The 21st September was my parents 45th wedding anniversary – a sapphire anniversary nonetheless – and would you believe it, they both had a senior moment and forgot (their words, not mine).
It didn’t bother them at all. It fact they both found it hilarious. They are a really happy couple and getting happier by the year. They remembered whilst out shopping. One went down one end of the high street to buy a gift and the other went down the other end to buy their gift, and giggling like kids on a scavenger hunt, they met up a short while later with their purchases in hand.
Like most people my parents seeded my love of music. They were teddy boys and girls in their youth. As children we were spun around the dance floor at rock and roll parties with live bands and people dressed up in the full teddy ensemble. I jived to Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around The Clock’ with my Dad and then went home and leafed through his vinyl.
I don’t know when I exactly fell in love with music, but it was probably when I realised how it can change people instantly and make a previously still room bounce with energy. Whilst kids my age were listening to boy bands I was listening to The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bob Marley, Dionne Warwick, John Denver and jigging around the room with my Mum to ‘On Top Of The World’ by the Carpenters. My eclectic taste has only grown with time – although I never really managed to adopt my Mum’s love for Cliff Richard (sorry Mum).
Just purely for whimsy I looked at the releases from their wedding year of 1968. Seeing the incredible tracks scroll down my computer screen the muso in me started to drool.
The following tracks from 1968 therefore were played on my show (show date 22/09/13) and joyfully danced to in the studio (what you missed that on the webcam??? Awww shucks):
1. All along the watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
2. Magic Bus – The Who
3. Mrs Robinson – Simon And Garfunkel
4. Hey Jude – The Beatles
5. Build me up buttercup – The Foundations
6. Little help from my friends – Joe Cocker
7. Baby come back – The Equals
And these are some of the greats I didn’t get a chance to play:
The dock of the bay – Otis Reading
A little less conversation – Elvis Presley
A sauceful of secrets – Pink Floyd
Anthem – Deep Purple
Back in the U.S.S.R. – The Beatles
Birthday – The Beatles
Born to be wild- Steppenwolf
Busy doing nothing – The Beachboys
Carolina in my mind – James Taylor
Dance to the music – Sly and the family Stone
Deliah – Tom Jones
Do you know the way to San Jose – Dionne Warwick
Dream a little dream of me – The Mamas & the Papas
For once in my life – Stevie Wonder
I can see for miles – The Who
I got the feeling – James Brown
I heard it through the grapevine – Marvin Gaye
Israelites – Desmond Dekker
Joanna – Scott Walker
Jumping Jack Flash – The Rolling Stones
Kentucky Woman – Deep Purple
Lady Madonna – The Beatles
Lily the pink – The Scaffold
Mony Mony – Tommy James & the Shondells
Ob-la-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles
On the road again Canned Heat
Something in the way she moves James Taylor
Street fighting man – The Rolling Stones
Sympathy for the devil – The Rolling Stones
Voodoo Chile – Jimi Hendrix
What a wonderful world – Louis Armstrong
See what I mean? What a whopping list!
And suitably Congratulations by Cliff Richard was also released that year too (no, I’m still not playing any Cliff Richard Mum. No I’m not. Nope, not listening. I’m sticking my fingers in my ears now, la, la, la, la, la, 😉 )
