Episode 3729

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part by.

- [Phil] I'm Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. Here in Cookeville, Tennessee's college town, we are bold, fearless, confident, and kind. Tech prepares students for careers by making everyone's experience personal. We call that living wings up. Learn more at tntech.edu.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways. Discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history, and more made-in-Tennessee experiences showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at tntrailsandbyways.com.

- This time on "Tennessee Crossroads," we'll visit an East Nashville hotspot you can really sink your teeth into. Then push the pedal to the metal at a Memphis car museum. We'll tour an outdoor art gallery in Waverley. And finally visit with a dearly departed creator of the national sound. Hi folks, I'm Joe Elmore. That's our lineup for this edition of "Tennessee Crossroads." There is something to be said about a little place in your neighborhood where the staff is always friendly and you feel right at home. It's even better when they serve up great food that is getting national attention. Miranda Cohen is gonna take us to the Mitchell Deli in East Nashville.

- [Miranda] David Mitchell and wife Wendi Michaleto are the owners of the East Nashville landmark, Mitchell Deli. Open since 2008, they started out with all the local deli favorites, but it was the iconic handheld that quickly became their calling card.

- That's yours. Thank y'all.

- [David] The sandwiches kind of took off, so that kind of became our focus, and that was like within the first day. People were just--

- It wasn't a thing.

- [David] I guess there was a lack of sandwiches here, and yeah, we just kind of filled the niche.

- That first day I was on the slicer and there's a line out the door and people are like packed in, and I just remember slicing turkey like the entire day. We just had no idea that was gonna happen. And looking up and thinking, this is amazing, and looking down and thinking, I'm gonna cry, I'm so overwhelmed.

- [Miranda] Word started getting out among the locals that if you wanted a fresh, handcrafted, made to order sandwich stacked with the finest ingredients, Mitchell Deli was the place to go. Then in 2016, a national competition named a tasty, flavorful concoction dubbed the Asian Flank Steak sandwich. First, the best sandwich in the state, and then the best sandwich in the country.

- In actuality, the only thing that's really Asian about it is the marinade on the flank steak, but it also has Giardiniera, which is an Italian condiment, and mayonnaise and provolone cheese. So it's probably more Italian than Asian.

- [Miranda] No matter what region inspired it, it's delicious and in demand. Their menu is packed with bold, unique flavors featuring locally sourced bread, coffee, produce, bacon, and more.

- There you go.

- [Miranda] All of their sandwiches are handcrafted little works of art, and they have a very loyal following.

- [David] More pieces of sausage.

- It is the Asian Flank Steak sandwich that really put Mitchell Deli on the map. In fact, it won a national competition as the best sandwich in the country. But that is not their best seller. It is this little gem called the Turkey Bacon Avocado. And it is a treat all in of itself.

- Ever since the beginning, it's always been the Turkey Avocado. That has been our most popular sandwich by...

- Yeah, sells four to one any other sandwich?

- [David] Well, it's on Silke's wheat bread. We get all of our bread from Silke's Bakery in Clarksville, Tennessee. It's got Benton's bacon on it. It's got braised Turkey, a sharp cheddar avocado spread. We get locally grown sprouts from a friend of ours, tomatoes, which we also get locally when they're in season, and Duke's Mayo.

- [Wendi] I think it's comfort food, like you can go in and you get a sandwich. We have 20 different sandwiches on our menu, so there's probably gonna be something that will meet everybody's needs.

- I love that they have vegan options. They're one of the places that have offered like artistry sandwiches for a really long time. I eat the barbecue Asian tofu actually, that's my favorite. So yeah, that's my favorite on the menu. They also have a really good garden veggie bagel in the morning that's really good.

- [Miranda] The staff has remained the same for most of the last 15 years. You will always find someone out back smoking meats or harvesting the very best produce. They also have a very busy and thriving catering business.

- Three sandwiches for Mike.

- [Miranda] And then there is that famous sandwich call. You place your order and they call your name. And it never ends.

