Saturday, February 1, 2020

And the beat does go on!

My dad was a great fabricator. No, he was not a machinist. He was a story teller. He told
spellbinding tales and swore they were true. People of all ages were engrossed, because he could embellish details so well, and he made dynamic sound effects.

Recently I watched  Ken Burns' documentary on the early country music stars. My dad used to play guitar and sing every Hank Williams song you can imagine. He had the same lanky build as Hank, and sounded just like him! Hank drank. My dad didn't.

Dad could "yodel like a hoot owl and sing like a whippoorwill"... those were lyrics of a song he sang to me when I was young. "I'll sing you a song about my little girl who lives down in the hills. She yodels like a hoot owl and sings like a whippoorwill. She's the one I'm thinking of; the one I'm crazy about. I'm going down into those hills and bring my baby out." Then he'd throw his head back and "yodel-little lady whoooo."

I thought he made that song up about ME. I tried and tried to yodel, but never could.

I spoke with my brother, who lived with Dad and took care of him until he passed away. My brother said Dad always swore he played music with Hank Williams in Chicago, while our mom sat and talked to Hank's wife, Audrey. If that is true, Hank Jr. and I were in the same honky-tonk bar, at the same time, even though we were in utero. He was born two weeks before me.

My parents did live in Chicago for less than a year. They both worked at a diner, and it is very possible that Hank and Audrey were patrons. Or, Dad who loved to strum, may have gone to one of the places Hank played, and maybe he sat in on a song. No way to know for certain, but it is something fun for me to ponder.

I know for a fact when my dad lived in Reno, he played backup with Rose Maddox, an early female country star.

Dad loved to pick any guitar, but his favorite instrument to play was the steel guitar. I can still hear that twang.

NO REALLY! I can, because my grandson Nicholas now has my dad's small, steel guitar and has taken an interest in playing it. The beat goes on!

8 comments:

Friko said...

It’s wonderful when things go full circle. I bet your Dad is watching from up above and smiling that his old guitar has found a new, fond, owner.

DUTA said...

I like it how the title of your post predicts the end of the post - the beat goes on. Grandson is playing the little guitar that belonged to your Dad.

Kim Lehnhoff said...

Your dad must be smiling as your grandson plays the steel guitar.

Kimberly Vernon Rodgers said...

My favorite instrument! How neat that your grandson has picked up something your dad lived. Little heaven smile.

Sioux Roslawski said...

Linda--There's a CS story in there. I know it.

Val said...

You are also a great fabricator! Both you and Nicholas are carrying on a tradition.

Connie said...

Music is a great connector that brings people together.

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