Music and Family

Welcome back y’all, today’s blog will be a little more personal than the last couple of posts I’ve done. I took the time this past weekend to interview someone who I care about deeply. I will not expose her name out of respect, but all you really know is that she’s like my second mother. For the purpose of this blog post, we will refer to her as “Mama Don.” Now let’s dive right in!

Melissa: So Mama Don first things first, where did you grow up and where do you currently live?

Mama Don: Well, I grew up in Hazard, Kentucky and as of right now I am living in Lexington, Kentucky.

Melissa: What is your first memory of music?

Mama Don: Mhm good question, my first memory of music… Well, my father had this stereo in which he would play his 8 track of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bob Seger.

Melissa: Were you involved in any music groups at school or church or anywhere else?

Mama Don: I started playing in my school in the seventh grade.

Melissa: Did you play any instruments or sing growing up? How did you feel about that?

Mama Don: I played the flute throughout middle school up to high school. Now in terms of how I felt about it, I mean I enjoyed it because it gave me something to do. But I also felt obligated to play the flute because my older sister was in the school band but even with that mentality I still enjoyed it.

Melissa: Do you still play/sing? Do you regret anything?

Mama Don: I do not play the flute anymore. I actually stopped around my sophomore year because I auditioned for the high school flag court. The thing that I regret the most right now is I wish I would have learned how to play the piano.

Melissa: What were some of the first purchases of music that you made? What was the format?

Mama Don: The first purchase my mother made for me in terms of music was the Columbia House Record Club Cassettes. I don’t quite remember the artist involved in the 12 cassettes but I remember them being 80s artist. Now my first personal purchase in terms of music was the Michael Jackson "Thriller" record.

Melissa: Did you go to concerts? What were they like? What was the first concert you went to?

Mama Don: I did go to a couple of concerts growing up. The very first concert I attended was a Glen Campbell concert at the age of five. Fun fact the concert was held in the back of a high school football field. Now the like real first concert I went to was a Rick Springfield concert during the summer before 8th grade. So that was relatively around 1983. I remember being ecstatic about the concert because I was able to go to a big city and I would have something to brag about. Now in 1986, I was beyond excited because I thought I was going to be able to go to a Bon Jovi concert but my family turned down quickly. To this day I still hold that grudge because my older sister was able to go because she was out of high school. It truly wasn’t until I got to college that I began going out to more music events.

Melissa: Did you and any of your significant others (during your teenage life) have any “special songs?”

Mama Don: When I was in high school and dating I would be the one to assign us a “song.” They would know about it but they didn’t think much of it like I did. I don’t remember any of the songs I picked out but I do remember clearly doing that. Now on the flip side, I had a hella bad breakup during high school. Like most girls, I had that one song that you would run to make you cry harder. My song was "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. I’d spend days on end listening to that song, but I eventually got over it.

Melissa: Did you have any special music at your wedding? The reception?

Mama Don: So here’s a quick summary of what happened. The weekend we got engaged we went to this jazz club in New York City. [I don’t remember the band she said that was playing because she was explaining it really quickly so I will admit there are small portions that are missing] The song that the jazzed group played was “My Foolish Heart.” That was the song that really convinced us that we had to get married. At the wedding reception itself, the same song was played by a jazz trio. [She actually just celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary on the 26th of January]

Melissa: Did you want your kids to be involved in music? Did you make them take lessons?

Mama Don: I did want my two children to be involved in music. In there young years I enrolled them both in Kindermusic and Music Garden. Soon after that, I had them both take piano lessons. My daughter did about 3-4 years of lessons and then joined the orchestra in middle school. My son did about 7-8 years of lessons. He actually played up to high school. [Her son went to the same high school as I did and we actually had a piano class together. That is where I met him and to this day we are still very close friends]

Melissa: What is the latest concert you’ve been to? What did you think about the performance?

Mama Don: The Chainsomkers and 5 Seconds of Summer is the recent concert I’ve been to. Overall there performances were very different. The Chainsmokers seemed more like a show than a concert but it was still interesting.

Melissa: How has your relationship with music changed over the course of your life?

Mama Don: Mhm, this one is actually a pretty hard question. I’ve never really taken the time to think about that. When I was younger music to me served as an outlet. It related a lot to what I was feeling at the time and it just made me feel better. Now music seems more like background sounds. In a way, it feels like music is not really apart of my life anymore.

Melissa: Last but not least, do you have any advice to anyone who may be reading this?

Mama Don: Life is too short to be doing something you don’t like. Find the things that bring you joy.

I had an absolute blast interviewing her. I’ve not only learned a lot more about her but also how music just impacts every person differently. I hope you enjoyed reading my interview!