy second day of breakout sessions, our group ended up at a Karaoke bar!!! OMG!!!! NO!!!! I said to no one in particular, " hey we're in Nashville...let's hear some Country music!!" No one was interested.


Finally on the third night, I had noticed the Nashville skyline on our way to the bar we found ourselves in. I could tell the building was several blocks away but it was definitely THE GRAND OL' OPERY!!! And of course, next to that would be TOOTSIES ORCHARD LOUNGE.

After about two hours and a few beers, I decided that I'd had enough of the Karaoke and told my group that was was leaving for Tootsies. At first no one seamed to notice or care. But as I began my four or five block journey on foot, mostly though alleyways, I noticed a growing entourage following me down the alley!!! "Where are we going" ???? They shouted.

At the end of the alley, we all were standing in front of the Grand Ol' Opery and walked straight into TOOTSIES!


Tootsies Orchard Lounge used to be a dive bar and was famous for budding song writers to gather and drink. During the Opery shows, singers the likes of George Jones would set out of the Opery's side door, cross through the alley and drink at Tootsies in between songs and or performances of the day. Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and many more used to belly up at this watering hole. By the year 2000, Tootsies had become a tourist spot and was cleaned up considerably.


Once inside the famous lounge, we all ordered a beer. Remember now, we were all dressed in suits and banker clothing!!! Once I had drank my first beer, A voice came from the stage!!! The singer of the four piece band was asking if THAT DARREN PEACOCK was in the crowd and could he come up and play a few tunes!!!!! I was shocked!!! But it seems one of the women in our party asked the band to invite me up. And, up I came in my suit jacket and banker tie!!! I foolishly asked if they knew any GEORGE JONES!!!! That was like sitting in a bar in LIVERPOOL England and asking if the band knew any Beatles!!! They were very nice and said "heck yeah!!!" And with a red Stratocaster in my hands, I kicked off the 1958 George Jones classic, WHITE LIGHTNING!!!!!


The bar had been pretty quiet when we all walked in. It was fairly full but everyone was at the bar just talking and nursing their drinks. Until I came on that is !!! Maybe it was a common ritual to watch a person sit in with the band.…To watch them sink or swim. Or, perhaps it was my black banker suit that got their attention. What ever the reason, within 15 seconds, THE WHOLE BAR had turned facing the stage, whooping and hollering and waiving their beer glass in approval to me from the bar!!!! It was almost surreal. By the time I kicked off the Chuck Berry song, LITTLE QUEENIE, Tootsies was rocking!!!! When we finished our second number, The bass player announced that they's be back for another set soon...and how about that DARREN PEACOCK!!!!! We all crashed together on an A chord and split for the bathroom.


While in the bathroom, the drummer started peeing next to me and said, GREAT JOB man....are you a DOCTOR or something????? No, I'm just a BANKER but I’ve just played the WORLD FAMOUS TOOTSIES ORCHARD LOUNGE!!!! Yes you have brother!!! Someone even bought me a Tootsies tee shirt but I eventually lost it. Now it's just another Tales From The Orange Room.


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