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In tune with the Nashville music scene

The Bluebird Cafe, Hillsboro Pike, Wednesday afternoon

Singer/songwriter Paul Jefferson ambles into The Bluebird Cafe, a tiny but well-known live music showcase southwest of downtown Nashville. The Bluebird, distinguished by a faded blue-and-white awning, perches in a strip shopping mall near Bradford Center. All is quiet and dark now; the cafe is closed during the day.

Paul raps on the glass, and someone unlocks the front door. Once inside, he maneuvers his guitar case and lanky frame past the maze of tightly spaced tables, then eases down in a chair next to the small stage.

The walls are plastered with countless photographs of stars from all walks of musical life who have played at this legendary lounge. Vince Gill. Garth Brooks. Melissa Etheridge. Amy Grant. Bonnie Raitt. Donna Summer.

As Paul concentrates on his playlist, a small group of disoriented tourists comes in unnoticed through the front door. "We beg your pardon," one of them timidly asks him. "Is this The Bluebird?"

Their accent gives them away. They're not Southern. They're from London, England, visiting Nashville, and they've heard about The Bluebird. "It's quite a bit smaller than I had imagined," one of them says, looking around the cozy room about the size of a (cluttered) two-car garage. "Will there be a performance this evening?"

Paul gives them a quick grin and perky reply. "Listen, come back tonight about 9 o'clock, and you'll hear some good music," he answers. No, they've never heard of him. Yes, they'll be back. Departing with smiles and apologies, they leave the musician to get ready for the good music he's just promised. Paul methodically opens his guitar case, pulls out a brilliant turquoise acoustic guitar, grabs a cup of coffee, and returns to his playlist.

His songs. His hopes and dreams, reduced to the common currency of instrument and inspiration. Within a half hour, the rest of his band trickles in, one at a time, for a quick sound check. They run through a couple of songs, joke around, then return the cafe to its darkened silence.

But what a difference a few hours make. Later that evening, The Bluebird soars with sound and excitement. The Paul Jefferson Band goes onstage at 9 p.m., playing its blend of country/western/rock music to a packed house, including the four British visitors who had wandered in that afternoon. They're smiling, excited, and delighted to be here. It's exactly what many people come to Nashville for: some of the best live music in the country.

The Bluebird holds only 100-plus music lovers, but the overflow crowd seems quite willing to stand outside and listen to small speakers tucked under the awning. Paul's songs are clever and creative; his "Check, Please" is a hilarious account of a marriage-- minded date. His stage presence, good looks, great backup band, and flashy smile all glow with star potential.

Whatever the gender, whatever the genre, Paul's story harmonizes with those of countless other musicians who come to Nashville from all over the country with stars in their eyes and songs in their hearts. (Paul, for example, is from a rural area of the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.)

And as he alludes to in his song "I Might Just Make It," some songwriters and musicians make it, and some don't. Some are content to eke out a living playing clubs here and there, being the opening act for bigger names on tours, or even holding a daytime job to finance their love for the music. And some are too talented to ignore, although this town crawls with musical geniuses.

The good news for you is that on any given night, you can hear top-quality live music, often for a song. Let's drop in on a few more places to hear music in Nashville. This is just a sampler of sorts, not intended to be comprehensive but rather a teasing of who might be onstage when you're in town.

Grand Ole Opry House, near the Opryland Hotel, matinee performance, Tuesday afternoon, 3 p.m.

The Grand Ole Opry presents more talent-- per-minute (and music-per-dollar) than any other musical venue, and it has been doing it nonstop for more than 75 years. This afternoon's show hits some high notes with host Porter Wagoner, the flashy-dressed, ageless (he's actually 70) Dick Clark of country music, singing and yukking it up with the amiable crowd. Headlining the matinee are country music legend Loretta Lynn and country superstar Martina McBride. Also appearing are show regulars and Grand Ole Opry members Little Jimmy Dickens, Riders in the Sky (a quartet of campy, Texas-swing troubadours), and John Coulee (who cowrote the hit "Rose Colored Glasses").

The crowd at the Opry is more mainstream than The Bluebird's hard-core aficionados. They're much more the family type but no less into the music. They love the show, love the performers, and the feelings are certainly returned.

"I love playing here at the Grand Ole Opry," says Martina McBride, talking from her dressing room backstage after the performance. "I remember when John [her husband]'and I moved to Nashville from Kansas; I dreamed about playing here. There was no question that Nashville was the place to go. The tradition just runs so deep here. I'm just as excited about playing at the Opry now as I was the first time I went onstage. Not as nervous though," she says with a laugh.

Broadway/downtown, Saturday night

You can feel the excitement in the air in downtown Nashville when the sun goes down and the neon lights glow. Music seems to ring out from every street corner, and it's no wonder. Several music clubs and cafes cluster near the Ryman Auditorium, the grande dame of all music halls. If there's not a concert scheduled at the Ryman (much the rarity), you're bound to find somebody playing somewhere else.

On Broadway, you can drop in at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, where Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson used to hang out and write songs; Legends Corner (across from the former Nashville Arena, now called the Gaylord Entertainment Center); or Robert's Western World, where you can buy a pair of cowboy boots while you listen to the band in the picture window (only in Nashville.. ).

Morning Talk Show With Bill Cody, WSM-AM 650, Opryland Hotel

Radio personality Bill Cody hosts the morning show from 5 to 9 am. on WSM-AM 650 radio, whose studio sits just off the lobby of the Opryland Hotel. WSM, which began broadcasting in 1925, is widely acknowledged as the granddaddy of country music radio. Huge picture windows allow guests to peek in at Bill as he does his live broadcast weekday mornings. (WSM has a sister station by the same name on 95.5 FM.)

Bill often invites performers and songwriters to sit in on the show, talk a little music, and maybe play some too. This morning's guest is Radney Foster, a well-known singer and songwriter who's written for such diverse groups as rockers Hootie and the Blowfish and the Dixie Chicks, one of the current chart-toppers on the country music scene.

After Bill and Radney swap Texas stories (both hail from the Lone Star State), Radney pulls out his guitar and does a soul-stirring rendition of "Nobody Wins" (Arista Records), a huge hit that he wrote. He also talks a little about performing live: "Oh, I still get the jitters when I play in front of people," he says after delivering a perfect performance. He talks a little about his personal trials and triumphs, both of which serve as inspirations for his songwriting.

But that's the music business, and Radney knows it. Heart and soul, aches and pains, trials and triumphs. So do Martina, Paul, and all the other songwriters and musicians who come to Nashville, take a deep breath, and get up on that stage to sing to anyone who will listen.