The Osmonds - grace grits and gardening

From the plastic Fisher Price record player Santa gave me as a child to the last song I downloaded on iTunes, music has been playing in the background, a sort of This is Your Life soundtrack. Of course when your Daddy wakes you up before sunrise to Waylon Jennings, music is bound to play a significant role.

As I think back on the concerts I’ve attended, I laugh at the wide variety of music and entertainers on my list. Bad Company, The Jacksons, Britney Spears, Squeeze, Elton John, David Allen Coe, Santana, The Doobie Brothers, One Direction.Oh and Keith Urban. My best friend Becky would NEVER forgive me if I didn’t mention Keith Urban…

Although my list is diverse and spans forty years, none of these concerts matched the thrill of my very first time—The Osmonds.

Still

Heart

♥

In 1970-something when The Osmonds concert ended in a scream of tears and thunderous clapping, I could have died a contented teeny bopper without ever hearing anyone else sing another note. That’s how much I loved Donny.Alas, we were not meant to be…

A couple of weeks ago I saw Aaron Neville in concert at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Although I’m not a huge Aaron Neville fan, his versatile music took me back to different places, different times, different people.

My favorite moment was The Grand Tour, not because of Aaron Neville’s buttery rendition, but because it reminded me of George Jones and Friday nights spent watching Hee Haw and summer trips to the lake where we sang along to the eight track player Daddy rigged up in the boat.

Music speaks to us.

With only few notes, we are magically transported to Christmas Eve, first dates, Sunday service, joyous occasions, times of great sorrow. You never know when a song might knock you to your knees.

Where words fail, music speaks. –Hans Christian Andersen

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

This was written specifically for GBE 2: Blog On Week #126 Free Choice.

P.S. And for those inquiring minds…the last song I downloaded from iTunes…

Summertime Sadness, Lana Del Rey

photo courtesy of Heinrich Klaffs, Flickr

In 1970-something when the Osmonds walked onto the stage to a sold out crowd of teenyboppers at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, my sister and I were in the bathroom because Momma had to pee.

Story of our life.

I heard Donny’s introduction over the loudspeaker through the concrete wall behind the toilet stalls. The floor shook.

Hurry Momma!!!!!!!!!!!

Momma and Aunt Lavern endured the concert while my sister, cousin and I stood on our chairs and shrieked, singing the words to every song. On the drive home I plotted how I would marry Donny someday and return to Mississippi County only as a side trip during national concert tours.

Last week, my sister and I channeled Momma and Aunt Lavern at the sold out, estrogen-filled, One Direction concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas. My niece Taylor knew the words to every song while I sang along to the catchy refrains as I could, each song sounding like the one before.