Really not fun for us kids

Music!!! always played an important part in my family.  More especially with my dad who loved playing music.  Daddy could play guitar, mandolin, piano, French harp and Harmonica.  He was pretty good.  My son, Shaun, didn’t do bad himself.   His dad goes by Freddy Carr and is probably the finest steel guitar player ever. And Joe also pictured above was about as good a singer as a picker.  Also pictured is me and my dad singing with Joe accompanying on guitar.  Joe was really a good musician.

Usually, in most towns we went to he would always find someone who was a picker.  There would be music and singing and lots of pickin and grinnin.  They’d set out side the trailer and eat and drink.  Yep, there was always lots of drinking. 

He bought me an accordion and I really tried to play it.  I finally picked out “Lady of Spain” on it.  But I just didn’t like it. My mom was great at harmonizing with dad and they sounded really good.  She had a beautiful voice. I always wanted to sing.  Low and behold, daddy asked me to sing one evening.  It was the only record or song we knew of that the famous Guitarist Chet Atkins every sang.  It went something like this:

I can’t spell love, but I know how to make it

            Though I never went to school as a rule, I

            Ain’t no fool.

            I can’t spell please, but please I’ll like a little squeeze

            If only for while I know I could make you smile.

            A-B-C-D-G, Gee I wish I could

            Have had a chance to go to school,

            Still I ain’t nobody’s fool

            I can’t spell hug, but like a bug that’s in a rug

            I’ll never let you go till I see a little glow.

            I can’t spell kiss, but I know how to kiss a miss

            Say, honey how I spark when I’m kissing in the dark.

            A-B-C-D-E-F-G, Gee I wish I could have had a chance to

            Read and write, What the heck, I’ll do alright

            I can’t spell, wife, but won’t you be my wife for life.

            I can’t spell I love you, but you know darn well I do.

It wasn’t a girl’s song to sing, but I did anyway and the people seemed to enjoy it.  I loved that attention and approval, and getting out of that chair.  Probably why I ended up singing on some weekends at the Ramada Inn in Midland with Matt Penny.  I wasn’t that good but it was fun.  .I probably didn’t mention it, but in most towns, with no pickers,  dad and mom were invited to visit and play cards.

Daddy would line up three chairs and we were to sit in them until time to go home.  If we were offered a snack or drink we always were to say “No, thank you Ma’am”.  I remember praying that if there is a God I need longer legs because sitting in that chair my feet and legs dangling, they would go to sleep and they hurt.  AND, I don’t think I ever remember asking to go to the bathroom.  However, we had pretty well trained our bladders with all the traveling.  Nevertheless, daddy and momma were always complimented on how nice and polite we three kids were.  Well, I’ll say this, if there were ever perfect children; we would fit in that category.

There will be lots of blogs on music, musicians, writing songs and putting out albums.

I was married to a very good musician, Freddy Carr, at one time who played numerous instruments and had a band(s) that included Glen Campbell and other well known musicians.

Also my daddy being a part time musician gathered these types of people to our home in later years after all the traveling for Brooker was done.  Some were great and others needed to be strung up.  Nevertheless, as I look back we knew some really well known entertainment people. Anyway, we have a long way to go, so keep up and don’t let me down, I need all the support I can get. 

I’m not Rode Hard Put Up Wet for nothing. If you fall down, Get UP!