- Order for Ram. Six sandwiches for Vu. I think it's just important to kind of support the local community, and that's something that we've always kind of strive for.

- [Wendi] When you go to a place like ours that is owned and operated by local people, literally 80% of that money stays in your local economy. It supports the local people around us. And we're able to make a place that is good to work and good to come. Again, for me, it's another kind of feels like home, you know, like I love this place that we live, I love East Nashville.

- [David] The community is the reason why we're here. They've supported us from the beginning. So in times of need, it's like you want to kind of be a pillar or a place that's available. And we're invested in the neighborhood and we definitely want to be here as long as we're we're able for the neighborhood. Even as much as it's changing, we still have the same regulars that come in almost daily. So that's kind of why we do it is for the people.

- Thanks, Miranda. Well, next we visit a car museum in Memphis, not just any car museum, the Edge Motor Museum is dedicated to America's passion for cars that were fast and fun to drive. Now you can find this place just down the street from a legendary attraction. It's the undisputed birthplace of rock and roll. Nowadays, Sun Record Studio is a museum devoted to the musical magic that defined an era.

- We're 600 feet from Sun Records. All right, if you're gonna go there, I'm gonna assume that you're interested in '50s and '60s culture. Well, these are the cars from the era that they're most famous for music.

- You meet people over the years and you're sharing a lot of same interest. And I've worked on several of these cars for other people, and for some reason, they actually trust me with them.

- Now in case you're wondering what a 1950 MG TD is doing here in the midst of all these American cars, there's a good reason. You see, back during World War II when American soldiers were exposed to European sports cars, well that started a craze of American cars that were fast and fun to drive.

- That MG, it serves as just an inspiration point for what you see over the next 30 years.

- Among Americans sports cars, the 1949 Crosley Hotshot is considered the first. it was a race-ready little ride with a meager 26 horsepower engine. They were raced around the country before production ceased in 1952. In 1951, Earl Madman Muntz, a self-taught engineer and off the wall salesman, began production of the Muntz Jet, an unmistakable beauty with big power and a big price. It was also a big flop despite its popularity among movie stars. Such as Doris Day, who was the former owner of this one. One of the rarest cars on the floor is this Kaiser Darrin. Now it was an expensive car for 1954 and only in production for a year. That despite having a beautiful design and some innovative features. The most outstanding thing about this car to me is the way the doors open.

- There's nothing else I don't think ever has had doors like this. So they just slide into the front fenders.

- And now it's locked.

- And they're very easy to work, very trouble free, and it looks great, but it's really kinda awkward to get into.

- Wow. I don't think I can do it. I sure can't get out. Executive Director Richard Vining's favorite car is the one named after a powerful mythical creature, the Thunderbird.

- [Richard] You wouldn't have a Corvette today if it wasn't for the Thunderbird. Corvette came out first, but that car was terrible, and I think GM would've just given up on the Corvette experiment, except for right down the street, Ford's pushing out Thunderbirds that was faster, better built, had more options.

- [Joe] Bob, on the other hand, is a dyed in the wool Studebaker buff. This 1963 Avanti was supposed to save the company brand, although lack of money and production faux paus got in the way.

- One of the designers told me once, "We built that car, designed it and built it, for less money than General Motors spends on a door handle."

- [Joe] During the 1960s, with exception of Corvettes like this split window Stingray and the AMX Javelin, well, two seat sports cars kinda lost favor in America. However, a legion of performance or muscle cars came along just in time to feed that need for speed. The 1969 Ford Talladega was basically a street legal race car, a champion of numerous NASCAR events. Or what about the Dodge Challenger RT? Or the Mustang Boss 302?

- I don't think that car has ever lost a show. So a lot of the cars in here are national first place winners. We're kind of picky.

- [Joe] Visitors can take self-guided tours while friendly, informed docents are always on hand to help. In this place, the story is the same, but the presentation will vary.

