Music and Family: My Grandpa’s Musical Journey

 

 

 

This interview revealed so much about my grandpa's life and experiences. Born in 1946 he grew up listening to music from the war era and fondly remembers the Andrews Sisters and their song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." This was the soundtrack of his childhood and something that always stayed with him.

 

 

 

When he was a teenager in the 1950s and 1960s my grandpa’s music taste widened. He talked about the excitement of watching The Beatles perform on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Elvis Presley, Fabian, Petula Clark, Johnny Mathis, and Dean Martin also came up. He really liked Dean Martin’s smooth style and remembers singing his songs a lot.

 

When he joined the Navy during Vietnam, music stayed an important part of his daily life. While stationed overseas particularly in Japan he and his shipmates listened to popular music, country tunes, and even live performances aboard their ship. He remembers making tapes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Janis Joplin, and other artists from the time. According to him, music helped during stressful times in service.

 

After coming back home and marrying my grandma, Evelyn (me and my brothers always called her Nonny), music continued to be important. At their wedding, a friend (something Bailey) with an incredible singing voice ("he could sing like an angel") sang "We've Only Just Begun," which still has a special meaning for my grandpa. He watched Evelyn when she sang regularly in church choirs and community groups. One of his favorite memories was going to a concert with Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Lee Greenwood, and Sawyer Brown, in the clemson stadium. It was a very fun moment that they enjoyed together.

 

 

 

My grandpa also mentioned Neil Sedaka as one of his favorite artists, although Evelyn wasn’t as much of a fan. They shared a lot of musical moments, attending concerts and enjoying live performances together. Today when he listens to 106.9 (a Christian rock radio station), he finds comfort especially since Evelyn passed away in 2020. Artists like Michael W. Smith hold particular meaning for him, as their music comforts him and gives him a feeling of closeness to Evelyn.

 

Looking back on his life my grandpa emphasized how soothing and meaningful music has always been for him. It provided comfort during stressful periods and continues to connect him to treasured memories and loved ones.

 

Transcript

Me: So what kind of music did you hear growing up at home?

Poppy: All kinds of music because I, I was born in '46 and in the fifties I was hearin all of the old music, the stuff that was played during the war. And I loved the, what, what was the name of those sisters that sang in the war? I love them.

Poppy: Boogie Woogie, whatever it's called.

Me: The Andrew's sisters.

Poppy: Yes. Yes. I love them.

Me: Okay. Um, who are some of your favorite musicians or bands as a kid or teenager?

Poppy: Oh God, as a teenager. Um. In the fifties, the Beatles came over here on the Ed Sullivan Show. And I liked Elvis. I liked Fabian, I liked, uh, the Beatles, the, all, all the guys from England. I liked him. Petula Clark, Clark, uh, oh my goodness.

Poppy: Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore sang. I liked them. Um, Johnny Mathis, oh boy, he was really good. And, uh, Dean Martin,

Poppy: uh, Bob Hope was not a singer. He was a, he could probably sing though. But he, he came, he was on my ship and I was in Vietnam.

Poppy: Uh,

Me: uh, what was your first record or album? Do you remember buying it?

Poppy: Um, I did. I didn't do that till I was in the Navy and I bought some, uh. I made tapes when I, in, uh, I bought a stereo system in Japan and I made tapes and the, I had a whole bunch of hours of, uh, music,

Poppy: um.

Poppy: God, I, I don't know what all I had on that. I had all the, uh, pop music, Jerry Lee Lewis, uh, and I liked, uh, Petula Clark and all of the people from England. They, they had a whole bunch of different, uh. Bands come over here from England and all of our pop bands here, I liked them too.

Poppy: Janis Joplin all, and most of those people were on drugs and they, they died young.

Me: Uh, did you listen mostly to the radio? Uh, what stations or shows do you remember?

