Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Neck of the Woods CHAT Summer 2013 Part 2, 1 by darius

darius wrote:
Wow, love all the tales and comments about music! Despite the fact that I cannot carry a tune, I often sing aloud when making long trips in my truck (no radio) but doubt I'd join a sing-alone for fear of being stoned, although I'd enjoy listening immensely.

I was fortunate when I lived in Bawlmer to attend many events at both Merriweather Post Pavillion and Wolf Trap, and some in-theater musical performers in DC and Baltimore. These were all current musical groups of the 60's and 70's, I saw the Eagles when they were unknown band and the opener for Yes at Merriweather Post Pavillion. The keyboard artist for Yes did a really long solo (almost an hour) that climaxed during a huge thunderstorm while he was working in parts of the Hallelujah Chorus.

But my real popular music exposure started when my boyfriend came home from the Air Force to Miami when I was graduating from high school.

Howie got a job in a fancy hotel on Miami Beach, and over the next year or two, I got to attend hotel shows starring (one by one, not all together) Nat 'King' Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte, Mahalia Jackson, and a few more I scarcely remember. Frank Sinatra was one, and I'd just as soon forget I saw him.

Belafonte did a duet (1961 but I didn't see it in person) with Odetta, "There's a Hole in the Bucket" and of course I learned all the lyrics. I sang it and danced with it to my sister's kid many times when she was very young and she'll probably sing it to her kids (if she ever has any).

I have NO clue where my love of classical music and opera comes from, certainly not from my family. Perhaps some of it is from playing bassoon in high school orchestra, the only instrument they had available for poor kids. It didn't replace the trumpet/coronet I wanted but I learned to like it. Our band and orchestra director had been in John Phillip Sousa's band.