Home Care In Bon Aqua, TN

Being raised in Bon Aqua, Tennessee – a stone’s throw from Nashville makes Thursday’s (July 17) performance as part of the summer concert series Nashville Dancin’ presented by Dollar General a homecoming of sorts for performer RayLand Baxter. “I enjoy the fact that I am living and performing so close to where I was born,” Baxter told Billboard. “It’s a rare breed of people that are actually from around here. There’s definitely some pride there, and I’m grateful for all of that.”

The summer series has been a hit, attracting thousands of music fans each Thursday night. “They have done such a great job with it, and the line-ups have been so diverse. I actually worked as part of the crew for Nashville Dancin’ one week this year. I helped turn over the stage. There were so many people there, and I was impressed. I remember one of the first shows I went to before I moved back to Nashville was My Morning Jacket, so it’s pretty cool to be playing on that stage.”

You might think that being the son of pedal steel icon Bucky Baxter (Bob Dylan, Steve Earle), that music was a passion from the beginning of his life, but it actually came much later. “I was big into sports, and running around in the woods fishing. Music really came to me by accident. I tore my ACL, so I couldn’t run around as much as I wanted to. My dad gave me an acoustic guitar, and it kind of took off from there the way it should have. It wasn’t something I had to do every day. There were no music lessons. It just kind of happened.” It wasn’t until later that his father’s impressive musical pedigree started to make an impact with him. “I didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t at all. The older I get, the cooler all that stuff becomes in my mind. “

Drake White on Nashville Dancin’

Baxter is currently in the studio working on his third disc. “We are in the middle of mixing the new album. I say we, because though it’s my name in the title, there’s quite a few people who are working on it as much as I am. Eric Masse is sitting in the studio as we speak, twisting knobs. We have another five songs to mix, and it should be ready to release next year.”

Following up his 2013 EP AshkeLon, the singer-songwriter said he loves mixing it up musically. “I just want to do something different and a bit more fierce from what I’ve done before. I just want to create something that is completely unique – just as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, or Leonard Cohen did. When you hear their music, you know immediately from the first five notes, who it is.”

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The maker of Diamond Gusset Jeans plans to build a 12,000-square-foot building in Madison to relocate the company's headquarters from Bon Aqua, Tenn., in Hickman County.

David Hall, owner/president of Diamond Gusset LLC, said the two-story building planned at the corner of Briarville and Cheron roads will also house a retail store with a coffee shop.

Overall, the headquarters and retail store are expected to employ at least 10 people at opening in mid-2018.

Hall said Diamond Gusset also plans to keep open its retail store in Bon Aqua, where the company has its shipping operations that could be moved to Nashville. A Diamond Gusset retail store has also operated on the historic square in Lynchburg, Tenn., for four years.

Construction is expected to begin next year on the estimated $1 million project on nearly an acre that Hall bought near Nossi College of Arts in Madison five months ago.

Hall, who moved to Madison four years ago, called that site where Briarville Road becomes Ellington Parkway the finest retail location that he could find.

"It’s an up-and-coming community with a lot of growth and excitement,” he said about Madison. "It's very close to Interstates 65, 24 and Briley Parkway, so it's going to be an easy destination for shoppers from all over Middle Tennessee. We're seeing everything growing towards us.”

Upon completion of the Madison building, Diamond Gusset would essentially be returning to a Nashville area where Hall co-founded the now nearly 30-year-old company.

Metro Councilwoman Nancy VanReece called Diamond Gusset's headquarters relocation plans another example of the renaissance she expects to see in Madison by 2018.

"They’re my favorite pair of jeans and also a good Christmas gift,” she said, adding that she owns a pair of the company's Lynchburg 6-pocket jeans.

Last year, Diamond Gusset LLC generated $2.5 million in revenue from its two brick-and-mortar stores and from selling online plus through its mobile store.

The company has 25 styles, including the Defender jeans that was developed for motorcycle enthusiasts and is sewed with Kevlar to protect the rider's skin in the event of an accident.

William Parr of Atlanta owns a 10 percent stake in Diamond Gusset LLC with Hall owning 90 percent.

The company, whose jeans are made at a plant in Blue Ridge, Ga., is a sponsor of Martin's Motorsports #44 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. "Sponsoring NASCAR is a pretty cool thing for the brand," Hall said.

Tony Jackson is reflecting on country music’s legacy — and teaming up with Randy Travis to do so.

PEOPLE is exclusively premiering the country singer’s music video for his new track “Do You Remember Country Music,” which features the country icon, 64, on Thursday. The song and video are a nostalgic tribute to the power of the genre, and come ahead of the Friday release of his new album I’ve Got Songs to Sing.

