Writing these episodes of the blog are getting pretty intense. Especially posting just before I go to bed as is my custom; thoughts they stir up keep me awake at night. So, as I write about my marriage, I need to pass on posting if I can't find time to write during the day. I plan to continue with reflections on me and Jim, but I need to take a big breath right now.
On a lighter side, I would like to talk a little bit about music tonight. Jim was born and raised in rural Oklahoma, so he grew up on "shit-kickin'" music; like the Barbara Mandrell song, he was country when country wasn't cool-- he actually did put peanuts in his coke. I was a town girl and experienced a wide variety of music in my home from classical to Johnny Cash. Like any teenager, the music I loved best was the popular music that was played on American Bandstand . After we were married, Jim informed me that he would not listen to rock and roll, only country music would be in his house. I listened to my music when he wasn't home, but soon we moved to rural Texas and the local hick radio stations did not play Elvis, the Beachboys or Neil Sedaka, so I gave in and for the next 20 years listened to Country music. We named two of our kids--Brenda and Waylon-- after country stars. Until my youngest son (who always was a rocker in a family of shit-kickers) loaned me his Eagle's Greatist Hits album, when I abandoned C & W music altogether.
As I said in the previous post, Jim got to know the band at Belfair quite well, and he especially liked the fiddle player, Ernie Reed and we hung out with him and his family. After we left Bremerton, Ernie went to Nashville and when we saw him again he was playing for Faron Young. You can see him with Faron in the U-Tube link below. He played with several different groups over the years and joined Mel Tillis in Branson MO, where I think he still plays today. Anyway I have a picture I took of the Reed family and I know a few stories about Ernie, but it would not be polite to tell them. Jim did look good in a cowboy hat, though. :o) Sooo we'll get onto more serious stuff soon.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL548BjrG1A
What fun memories! And by all means, take your breaks whenever you need them. We all need to do that once in a while.
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You mentioned Branson... fun place, and we saw M-M-Mel Tillis when we were there. ;) Brenda Lee was performing with him at that time. Peanuts in Coke? Is that a Texas thing?
ReplyDeleteQuestion should have been 'Is that an Oklahoma thing?'
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue and Diane!
ReplyDeletePeanuts in coke is a Sourthern thing. I never did get it but James always loved it, if he could have a short bottle of coke; big bottles didn't work. It's wonderful you saw Mel and Brenda! I have never been to Branson...maybe I will put it on my "bucket list." :o)