Being that this is my second post and I am still figuring this out I thought I'd explain where my love of music steemed from. A little later on I will go into greater details of bands and my life behind the scenes with them.
It was in the summer of nineteen hundred and ninety five when the family went on a life changing family vacation. The location of the trip? Memphis Teneesee but only after traveling through Tupelo Mississippi and understanding where the King of Rock and Roll himself came from. Ya see, mom always had a rule about family vacations that I didn't learn to appreciate until I was somewhat older. The rule was all vacations had to have some type of learning aspect to them. So obviously this vacation was a history lesson. Little did I know that this trip would actually mean something in the future.
So here we are, Memphis Tennessee in the middle of summer. The same summer a kid from Memphis by the name of Justin Timberlake was auditioned for *NSYNC. Scorching heat, long lines of middle age women excited to see where their childhood heart throb lived, husbands who probably would've rather been down on Beale St, and kids like my sister and I who wanted to figure out what that big pyramid building we saw while crossing the river was all about. After somewhat of a wait we made it to the shuttle buses. Prior to boarding we were handed a Walkman and headphones but not just any headphones. The hot type of headphones that sit over your ear with the black cloth cover. Yea! THOES headphones!! So across the street and through the gates we went. Now, if you've never made the trip to Graceland I throughly suggest going. Things have changed so much and this is a reculection from 22yrs ago... Im sure the Walkman has been retired and they use earbuds.
It didn't take long for me to realize, this guy named Elvis Presely had EVERYTHING!! From a beautiful piano sitting behind a stained glass window of a peacock that welcomes you when you walk in, to a room with a water fall, to a room with multiple TV's and PLANES! This guy had his own PLANES!! Yes, two planes. The Hound Dog and The Lisa Marie. This shocked me the most since as a kid the 70's were like the Stone Age. Who knew they had planes back then? At the end of the tour you are taken by the memorial garden where Elvis, his mom, his dad and brother lay in rest. It's very quiet and very emotional. Little did I know that at that moment I'd made a connection that would mold me into who I am today.
The connection was music. For years after the trip Elvis's music was blared through the house every morning as we got ready for school. I remember mom getting mad at a radio station DJ for making fun of Elvis's version of "In The Ghetto". She got so mad she actually called the radio station and let them know she wasn't impressed. The neighbors who happened to be listening to the same station called the house to tell mom good job. It was an exciting morning and to this day I haven't listened to that radio station. Over the years I learned more about the bands that followed in the footprints set by Elvis. From the Beatles, to KISS, to Journey and far beyond. While learning about these bands and memorizing lyrics this question popped into my head and it has stayed with me ever since. That question is: What if no one showed up to support these guys?
Think about that for a minute. Where would music be had Sam Phillips quit Sun Records after his first band ended up being a one hit wonder? What would the world be like had we never Rock and Roll all night and party everyday? Better yet, what if we never knew the feeling of thousands of people belting out Living On A Prayer together? Im just a guy from a small town in Alabama and my thoughts are probably mute to the masses but music has connected me to the world. It has taken me on trips to the deserts of New Mexico, to lounging backstage at a Jimmy Buffet show in the gulf coast of Alabama, to being the biggest fan girl as Garth Brooks was singing 3ft from me, made eye contact, and grined at me. I have a grainy picture to prove it!
Music has allowed me to connect with people I thought were outside of my little league. Music has allowed me to dream. Music has allowed me to live. Unfortunately, thanks to a number of things, live music is slowly dying. If you think about it all these lengnds had to start somewhere and actually interesting to see how many of them started with Gospel music and found their sound from there. That why it is important to support live music. You never know what that one cover band, who is writing originals on the side will be doing next year. That is why I support local and live music. That is why I will always be an advocate of live music venues, even though as I get older I prefer nonsmoking venues. Without these things, life in my opinion, is no longer about the journey because there will be no memories once you reach your destination.
FIND A SHOW AND GO SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC!
-Biscuit
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