Throughout the clip, Jackson performs the classic-sounding song in Johnny Cash’s cabin in Bon Aqua, Tennessee. Surrounded by memorabilia and photos of famed artists, the singer-songwriter reminisces about what country means to him and so many others, repeating, “Let me ask you / Do you remember country music?”

Jackson shared an exclusive statement with PEOPLE about the track and what it was like to film the touching video. “‘Do You Remember Country Music’ speaks to my love for traditional country music,” the recording artist said. “This song was born out of a desire to pay homage to the golden era of country, to reignite the memories of its soulful melodies, and to remind the world of the rich storytelling that defines the genre.”

“Filming the music video at Johnny Cash's farm added an extra layer of magic to the project,” Jackson said, calling the “I Walk the Line” singer “an icon whose legacy is inseparable from the essence of country music.”

He continued, “His farm — a place imbued with history and the echoes of legendary performances — was the perfect setting to capture the essence of ‘Do You Remember Country Music.’ Standing on that hallowed ground, surrounded by the spirit of the music legend who once walked those fields, was a surreal experience. It felt like we were part of a continuum, preserving the heritage of country music while adding our own chapter to its story.”

The singer-songwriter also shared why it was special that the Country Hall of Famer could make a cameo — which he does just before the end of the visual, appearing to sing one final “amen.” Jackson said, “This song is a tribute to the greats who paved the way for country music, and having Randy Travis join me in the video was like a dream come true.”

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“Do You Remember Country Music” is the latest collaboration between Jackson and Travis. Jackson has covered the “Forever and Ever, Amen” singer in the past, and they performed “Deeper Than the Holler” on the Country Rebel YouTube channel.

Jackson’s new album I’ve Got Songs to Song is out on Friday via Bob Frank Distribution (BFD)/Audium Nashville.

Johnny Cash may have come from Arkansas, but for years his heart was in Tennessee. He performed and recorded in Nashville and Memphis, and he made his home on a little ranch in Bon Aqua. Now, after years of lying empty, the country star’s old home is now open to the public as the Storytellers Museum.

Cash didn’t come across the 107-acre ranch by traditional means. Back in the 1970s, he discovered that his accountant had been embezzling from him and buying up property all around the country. After Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, got wise, they forced him to sign over all the real estate to them. In the end, they sold all but one: the Bon Aqua ranch, Juli Thanki reports for the Tennessean.

"For me in '72, it was love at first sight ... a place that moved into my heart immediately, a place I knew I could belong," Cash wrote in his autobiography. "This is a great place for pottering. I can cook my own food, read my own books, tend my own garden, wander my own land. I can think, write, compose, study, rest and reflect in peace."

For years, the Cashs called the ranch home, and would often perform at a nearby general store. However, after Johnny Cash’s death in 2003, the house was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Almost a decade later, Brian and Sally Oxley decided to buy it, Amah-Rose Abrams reports for artnet News. Curiously, up until just a few years ago, Brian Oxley had never heard Cash’s music. However, when he discovered the late country musician’s “American Recordings,” he fell hard for the musician. After hearing that Cash’s ranch was for sale in 2015, they bought it for $895,000—arguably a steal, considering how much history they discovered at the site.

All sorts of memorabilia was left behind by the Cash family, including several guitars and a VHS tape with a recording of a performance at a nearby convenience store where Cash regularly played low-key and free shows. The couple also discovered a car whose design was inspired by the classic song “One Piece at a Time.” The house itself is full of history, with bullet holes in the wall left from the first time Cash taught his daughter Cindy how to shoot, Thanki reports. Later, when the convenience store went up for sale too, the Oxley purchased it as well.

Now, the Oxleys have transformed Cash’s home and venue into the Storytellers Museum. While the outside is simple, the museum houses the Oxleys' eclectic collection of Cash artifacts, from handwritten letters to song lyrics for "Saturday Night in Hickman County," a song inspired by his regular performances at the Bon Aqua convenience store. In keeping with Cash’s tradition of performing for locals, the museum will continue hosting concerts and performances at the old shop, Abrams reports.

"I can feel his presence here so strongly," Cindy Cash tells Thanki. "Dad would have loved this."

With all these super-trendy hipster restaurants hitting Nashville, I thought it might be time to go back to our deep-fried, fatback-filled, nanner puddin'-lovin' Southern roots.

Who's slingin' the best fried chicken, catfish, turnip greens, mac n cheese and cornbread in Middle Tennessee? We're talkin' good country cookin', so sorry, Nashville, you're out.

