A Potpourri of Songs

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It was my maternal grandmother that loved Perry Como. He was popular from the late 1930's on through and well past the 1960's, having thirteen #1 top hits. She was born in 1892, so this makes sense. I liked listening to his music with her. In elementary school music class, we learned this song, Moon River. I remember singing it to her. Dean Martin described Como's voice as "relaxing." I also remember another singer, Andy Williams who was popular in the 60s-70's. He, too sang Moon River. I think I liked his version the best.

As the lyrics proclaim, "two drifters off to see the world, after the same rainbow's end," reminded me of my grandparent's life, often moving from one Southern state to another, finding work.

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My Aunt Sis had some struggles in life, but she tackled them with discipline and perseverance, without complaining. She really loved the Christy Lane song, One Day at a Time. That's exactly how she went about her life, too. Jesus must have given her the strength.

Christy Lane was most popular in the 70's and 80's. This song went gold.

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My Aunt 'Cile (short for Lucile,) could be an enigma. She was sharp as a tack and driven. She was tough and she was soft. She loved her nieces and nephews, but she raised standards and expected us to meet our potentials. She led by example. She was also a staunch conservative, taking me to a Republican rally before the 1964 presidential election.

That is why I was shocked when she brought home John Lennon's album, Imagine in the very early 70's. The Beatles represented everything she was "against." But I think she wanted to imagine a world that had peace...

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My father definitely had his moments. Those were moments I cherished. The ones where he could just be himself in and have fun while there. Alcohol helped to get him in those moments. That was a double edged sword. This Dean Martin song, That's Amore, was one he'd sing and howl to the moon about and to me. As a child, I found it delightful. Maybe that's one reason I have always loved Dean Martin. The song came out in 1953, a year before I was born.

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The Frank Sinatra song, My Way...one that epitomizes the life of my mother. My Aunt Sis was the first to say that, but my mother smiled and claimed it to be true. The song still makes me cry. Every time. The song came out in 1969. My mother was courageous in her battles.

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My cousin, Darlene, used the name, "Delta Dawn" as her CB (citizen's band) radio handle. According to the FCC, a CB radio is "a private, two-way, short-distance voice communications service for personal or business activities of the general public." In the very early 1980's, many people other than truckers had one. Movies like Smokey and the Bandit had made them popular. https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/age-before-mobile-phones-cb-23811266

But I think there was more to just having a CB that made Darlene choose her handle. I think she related to the song because she was a young woman who didn't fit in a small town and had packed her suitcase and travelled the world. She had also been looking for a mysterious dark-haired man.

Tanya Tucker (among others,) might have sung Delta Dawn, but Alex Harvey, one of the song's writers, felt it. I found a poignant true story about the song in this article:

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/age-before-mobile-phones-cb-23811266

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My Uncle Bill, (husband to Aunt Sis and father to Darlene,) was a man of few words. He loved to watch football games. When they came on, he'd have the television blasting loud. And he never missed anything on TV when Dolly Parton was part of it, either! He absolutely loved her.

She had one season of "Dolly," in 1976 and "at the closing of the show, Parton speaks the recitation from "I Will Always Love You", "And I hope life treats you kind, and I hope that you have all you ever dream of. I wish you joy and lots and lots of happiness, but above all this, I wish you love, I love you" and then she says "Goodnight" and sings the rest of the song and the closing credits roll." I loved my Uncle Bill and I will always love him. I got him a Dolly Parton doll for Christmas one year and he wouldn't let anybody touch it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_(1976_TV_series)

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Hope you've enjoyed this walk down my memory lane with me. Do you remember any of these songs or events? Any special memories you have?