European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                _ a photo Hose and Bernard Murray of Bayonne n.j., with records they brought Back from a trip to Nashville. By Jennifer Johnston associated press country music has taken a Tumble in popularity since the Urban Cowboy was Riding High several years ago but you could t Tell it by walking the streets of hillbilly heaven in Nashville. Drawn like pilgrims to a religious shrine fans come by the millions each year to View the Homes and possessions of their favorite stars or attend a live performance at the grand Ole opry the Carnegie Hall of country. People like Bernard Murray from Bayonne n. J., a City rimmed by Oil company storage tanks in the Shadow of the statue of Liberty. Murray like Barbara Mandrell was country when country was t Cool. But it took him 37 years to finally get to Nashville Tenn. This has been my greatest dream said the 63 year old retired factory worker collecting souvenirs in the schlock shops along famed music Row. Nashville s record companies keep sales figures confidential but country music s share of the record Market has declined to about 10 percent from a High of about 20 percent about five years ago after the release of Urban Cowboy the movie that starred John Travolta. Nonetheless More than 7 million tourists visit music City and spend More than $600 million each year according to the chamber of Commerce. The Oryland theme Park Home of the grand Ole opry in recent years attracted 2.4 million alone in 1985. Indeed the Jingle of coins is the Nashville sound. About 80 percent of the visitors come to witness country music be it at the grand Ole opry $8-$10 per ticket Oryland theme Park $13.95 for a three Day passor George Jones car collection $3 on music Row said Terry Clements the chamber s director of tourism. Five dollars gets a tourist into Johnny Cash s museum to see the Marble collection of the Star s son or Entrance to Mandrell country where Barbara Mandrell s honeymoon Nightgown and first Mink coat Are on display. At Twitty City Conway Twitty s estate it costs $5.50 to View miniature copies of the entertainer s first Home and his touring buses. It takes $8.50 to get into the museum of country stars Ferlin Huskey and Marty Robbins. Things have come a Long Way in the 60 years since the Days of a Small town radio show bringing the hillbilly sound Honey City  fans flock to to be near the stars crackling into the nation s living rooms. Humble singers guitarists and fiddlers have catapulted to super stardom. They croon to dedicated fans who follow their favorite entertainers lives like soap operas. But in a nation where pop sensations Are made and broken overnight the country music Industry is an anomaly. The Short course in that is the lyrics of country music address everyday life says Tom Adkinson a spokesman for Oryland Usa. It s something people can relate to. If a country Singer has a fan he has that fan  taking advantage of that fan s Devotion with museums souvenir shops and other enterprises is a logical part of the country music business Adkinson says. An entertainer is a business person in a very Peculiar Industry he says. He s not going to do something that s not going to produce profits  the stars say their Side businesses developed naturally meeting a growing demand from their followers. Twitty who lives on the grounds of his Twitty City Complex said before he moved under the watchful eyes of his Security personnel fans trooped across the Lawn of his private Home for a Peak in his window. Like Many other country music stars Twitty says he merely came up with an alternative to withdrawing behind a shield of body guards and Solitude. He built a tourist spot. When entertainers of All kinds Are building fences and putting in sophisticated burglar alarm systems this is the Only place in the world where you re invited into an entertainer s Home said Twitty who sometimes strolls out of his re bricked mansion for a Chat with the faithful. Twitty City is very very successful he says although neither he nor other country music stars would discuss finances. It s a giant investment and you expect a return on that investment added Twitty whose hits include Don t Call him a Cowboy and hello Darlin. About an hour s drive West of Nashville lies Loretta Lynn s dude ranch in Hurricane Mills Tenn. There were so Many fans traipsing across their property for a peek inside the House that the family decided to Clear some Trees and build a Campground said Mooney Lynn husband of the country music diva whose life Story was told in the movie Coal Miner s daughter. Loretta Lynn s restaurant stables Mill museum and Page 14 the stars and stripes general store were a natural outgrowth in Hurricane Mills a town the Lynns own. Them old country music fans will go anywhere or do anything if they think they la get a Chance to maybe see a country music Singer Lynn said. Some of them just want to get out of the factory and see the  at Cash s museum House of Cash just Down the Road from Twitty City in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville Johnny Cash fans can see the bedroom suite Cash once shared with his Singer wife june Carter Cash. Cash s Secretary Irene Gibbs said the House of Cash opened As a result of pressure from groupies who wanted to be close to anything that had to do with the Man in Black whose hits include ring of fire and i walk the line. People would drive out Here when we did t even have a place open. Just a recording studio out Back Gibbs said. There was nothing out Here but people kept coming inside and asking if they could just stand in the lobby. I think they just wanted something of John s to look  entertainers say their Side businesses provide _ stability in an often Uncertain music Industry. Country music stars who Are at their Peak look for investments knowing that Fame can be fleeting said Tim Bucek president of Barbara Mandrell one hour photos. That Peak for Mandrell came in 1980 when she landed her own television show with Sisters Irlene and Louise. It was Mandrell s idea to put her name on the photo mat marquee said Bucek a 50-50 partner in the Deal. Mandrell who sings sleeping single in a double bed and / was country when country was t Cool also has a museum where the Nightgown Mink coat and a copy of her bedroom suite Are on display. At 72, Sarah Cannon could live quietly and comfortably from her years As the loudmouthed country comic Minnie Pearl. She says her museum is a Way to pay Back the fans for the years they came to see me on the  the grand Ole opry matriarch and Hee Haw regular stops regularly at the museum. Pearlie Scott owns Scott s sales co., which operates several music Row souvenir shops named for country music superstars. People love to buy that stuff she says. It s part of their trip something they can take Home with them. It s just like Cotton Candy. You Don t want to eat it All the time but you do if you go to the  grand a photos country music stars top photo crowd the stage of the grand Ole opry. Loretta Lynn s husband Moo Ney upper right on their 4,500-acre ranch. Con Way Twitty right signing autographs for fans. Barbara Mandrell above has a reproduction of her bedroom on display in Nashville. Tuesday april 1, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 15