- We rotate in and out within this theme. And so cars will be here for three months, six months. Others will be here for up to a year, and we'll do whatever it is to keep them happy. If someone can come in here and maybe they're not super excited about going through the American Speed exhibit, id we can make a car fan out of them, I feel really good about rhat.

- When you're stuck at a railroad crossing, ever notice the graffiti that's spray painted on boxcars? Well, some of those aspiring artists are really talented, believe it or not. They just need to space to express themselves legally. Cindy Carter found such a place down in Waverly.

- [Cindy] Who says art, I mean, really good art can only be found in a museum or gallery. A walk through a park can be just as inspirational when you're strolling through the Aalls Art Park in Waverly, Tennessee, a place where natural beauty and powerful street art coexist. Armed with a can of spray paint and his imagination, Steven Sloan creates some pretty cool murals.

- [Steven] I like to do funky bright colors. I'll do owls in purple and stuff like that.

- [Cindy] But paint and imagination only go so far. Street artists like Steven also need a place and a space where their artwork can be appreciated.

- One of my favorite ones is the Bible verse here.

- [Cindy] The Walls Art Park is a free outdoor art gallery that welcomes anyone and everyone to spend some time, as much time as they like checking out the diverse and unique pieces of street art scattered along the pathways.

- [Steven] This means a lot just to have something like this where you can showcase whatever you want to do because there's not anything like this really in the US.

- [Cindy] The mastermind behind the park's master design is Kansas Klein, a man who will tell you straight up he can barely draw a straight line.

- I'm not an artist, I have no talent whatsoever, so I just give a platform for them to do what they do.

- [Cindy] But what Kansas did have was a vision. He says traveling across the country for his job opened his eyes to the expressive and impressive girls and graffiti found on the sides of buildings or bridges or railroad cars, that got him thinking.

- This is a place for them to come and paint because one, it's legal, tow, its made for them. They're not painting in abandoned buildings under bridges, trespassing, vandalizing, there's not a lot of places that allow you to just, you know, paint on walls.

- [Cindy] Graffiti, or tagging as it is sometimes referred to, is considered a misdemeanor crime. And for many years, many viewed it as a public nuisance. Steven started painting graffiti when he was 13, and admits he once received a friendly warning from local law enforcement.

- I was young, going around painting just under train tracks and on trains and stuff like that in graffiti. Kind of got till I was like 17 or 18 and saw that you can make money off of it. So I started transforming into realism and playing around with it. And then now I got to doing full-time murals.

- [Cindy] Today, muralists like Steven are starting to get the respect they deserve. You can also see his commissioned work on the streets of Nashville, but Kansas says all street artists, especially the younger generation, still need more safe spaces to try, where no laws are broken and creativity is encouraged.

- [Kansas] The artists really appreciate the park because they're, again, not having to paint in abandoned buildings, under bridges, and they get recognition for what they do. People actually get to see their art.

- [Cindy] Faith in the art form is why Kansas opened the Walls Art Park in 2018.

- The response is definitely different than I thought it was gonna be. I thought it was gonna get a lot of pushback from the community, but they absolutely love it. I thought I was gonna get, I don't know why, but I just thought the older people are gonna have a problem with it. The older people are the ones who love it the most. They're out here walking in the morning seeing all the art.

- [Cindy] And what they see are 30 walls stretched across five acres of land, featuring graffiti and murals that are intricate, fun, beautiful, powerful, cultural, and accessible to all. Three times a year, the park holds a paint jam when artists from all over come in and paint all the walls at the same time. But that doesn't mean creatives can't come in between the jams. Once a piece has been up for 30 days, any artist can consider it their blank canvas. As a result, the art in the park is always changing. Graffiti artist Jim Wallace often drives out here from Nashville to get his creative juices flowing.

- I usually like have a color palette that I'm gonna work off of. I may come here with a really tight idea that I want to execute, or I doodle it in the car before I come up to the wall.