Yes, we love Arnold's and Swett's and Monell's, but I took taste testers outside Davidson County lines (but within an hour's drive of downtown Nashville) to find home-cookin' gems.

Based on vibe, service and, of course, food, here are our top 5:

No. 5: Jeff's Family Restaurant, Murfreesboro

467 S. Hancock St., Murfreesboro, 45 minutes southeast of Nashville

Best drumstick ever!

Maybe that's a super random way to start the description of this big white box of a no-frills old-school meat-and-three.

But, man, that crispy, juicy fried chicken will make you feel like a kid again because it's like your granny's chicken, if your granny made awesome food.

COUNTY BY COUNTY:Middle Tennessee's best spots to find good 'ol Southern cooking

In fact, the whole vibe here is comfort. No fancy recipes or spices, just solid, well-done chicken, cornbread, cabbage and banana pudding.

And the restaurant's namesake, Jeff, is just a super nice, relaxed guy who seems delighted to talk customers through the menu.

There's also a wacky blend of antique signs and Jimi Hendrix posters on the walls.

My favorite sign was in the men's room: "Don't forget to wash your hands and pray because Jesus and germs are everywhere."

No. 4: Barbara's Home Cookin', Franklin

1232 Old Hillsboro Road, Franklin, 30 minutes south of Nashville

Pick a night that's not too hot so you can eat outside; you'll feel like you're eating at home on your back porch. But it's much nicer because you don't have to cook and hardly anyone's arguing.

It also feels like home because some of Barbara's basics — the mac and cheese and sweet potato casserole in particular — are perfectly executed.

Barbara's also offers a twist here and there. The poppy-seed chicken casserole had lots of interesting flavors and a little crunch, making it the favorite of our crew. And the pineapple cheese casserole was extraordinary — tangy, sweet and salty at the same time.

Don't skip dessert — the fudge pie and pecan pie are worth the extra calories.

Then again, if you're worried about calories, you're probably not going to a Southern home cooking restaurant, soooooooo... never mind.

No. 3: Readyville Mill, Readyville

5418 Murfreesboro Road, Readyville, 51 minutes southeast of Nashville

Here is a renovated grist mill with perfect country decor and charm for days.

Readyville Mill almost looks like a tourist trap — and the table of out-of-town giggling bachelorettes next to us didn't help.

Truth is, though, that Readyville Mill has plenty of local regulars from Woodbury and Murfreesboro. We saw several neighbors stop and speak with each other, adding even more warmth to this quaint treasure.

We're hardly the first ones to be enchanted by Readyville Mill, though. Show up without a reservation, and you could be waiting an hour or more for a table.

Oh, and BTW, they serve some awesome food. Try the biscuits, baked with heavy whipping cream, butter and sour cream, and cover them with gravy with big chunks of spicy sausage.

Finally, wow your fellow diners by getting a cinnamon swirl pancake with buttery cream cheese icing for the table. You'll never eat another Cinnabon. (Well, probably not. OK, maybe in a pinch....)

No. 2: Beacon Light Tea Room, Bon Aqua

6276 TN-100, Bon Aqua, 42 minutes southwest of Nashville

Come for the biscuits, stay for the fried chicken.

I went out there last year to try their famous little tea biscuits, which were amazing. But while we were there, I went ahead and ordered a full lunch. And that's when I snarfed down some of the tastiest, crunchiest, juiciest fried chicken I've had in Tennessee.

But everything was solid there — pork chops, mac n cheese, barbecue chicken were all amazing.

Bible verses and a picture of Jesus hang on the walls interspersed with traditional country kitsch, and the servers are as sweet as the iced tea.

No. 1: Southern Hospitality Diner, Nolensville

7301 Nolensville Road, Nolensville, 30 minutes southeast of Nashville

The competition for the top spot on this list wasn't even close. Southern Hospitality Diner serves consistently excellent food with fast, friendly service.

I. Can't. Even.

The fried green tomatoes (does it get more Southern than that?) are excellent, lightly breaded with a crispy fry on the super tangy, fresh tomatoes.

The macaroni and cheese is fresh, simple and cheesy. The fried catfish is perfectly cooked and HOT. (I was surprised at how many meat-and-threes served room-temperature food. But I digress.)

And the desserts?? Un-freakin'-real. The world's best banana pudding is right here, and there's a warm cinnamon apples and ice cream-over-waffles dish that's as good as it sounds.

This isn't just the best Southern home cooking spot in Middle Tennessee, it's one of the region's best restaurants. Period.

What are your favorite Southern cooking spots? Did Brad get it right? Reach Brad Schmitt at [email protected] or 615-259-8384 or on Twitter @bradschmitt.