Friday Fun Stuff

Music - dancing - singing. Love it. All kinds. All eras.

Mama had a stereo with an 8trak deck and could play 45's and lp's when I was growing up. We spent many hours singing Harper Valley PTA and Little Old Lady from Pasedena using a hairbrush as a microphone. I remember playing a Jan and Dean Album over and over. Or setting a stack of 45's on the turntable and singing for hours.

We saw Tanya Tucker when she was 11 or 12 at a concert in my hometown gym in Royston Georgia. She sang Delta Dawn and I remember thinking how much fun it must be to travel and just sing for a living.

The was a country music park near where I grew up. Shoal Creek. There was an outdoor stage down by the creek. We saw Jeannie C. Riley there. Later, they built a nicer building, still very much like a metal warehouse and used folding chairs for seating. There are pictures of my dad and Dolly Parten from that venue. (What I remember from that concert was big blonde hair, that high pitched giggly laugh, and the "bling" on Porter Wagner's coat.)

The Songsters, a southern gospel group, I remember from the gymnasium at Emmanuel College. Mr. Buddy Coile sang bass for the group. I now go to church with he and his beautiful wife Miss Jane. I told more about them in this post.

Blues, jazz, rock and roll have all been included in my music listening. Uncle John is JW Hell, rock and roll uncle, brother, and friend, spent many a night in a bar with that crew. I love that environment for stress relief. Dancing - getting completely caught up in the moment - the pulse racing motion accompanied by music, laughter, and booze. Been there - done that - ton of those t-shirts.

One Christmas, before 1980, I wanted the KISS solo albums. My mom said no, but my Dad (Santa) brought them anyway. Again hours of music.

Dating. Concerts included, Lionel Richey, 38 Special, Joan Jett, Pat Benetar, Skynard, and Alabama. I discovered that the Man at My Address neither sings nor dances. Not even in the shower. And yet, he loves music too. The Georgia Satellites, Derringer, and Pat Travers got added to the list. Edgar and Johnny Winter joined Stevie Ray Vaughn as favorites too. Note, I no longer sit while wishing he would dance with me. Gave that up years ago too.

Married. Add children and some Barney is a Dinosaur music to your list. Those Friday nights dancing in a bar are few and far between. But still I danced, just with a toddler, who is now in college, on my hip singing Travis Tritt's "Quarter Song." Now that they are older, nights out are beginning to occur again.

Just because I never told this before, I rolled a car when I was pregnant with the College Freshman. Landed on the top in the bottom of a ravine. I turned the switch off, put the car in gear (as if parking) and took the cassette out of the player before trying to get out of the car. Yes, that is bizarre, but that's what I did.

Cassettes, then CDs, now MP3 players. Love a mixed CD with songs chosen by someone else. Those CD's are immediately swiped by the teens and downloaded to the MP3 - then returned to a mom who is still at CD stage in her vehicle.

Add in a stint as children and youth choir director and you add hymns and praise music. Favorites there - Amazing Grace and The Old Rugged Cross - and a Contemporary song called No Orphans of God.

Last night, the Softball Princess had procrastinated on getting a paper done. At 9:30 we discovered that the printer was out of ink. At 9:36, Mom is on her way to WalMart (some 25 minutes one way) to get one. Angry at a teen, frustrated because this kind of crap don't happen at other people's house (I know that it does), driving in the rain, I thumbed through my CD box. What was I looking for? Nothing in particular, but I realized that the role of music in my life is varied and huge. I have now included the children's music among my likes as well. Music will always be important to me.

So what did I choose? - Nickleback, Buck Cherry, Rhianna and some mid 80's Stratus. There was also a little ABBA. And yes, I was the one singing in the car at the light and seat dancing. I also was over being mad before I got home.

How about you?

(note - pictures are of albums in our collection. We still have the component turntable system and still use it regularly.) On a good day - I dance - just because it feels good. A partner would be nice, but at this stage in my life, I think its okay just to dance for myself.