Memories. You can't help but flavor them over the years as you recollect, in this case, how a particular "Journey" of yours may have started many moons ago. I come from a very musical family - rather, half a musical family. The two males just didn't venture down those roads (though my brother would have made an excellent percussionist, I think!). But the estrogen side of my genetic allegiance rode (and still rides) a rather awe-inspiring if not humbling wave of talent, both on the piano and through singing. As I entered kindergarten and started my elementary school years in Columbus, GA, I would always here lots of scales and classical music being played at home...and it was only a matter of time before I started taking piano lessons for a few brief years. It became evident that my musical Journey was not going to be down the classical road...so let me pause a moment and rewind to what I remember as "the" moment in time...
I love music. I love harmonies. I especially love the upbeat jazz and boogie woogie, taught myself to play and write it, fell in love with the Big Band era, and now play and record my own music through my Native American style flutes I make myself...and so in making presentations or talking with others, I peer back through memory's mist and look to see where my headwaters were, headwaters of what is a full-flowing, musically rich river for me today...
Don't know what the year was, though it had to have been no earlier than 1964 or 1965...but I will always remember "the" album (shown above). That album and the music became indelible, like a Sharpie on the ol' cerebral cortex. The song "What'd I Say" was the kingpin that seemed to have pushed my musical buttons for good, and it's as much my 'beginning' as I can come up with. Thanks mom, dad, whoever got that album into the house. Took a loooooong time to find an image of this album on-line this morning, too...not one of the more polished studio albums, apparently...just don't tell that to a little boy who didn't (and doesn't) care.
"What'd I Say" (video)
(FYI, a little trivia...the organ player backing Ray is none other than Billy Preston, who went on to make his own mark in the musical world...)
So I didn't end up going down a conventional path with my music...nothing need ever be conventional to begin with, and as that great bumper sticker says:
Inspiration should be expected and cherished every moment of our Living...oftentimes the littlest, most insignificant thing or event or meeting or sight or person opens an internal door that lets out life-changing thoughts and actions. And so it is wise that each of us always keep that in mind daily as we interact with and touch the lives of others, that we may well be a Johnny Appleseed of wellsprings.
Enjoy your weekend!
I love music. I love harmonies. I especially love the upbeat jazz and boogie woogie, taught myself to play and write it, fell in love with the Big Band era, and now play and record my own music through my Native American style flutes I make myself...and so in making presentations or talking with others, I peer back through memory's mist and look to see where my headwaters were, headwaters of what is a full-flowing, musically rich river for me today...
Ray.
Don't know what the year was, though it had to have been no earlier than 1964 or 1965...but I will always remember "the" album (shown above). That album and the music became indelible, like a Sharpie on the ol' cerebral cortex. The song "What'd I Say" was the kingpin that seemed to have pushed my musical buttons for good, and it's as much my 'beginning' as I can come up with. Thanks mom, dad, whoever got that album into the house. Took a loooooong time to find an image of this album on-line this morning, too...not one of the more polished studio albums, apparently...just don't tell that to a little boy who didn't (and doesn't) care."What'd I Say" (video)
(FYI, a little trivia...the organ player backing Ray is none other than Billy Preston, who went on to make his own mark in the musical world...)
So I didn't end up going down a conventional path with my music...nothing need ever be conventional to begin with, and as that great bumper sticker says:
Inspiration should be expected and cherished every moment of our Living...oftentimes the littlest, most insignificant thing or event or meeting or sight or person opens an internal door that lets out life-changing thoughts and actions. And so it is wise that each of us always keep that in mind daily as we interact with and touch the lives of others, that we may well be a Johnny Appleseed of wellsprings.
Enjoy your weekend!
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