Poppy: God, WORD in Spartanburg. Uh. And, uh, they had some crazy stuff when I was a teenager. They had, uh, uh, God, one of my friends from high, from, uh, Ethel Road, Joe Sessoms, he, uh, he became a radio announcer and got. He moved up, uh, from a lot of different radio stations.

Poppy: He had a deep voice. Joe Sesam did.

Me: What kind of music did you and your fellow sailors listen to while you were in the Navy?

Poppy: All kind of music, everything you can think of, pop music, uh, country music. One of the, there was a bunch of guys on the, on the ship that played, picked, and played and sang. They were, they were real cowboys. They came from the Midwest and. This guy wrote a palace of his own songs and he sung 'em to all of us.

Me: Okay. Uh, were there any songs that really stuck with you from your time in the service?

Poppy: Um, I liked, I told you when I was, when we'd go to port and, uh, I think we were in, uh, Japan and.

Poppy: What part of Japan were we in? We pulled in there a lot. Uh, Yokosuka I bought, uh, we went on, uh, tours, me and, uh, my friend Buck for, we had, uh, most of the people would just leave the ship and get drunk. We didn't do that. We just went and. I, I didn't, I'm not a drinker and I didn't drink much, but it, we, me and Buck would stay together because we knew we wasn't gonna get drunk and we was going to have a good time and go to different places.

Poppy: And the most of the pictures I have is with Buck and, and, uh, my friend, uh, Tom Raskowski from New Mexico. Tom was originally from, uh, Chicago. He and his daddy built a, a 1901 Buick, I think, showed that thing, but Tom's got a bunch of Corvettes now, and he's, he's been in movies and all kind of different things. Tom has, Evelyn (my grandma) wanted to go out and visit with Tom.

Poppy: They were near that, uh, the, what do you call it, Fif-, where they got, uh. Uh, supposedly, uh, have a, he lives near that place, uh, where they have space aliens there and Area 51 or something like that. But Evelyn (my grandma) wanted to go there. We, you know, we raised y'all. We couldn't go there, but we wanted to.

Me: Did music help you during stressful or emotional while serving?

Poppy: Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. Yes.

Poppy: Yes. I remember singing a lot of Dean Martin songs when I was a teenager before I moved out here, and when I moved out here, there was a, uh, a lot of the different songs that was playing now in Elvis was, I always liked Elvis up until the time he died.

Poppy: I didn't know that Elvis was on drugs, but I did. You know, I thought he might have been, and he was. I hated it. I didn't want him to be on drugs.

Me: Uh, how did you usually listen to music while in the Navy, like radio tapes, live performers?

Poppy: Uh, they played music on our ship. Uh. We had a ship radio and we had intercom on the whole ship, right?

Poppy: The carrier. And they played it on the, on there. And we had our, in the, uh, electronic shop. We made our tapes, you know, we'd copy our tapes. And then the, the LeMans race, there's a great big, old, long thing I, I believe. I don't remember who, what conductor did that here in Mancini, maybe, I don't know. But the whole race, they played music.

Me: Okay. Uh, was there a particular genre or artist that reminded you of home during service?

Poppy: Uh,

Poppy: no. I heard the. Beatles when I'd, uh, pull into port and, uh, I didn't, uh, like I, all of those drug songs is what, a yellow submarine and all that crazy crap. That's what I heard.

Me: Okay. Um, do you remember any songs that were played at your wedding with Nonny? (my grandma)

Poppy: Yes. We've only just begun. And one the, uh, chorus leader was, uh, his last name was Bailey.

Poppy: I can't think think of his first name, but he had a pretty wife and two pretty daughters. And he could sing like an angel. And he sang at our wedding. Evelyn was in, uh, chorus she sang even. Uh, and they called it a love group, and they'd go around to different churches and sing, and I'd go with them and listen to 'em.

Poppy: And they had one little girl, God, she sang like an angel. She was so good. And I, I think she got into opera, but I don't know what happened to her after that.

