Vol. 2 — Your Parents’ Music?

I remember riding in my father’s red, Ford Escort station wagon. I believe that he almost drove that poor excuse for a car into the dirt. However, the radio worked and that’s important. Of course, dad always had the greatest hits of the 50s and 60s playing. Even today, hearing artists like the Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, Bobby Darin, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Monkees, or The Kingsmen reminds me of riding in that car with pops. Does anyone remember Wolfman Jack? Maybe you remember those classic sounds that we had gracing our ears while riding in that wee beast. It was such a small car, but our family of 5 fit for many years. I will forever recall with fondness those trips down those bumpy, deteriorating country roads for our annual visits to the drive-in restaurant in Marshall. Those were the best.

Mom was the country fan, I am sure you recall. Those classic artists like Tanya Tucker, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Statler Brothers, Randy Travis, Alabama, and Eddie Rabbit. These are all artists I can remember hearing every Saturday morning, blaring throughout the house as mom yells upstairs to get us out of bed. Her country station would play most of the day. Saturday was always “house cleaning” day. The kids were all so lucky to pick between jobs of vacuuming, dusting, or cleaning the bathroom (Yes, singular, one bathroom for a family of five). If I recall, I think my sister (the oldest) got stuck with the bathroom a lot. Sorry sis! I recall either dusting or vacuuming. Of course, at that point, I could put on my Walkman and just listen to my own music. Even as a kid, I never claimed to dislike mom’s country, I just preferred to listen to my own music. Pretty sure a lot of kids would do the same, even today.

My parents made sure to include music wherever we were. Besides the car and at home, for long camping trips mom would have multiple cassettes or 8-track tapes of her “travel music”. For every long trip, Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again’ was a staple; hell a requirement. I think we rolled our eyes every time that song started playing because she would sing along; loudly! Dad had a workshop where he always had his favorite oldies station playing. We would bring the radio out if we were out working in the garden or doing other chores. They would also take us to bluegrass concerts, though I never understood why it was called bluegrass. I just kept imagining that we should be seeing some blue grass. We even went to some larger concerts. The one I recall was Little Texas with opener, Tim McGraw. Tim McGraw was good for a new artist back then! I was actually all set to take my kids to their first concert this year, The Zac Brown Band. The whole family loves them. But the show was cancelled because, well it’s 2020.

Being a father of two, I think our favorite music is just a little part of what we can leave with our children. A part of us that they will carry with them long after we are gone. Not having either parent around now, I still think of them whenever I hear the Beach Boys or Willie Nelson. Their music became a piece of my soul. We knew that music was an important part of our lives. Music brought them joy and they always shared that joy with us.

I must admit, I do the same to my children today. They have heard of bands like Metallica, AC/DC, even Vanilla Ice. Honestly, they will request songs by those artists from time to time on family trips when I play DJ using Spotify (a far cry from those 8-track tapes or cassettes). I would never wish for my children to focus on just the popular hits, mainstream music outlets do that already. I want them to be well rounded with all genres, spanning the decades. As I have mentioned before in this blog, I enjoy a wide range of music. And I want them to connect these great songs to happy memories of their family. My wish is for them to think of me whenever they hear Back in Black, or Bohemian Rhapsody. Turn it up and sing along with the lyrics, just as we do today. As long as that moment brings back fond memories of me, then I did my job. I connected them to the music I love, making it the music they love, becoming a piece of their soul. Just as my parents did with their music.