Bonus Track: “Be My Baby”

Hi, everyone. I’m still on my business trip in Colorado … and, unlike what usually happens, my altitude sickness has not yet fully resolved four days in. I’m usually fine after 24 hours. I return home tomorrow, by which time I’m sure I’ll be fully acclimated, LOL.

The session for which I was on faculty was incredibly well-received, which felt good. I’ve taken a couple of meetings. I’ve attended some sessions that were informative and useful. I even knocked out a couple of paragraphs on “Rose in Bloom.”

Anyway.

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know that my musical taste is best described as eclectic. When it comes to female vocalists, I’ve always loved women with big voices and bigger personalities. As such, I’ve loved Ronnie Spector for a long time. She lost her battle with an aggressive cancer earlier this week. Rest in power, dear lady.

Rest in Power, Mike Nesmith

For me, while he was one of The Monkees, I will always think of this beautiful song whenever I think of Mike Nesmith.

This is a Difficult Day for Me

Jack Mitchell, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It has been, every year since 1980.

I was 16 years old, a high school senior. Our winter musical was Fiddler on the Roof. It was closing night. I was in the chorus for most of the play, but during the dream sequence I played Grandma Tzeitl. I had a quick-change in the wings because of it.

My best gal-pal had ushered that night, but the weather was bad on Monday, Dec. 8, so she decided to drive home rather than watch the show. She wished me “break a leg” and departed.

During my quick-change, she was back in the wings, crying hysterically. On her way home, she heard the news that John Lennon had been murdered. Both of us were (and still are) huge Beatles fans. We were devastated.

I still don’t know how I got through my performance. I got back to the wings to do my change-back, hugged my boyfriend who was running the light board, and finished the show.

I have said ever since that part of me died that day. I think it was my first real understanding of mortality.

Sixteen years later, my beloved maternal grandmother, for whom I was named, died on Dec. 8 as well. I was at her bedside.

So yeah, this is a difficult day for me.

This song had just been released in the weeks before John’s death. It will always have a special place in my heart.

Bonus Track: “We Gather Together”

Hi, everyone. This song always feels appropriate for Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

Rest in Power, Paddy Moloney

Paddy Moloney, founder of The Chieftains, has passed away at the age of 83. Some of my fondest memories include whole groups of us going to see The Chieftains over the years, or singing along to their music in the car or at someone’s home. Here is one of my favorites from their catalog. Thank you for the music, Paddy.