Me: Uh, is there a special song that you both shared or considered your song?

Poppy: Um, I.

Poppy: Um, I liked a lot of Neil Sedaka songs and, but I don't think that Evelyn liked him as much as I did.

Me: Um, did you and Nonny (my grandma) like the same kind of music, or were your tastes different?

Poppy: No, she. Pretty much liked, but she, she was, uh, she sang in the chorus just about all of her life. She sang in the choir at the church, and that church (Cannons Methodist) was her church. And my church was over across to Powell. (Powell Presbyterian Church).

Me: Um. Okay. Can you tell me about any music related memories you shared together, like concerts or singing in the car, dancing in the kitchen.

Poppy: Um, we went to, well, we bought the tickets to the Clemson Coliseum in Kenny Rogers and, uh, was singing and, uh, Dolly Parton, and they sang together the, the, a song that they had was a good, really popular song in, uh.

Poppy: The guy that does, uh, the America, the, I'm proud to be an American. He, he was there too. And he sang that song and they had a, uh, Sawyer Brown was the name of the band that opened for him, and they were really good too. I, I loved that whole thing. But we bought the tickets from Mimi and Papa, (my great grandparents) and then Mimi and Papa (my great grandparents) said, you take them.

Poppy: You, you and Evelyn take 'em. And, and me and Bootsy, (my great grandma) keep Melissa (my aunt) and Brooks. (my dad) And I had, I had to work the next day and I, I wanted, uh, we tried to give Robert and Susie, (my great aunt and uncle) they didn't want to go, so me and Evelyn did go. And I was glad I did 'cause I enjoyed the heck out of that. And we had to park a way way down away from there.

Me: Uh, did Nonny (my grandma) ever introduce you to any music you ended up liking?

Poppy: Um, yeah. The love, love music that they sang and Eddie Henderson that, uh, was, uh, the policeman and he sang with the firemen and they sang together. You had him for a teacher at one time. He could really sing. He, he lived across the street from.

Poppy: Judy and Bud (my great aunt and uncle) and, and from Evelyn, (my grandma) and he could always sing. And he ang sounded like Wayne Newton. Wayne Newton is another, uh, musician. I, I loved him. He, he was good. Really good.

Me: Um, how has your taste in music changed over the years?

Poppy: I don't guess it has, but I like it all. I, I like the church songs. I do.

Poppy: And I sang at the choir at the other church. (Powell Presbyterian Church) And, and I enjoyed going to the fifth Sunday night singing with all the little old ladies and they played the piano and they could play all kinds of different music. And Fred and Betty, I loved them. I loved singing with them.

Me: Uh, this, is there a certain era of music that you feel most connected to?

Poppy: I. Hmm.

Poppy: No.

Me: Um,

Poppy: I like what comes on now.

Me: Are there any songs that remind you of Nonny (my grandma) now or that you find comforting to listen to?

Poppy: You know, I listen to 106.9 (christian rock radio station) most of the time and listen to a lot of preaching and a lot of the, uh, music from there. And those singers. Are really good. And you've, you've heard 'em.

Poppy: 'cause I played, that's the only station I played and I love them. They good. Uh, Michael W. Smith, he opened for bit, uh, Billy, uh, Graham.

Me: Are there any songs that. You feel shaped who you are?

Poppy: I don't, I don't guess I, who shaped me and made me, who probably my scout master was a, a mechanic and could do just about anything he painted. He did everything he could climb a dang tree with no whims on it. With his feet and hands, just go straight up that thing like a monkey.

Poppy: But he could do just about anything. He could weld, he could do all kind of different things. And you know what he did? He got a job, he was real smart. He got a job at the post office and was a letter carrier.

Me: Uh, what role has music played in your life overall?

Poppy: Um, I love music. And it does, it is soothing and mostly the Christian music is soothing to me 'cause I feel God in the music.

Me: Okay. Uh, I think that's it. I don't really have any other questions.