- Jim says his trip to Waverly is well worth the time considering the opportunity the park presents. So Kansas, the park attracts a variety of artists from all over the country. Very diverse group. Talk to me about that.

- This wall here is done by an all-female crew, Few and Far. This wall over here is Terri Misch Art, who comes out of Nashville. The wall behind us is Lawrence. He comes from Chattanooga. If you can see the wall way down there in the bottom, that wall was a couple flew in from Los Angeles on our last paint jam and painted with us.

- [Cindy] The Waverly Walls Art Park puts painter and patron on the same path. One of discovery, creativity, and appreciation. A collaboration that is long overdue.

- Ever wish you could have seen a great entertainer, but just never got the chance? Well, if you're a fan of certified guitar pickers, you're in luck. 30 years ago, I got to meet Chet Atkins at an annual event in his honor. Believe me, the honor was mine. According to the Lovin' Spoonful song, there are at least 1,300 guitar pickers in Nashville. And when this convention comes to town, there are at least 300 more. It's made up of people from around the world who play like Chet Atkins, try to play like Chet, or like me, just wish they could. Are you learning something?

- I learn something every year and you think you're the only guy who knows one song. And suddenly there's folks all around you that can help you with what you're doing right and what you're not doing right.

- [Joe] Dr. Mark Pritcher of Knoxville is president of CAAS, the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society. Members gather at this annual Music City convention to buy Chet Atkins records, Chet watches and other products, or to swap licks and find the newest how to tapes that will help their picking prowess. And this celebration of the guitar styles run the gamut. This is Grand Ole Opry regular Joe Edwards. And this is thumb picker extraordinaire Thom Bresh with his unusual two in one guitar. On this night, Country star Ronnie McDowell sang with the Jordanaires, accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore, who changed the world with his hot licks on Elvis' early hits. Scotty Moore, I discovered, is almost as modest as he is talented when he talks about his famous work.

- I stole two notes from this guy and five from that one. And then imagined some of the other.

- Ladies and gentlemen, Chet Atkins.

- I kind of wanted to be a violinist, and my dad wanted me to be a violinist, and I rebelled of course, but I wanted to be a violinist, but I read my daddy's music magazines all the time and I read where most of them started when they were seven years old. And I was about 12 or 13. And I thought, well, I'm too old to be a fiddler. It's the truth. So I'll be a guitar player. I get bored with the same music. If I had to listen to country music all the time, I don't think I'd like that very well or any kind of music. So I think you need variety in your music that's just like you do in your life.

- [Joe] Do you think there are a lot of good guitar players coming up now?

- Oh, they're everywhere, they're everywhere. Great, great guitar players that play so much better than I do. But I got there first with the fingerpicking, you know? And so I can always be Chet Atkins, I guess, and make a living or teach or something.

- I seriously doubt if Chet Atkins will ever have to give lessons for a living. He's a living legend who's picking proficiency is still unexcelled. Chet, this is the 10th year of this event. How does it feel to still be considered the king of the guitar players?

- I think it's mighty nice. It's really nice. And I have to pinch myself and I think, how in the hell did I bring this about? Because if you knew where I was from, I'm so far back in the sticks. And it's just amazing to me how well I've done. It just amazes me. I can't believe it. I never thought I'd be Vice President of a record company. I was years ago. I'm not anymore. Or that would be known all over the world as a famous guitar player. I wanted it really bad, but I don't think I ever really believed it would happen.

- Well, that's about gonna do it for this edition of "Tennessee Crossroads". Thanks for joining us. Don't forget our website now, tennesseecrossroads.org, a place where you could download that PBS app. Don't forget to join us next week, and I'll see you then.

- [Announcer] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part by.

- [Phil] I'm Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. Here in Cookeville, Tennessee's college town, we are bold, fearless, confident, and kind. Tech prepares students for careers by making everyone's experience personal. We call that living wings up. Learn more at tntech.edu.

- [Announcer] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways. Discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history, and more made-in-Tennessee experiences showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at tntrailsandbyways.com.