Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Three Pack Tuesday - Oldies but Goodies

We're going country today, but we're doing it the right way.  I love old country music!  Today's Country is, well, not the best, little too pop, little too main stream, but there are still some gems in there, they are just harder to find. These guys aren't called legends for no reason - nuff said! Here are a few of my favs.

I was trying to decide what to use for my three favs and all the memories started flooding back and then I got my mom involved and we started naming song after song so this might become more like a twelve pack rather than a three pack.

First, I remember my grandpa singing this song.  He sang a lot.  He is the reason I love the old stuff so much, it always in someway reminds me of him.  He and my grandma would sing and harmonize together and I loved it!

Music for me is an strong memory maker, emotional language and soul stirrer.  When you spice a good memory with the remembrance of a good song too well you get utter joy!  All I know is, all was right with the world sitting in the back seat of my grandpa and grandma Bailey's Cadillac and listing to music with them and hearing them sing and harmonize together!  This is where my love for strong harmonies came from. Best memories ever. My Grandpa Bailey was an amazing man!

I think the version he sang to was a Bob Wills version but I am a BIG Cash fan so that's why I chose this one, The Bob Wills version is pretty stellar too.



Ok, had to do it, here is the Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys version too.  Gotta love that fiddle!



My mom reminded me of this song.  This is one of the songs my grandparents sang together.  I can just imagine peering over the back seat of that Cadillac and watching my Grandma clap to the beat and the two of them would look at each other with such love and happiness and belt it out.  Can almost hear my grandpa say "good one, Dot.  Good one."



Even the way these guys are dressed stirs up some major emotion in me.  Love the suit and cowboy hat look.  So classy. They don't make them like that anymore! My grandpa looked like this, always had a starched button-up shirt on even with his Wranglers.  To this day my grandma sees a man, boy, whatever dressed in a nice starched button-up and some wranglers and I can see her swoon just like she would with my grandpa.

This song is by far a whole family favorite.  I remember vividly where I was and what we were doing the first time I heard this song or at least it was the day it make a major impression on me.  I was sitting in the middle of the front seat of our Buick, between my dad and Grandpa.  We were on our way to Longmont to see my brother play football.  I was wearing a red and white stripped shirt and red coolots (ug, I admit it, yes I wore them, a lot.  Apparently the Baptists had something against jeans back in the day, I don't get it, never have.)  Anyway, My mom and grandma were in the back seat.  My mom had a George Straight album called "Something Special"  playing in the tape deck.  When this song came on I remember my grandpa saying, 'Ah, Mandy think you need to turn this one up a bit."  So I did.  What happen next I'll never forget.  Everyone in the car started to sing (except me and my dad, my dad didn't sing, ever.)  I remember looking up at my grandpa in his light blue button - up, startched weastern shirt as he sang.  Tooth pick in the corner of his mouth, he gazed out the window and sang.  The music moved him, I could feel it. I'm pretty sure that was the first time the music moved me too.  I turned around and watched my mom smile wide as she sang a-long.  She was moved too, I think it was because she was feeling like a child again and singing along with her daddy.  I never knew what that felt like first hand but I was pretty sure of the joy it caused just by watching my mom.  My grandpa patted one knee to the beat of the song and steadied his cowboy hat on his other knee with his other hand and when it was over he gave my knee a squeeze and said, "let's hear that one again!" and I hit the rewind button until I found the beginning and we started all over again. Pretty sure I was as close to Heaven that day as I have ever been.  As a result, it is to this day, my most favorite song. Brad and I danced to  it at our wedding and we still sing and dance to it in our living room on occasion.



This  has obviously turned into a little reminisce about my Grandpa.  I loved him, he was the best man I ever knew.  I  know I speak for the whole family when I say he went on to Heaven way sooner than we would have like for him to.  I would like to sit next to him now and sing with him, I would like to hear his amazing stories and hear him laugh, boy could he laugh.  Always full of hope, always full of stories and always welcoming and loving.  Yeah, I miss him.


We just recently made the decision to put my dad into comfort/hospice care.  His dementia is in the last stages and he is progressing faster and faster.  I feel like I have already mourned the loss of my dad.  Who he is now is definitely not him and I guess being that the relationship and connection was never there between us I can't say I feel much of anything but relief that he will soon be free and with Jesus.  But it has caused me to spend sometime trying to reminisce a bit about him growing up.  Maybe not as many fond memories as I would have wished for, but I do find a few good memories of my dad.  Some good ones are better than no good ones, right?  So in light of this being a music post I will post three more songs,  the only three that I can even think of that remind me of my dad.

One of the few times I felt special in the presence of my dad was just a regular ol' Saturday morning in a drive to Sutherlands hardware for something, don't remember what.  I was just happy that he asked me to go with him and I distincly remember he was happy too, don't know why.  He had  a Johnny Horton tape playing in his truck and this is the song I remember hearing as I sat next to him in the middle of the bench seat and drove with him to the hardware store.




Another memory I have is of a big record player in our living room, you know the kind, it was a big as a dresser and it played records and 8-tracks.  Loved that thing, although I was never allowed to touch it.  This is where the memory gets a little fuzzy, so I will say to my brothers I know I may be wrong here but , this is my memory.  We had a Bill and Gloria Gaither record that my dad played.  The song I remember most is "Because He Lived."  My mom reminded me that this was the song my dad requested to have sung at his dad's funeral.  While it wasn't like my dad to come right out and say, "I like this song." This was as close as you got to knowing what he did like.  The song I remember was by the original Gaither Trio but I couldn't find that version on YouTube so this one will do.



The other song I remember being played over and over again on that record player is this song:



Its fun to remember.  I think music is meant to solidify a feeling within you, so that you do remember.  Thanks for hanging with me and listening in.  I hope it caused a little reminisce session of your own. Would love to hear from you.  What were your favorite songs  when you were a kid or what songs bring back good memories likes these?  Leave comments, tell me what they are, lets have a memory party!

2 comments:

  1. Got your mama crying, Mandy girl......The world would be so empty without music to touch our souls. It's funny how music and memories go hand in hand... a song can transport you right back to a particular moment in time....it's a good thing---a precious thing---just like your blogs! Love ya!

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