Music from My Dear Dad

Here I go thinking too much about how I got to be me again. But I have to give equal time to my Dad.

I always thought it was kind of odd that my parents did not get into rock and roll. No Buddy Holly, Elvis or Beatles for these two. But my Dad got closer than my Mom. This list will be a bit different from my Mom's, because with Dad it was more about getting to spend time with him. I remember my Mom letting me stay home from church some Sundays just so I could hang out with him. His job was in retail when we were little and he normally worked 6 days a week - sometimes pretty long hours. So I was always so excited to have a whole Sunday morning with him all to myself. I would help him make pancakes for breakfast, then I'd play while he read a book or the Sunday paper. Or he'd work out while I read this old set of history books. When I got a little older, he'd set up a work space on the dining room table and let me help him with whatever paperwork he was trying to catch up on. But we'd always listen to music. Here are some of the artists that bring to mind the fondest memories of spending time with my Dad on Sunday mornings:

Jim Croce. Definitely a life that ended too soon. I Got A Name made it on my "Top 50 Songs of All Times" list. (To be discussed in a later entry).

John Denver. Laugh if you will, but the man could sing. And write some beautiful songs. The record Dad had was a Greatest Hits, with Grandma's Feather Bed, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, and Annie's Song being the ones I remember from back then.

The Ventures 50th Anniversary Album - I guess they're known for their instrumental surf music, but this double-record had Beatles songs, Neil Diamond, and all kinds of hits from the 60's. This was actually my first introduction to Beatles music, and I didn't find out until years later that someone did these songs before The Ventures, and even sang on them! My Dad loves the songs that the Beatles wrote, he just doesn't like hearing the Beatles sing them.

The Carpenters. I think my Dad had 4 or 5 albums of the Carpenters. This seems like a good time to bring up that although my Dad has a lovely singing voice (imagine Larry Gatlin, but not so brash), he loves to whistle along with songs. He has the prettiest whistle I've ever heard. And his whistle shined the brightest on these Carpenters albums. One of his favorite songs was a cover of Leon Russell's Song For You. Once again, I never knew someone else originated this song until Julie made a mix tape for me for Christmas with Leon himself singing it. His version would make my top 3 songs. The words are so sweet-and it's sung straight from the heart.

The Brothers Four. My Dad loved folk music like this. I especially remember a jaunty little melody called Tie Me Kangeroo Down Sport. Has anyone seen A Mighty Wind - Christopher Guest's parody of the Folk Movement in the early 60's? It made me laugh, but maybe not as hard as people whose parents didn't listen to this music. Some respect for the genre kept me from wanting to make fun of it too much.

Bread. I've saved the best for last. If you've never heard of this band, I strongly urge you to check them out. I think they are possibly the most underrated band from the 70's. They were definitely laying the groundwork for bands like The Eagles. I'm not that fond of the sappier numbers (like If, one of those overplayed wedding songs), but songs like Everything I Own, Look What You've Done and Mother Freedom are good over and over to me. I have their 2 CD Retrospective-and would have to bring it along if I was going to a deserted island.

These days, Dad listens to alot of country now, which I will forgive him for. In fact, we danced to Leanne Womack's I Hope You Dance at my wedding, and when he started singing it to me I cried. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life.

This is just a small sampling of some of my Dad's influences. But they are the songs that will always make me pause and smile and think of Sundays and Dad. I still love to hear that whistle, coming from the back of my parents' house. So any fathers out there reading this, know how much it means to your kids to just spend time with them doing nothing. Don't think that they have to be entertained. Just put on some music, sit back, and enjoy each other.