My sister flew home to celebrate my parents big year. Turning 75 this spring, they are within a few months of reaching 50 years of marriage.
Not that long ago I thought, music, we must have music from 1958. I found lists of number 1 hits, best jazz, best country, top 100 songs, and then I went through my jazz Cd's. Let me say that there were a bunch of folk sounding like Elvis back then. I put together 50 songs from that year. My dad, sitting to my right, was heard singing a line here and there. But my youngest aunt proved to be the music lover in the group. My one aunt and uncle were appreciative of the country hits including Johnny Cash and Kitty Wells.
50 years... I celebrated when both sets of grandparents made it that far. At the dinner, the aunts and uncles who had survived to see the day had already celebrated 48, 48, and 54 years of marriage. Though my sisters are older, I am the closest to 50 as Mosaic Woman and I have celebrated 16 anniversaries. In the year 2042... at age 78, I hope to be listening to 50 tunes from 1992. Wonder what I will remember?
As for the big hits of 1958, The Everly Brothers competed with Elvis and the Chipmunks hit #1 twice, but I left the Chipmunks off the Cd's, which allowed room for some 1958 music I own, including Lets Fall In Love by Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges. A tune I once listened to as I drew a card for the one I love.
... and Since I-tunes had no 1958 Elvis tunes which I could burn as an audio file, I pulled out my one Elvis CD, which meant the evening had one gospel tune... Praise be to Elvis for being a man of faith, may that wondering spirit find some peace.
Don't know if this is the exact version, but here it is.
Peace
Putting together music like that sounds like something I would do...as for Elvis, I love his gospel albums, especially "His Hand in Mine." I now have a 2-CD collection called Amazing Grace, which is just outstanding. I really don't have enough Elvis in my collection...and an early happy 50th to your mom and dad.
ReplyDeleteFifty years ago. Aaah, yes, I remember it well. The Lucky Strike Hit Parade with Gizelle McKenzie and Snookie Lanson couldn't handle the R&R phenomenon that swept through around 1953. A Calypso fad was fading into history when the movie "Blackboard Jungle" came forth with Bill Haley & the Comets' version of "Rock Around the Clock" and it was off to the races. Buddy Holly, the Everly Bros, Big Bopper, the original Fleetwoods, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Chuck Berry-I was in that Fonzy generation from its birthing and knew them all. My sister and I had some fancy jitterbug moves, could even do it on rollerskates, and we won all the dance contests. I was there when Elvis stepped out on Ed Sullivan's stage and my sister lay there on the floor in front of the small black and white picture of him on the TV and was so ecstatic that it's a wonder she even heard him sing. Few people probably know that Conway Twitty was country's answer to Elvis and got his start with "Socka-wocka-wock and a ping-pang-pong, I got a gal in old Hong Kong". The twist era rolled in around 1960 and from there it all disintegrated into the Monkies, the Birds, the British invasion, Sonny & Cher, heavy metal noise-and in 1972 old-time holiness had me listening to nothing but gospel for a long time. My brother introduced me to jazz, bluegrass, and the truth that my soul likes different moods for different moods and music is a gift from God...
ReplyDeleteSE--- It is a sad thing what happened to that man.
ReplyDeleteJim-- Conway made the 50, as did many that you list.