[az]B000XU8VY4[/az][l1]W[/l1]hen I was growing up I don’t remember my dad ever listening to music for pleasure – not on the radio or records. My mom occasionally put on a vinyl record. We did have a record player and a small collection of vinyl records. A very small collection – less than two dozen I’m sure.
The two records I do remember we had and that I listened to with my mom were records of Burl Ives and Perry Como. I couldn’t even tell you which ones they were. I do know that I enjoyed them.
I remember Burl Ives having a gruff voice but it sounded grandfatherly. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed it because I didn’t have a grandfather. Well, I did, but I didn’t know either of them. My mother’s father died when I was very young and I never met my father’s dad.
[az]B00000I0QF[/az][az]B00004U38Q[/az]Of course Perry Como had a smooth voice and was a very handsome man. You’ve got to watch Brendan Fraser in Blast from the Past as he sings along with Perry Como. It made me smile and reminded me of the times mom put Perry’s record on.
Every once in a while when we were kids the next door neighbors would play music my dad found obnoxious. So he’d put on one of our records and play it just a little loud. Apparently the neighbors, playing their 70s music, didn’t care for Perry and Burl. They almost always turned their music off and left the house. Dad was pleased.
It’s strange thinking back how little exposure I had to music growing up. Especially since I ended up married to Joel who loves music more than anyone else I’ve ever known.