Searching Through Drawers

[mrdreamjeans]

Since it's 98 degrees outside today, I've been busying myself indoors with record keeping, filing and music projects. I've found inspiration from jeffinthebox's music and reading about his sound engineering curriculum and from the song-writing ambitions of two of my "Evita" co-horts. Consequently, I've been revisiting songs that I've written in the past 20 years to decide if they hold up. I've been pleasantly surprised. I feel a recording project coming on. *grin*

Mom has been listening as I've been singing bits and pieces of original songs. I'll never have a bigger fan:) We've been going through drawers, trying to find old tape cassettes where I first sang the melodies as they popped into my head. (I've always been a "lyrics first" writer.) Obviously, this was long before the sophisticated computer programs of today that can take your melody line and create an accompianment in seconds. I used to spend hundreds of dollars getting charts made. I missed out on any talent for transcription.

We haven't found any of the initial tapes; I think they're in storage along with all of my other cassettes. (Have any of you listened to cassettes at all in the past decade? For that matter, I've still got my LPs sitting in boxes on the floor of my closet:) However, we found some interesting and unexpected items. Mom walked into the office with an autograph book in hand. She said, "Do you know what this is?" (I didn't:) It was an autograph book with the signatures of Linda Michelle and Richard White... the stars of "Desert Song", the old operetta that was one of my first shows with Theater Under the Stars in Houston. Also included were signatures for Sharon Halley, my choreographer on Holland America cruises and a couple of TUTS shows and that of Juliet Prowse from the tour of "Mame" in 1990. I didn't know Mom had requested them. To my great embarrassment (and secret pleasure), Mom had gotten my autograph too. You gotta love a parent who believes in you that much!

Also pulled from the bottom of a drawer was a stack of pictures that none of us had seen in 30 years. Wedding pictures for my sister's marriage in 1975. Her first marriage was a disaster once they mutually decided to have children...a husband cheating on his pregnant wife... a guy who walked out when his son was born handicapped...throw in an abusive alcoholic father-in-law who screwed up his kids heads.. It's understandable why we haven't looked at the pictures. But there's an upside to seeing them after so much time...There's my 20-year old sister looking innocent and beautiful in my mother's wedding dress; my younger brother, all toothy grin and floppy hair at 14; and me.... 21, skinny and clean-shaven, in a Singing Cadet uniform with my best friend CH (now our family doctor). For better or worse... there are pictures of me dancing with Sis dressed in a white dinner jacket, white ruffled shirt and bow tie and rust colored pants. What was I thinking!?!?

I've put aside a couple of the photos to have copied. Yesterday was my sister's 50th birthday. Her first wedding was 30 years ago this October. I think she can now look back in fondness, seeing herself full of hope and promise. She was beautiful 30 years ago and she still is today. Memories like this bring me joy. Maybe I ought to search through drawers more often:) Meanwhile, I'm sorting photos listening to the Lawrence Welk program on television in the background and I'm smiling.

Comments

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the information! Since beefybear was in Nashville for so long, he would certainly be able to give me good advice on the country songs I've written.

The ones I like best of my own, if written decades ago, would have been suitable for the likes of Eddy Arnold. I sure do wish I had a conduit to getting songs to George Strait. I think he'd like em:) Hugs!

Congrats on your new relationship. I wish you great success and happiness!

[shadowbearmn.livejournal.com]

To Bad Earl Did mostly Rock, Soul, and Blues music. He did however do a few Country projects. I am going to suggest that he adds you as a friend.

Feel free to contact him and talk if you want.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I appreciate that!