As a teenager, I DID NOT like country
music. I was into The Beatles, MoTown, Rolling Stones, etc.
But as a young 20-Something wife of an Army
Specialist in Germany during the early 1970s, I learned to not only tolerate
country music, but to really love many of the songs and performers. We had no
TV or telephone, but did have a nice stereo system with a radio, turntable, and
great speakers. I listened to the Armed Forces Network (AFN) all day long, and
the programs varied because of the diverse community of the US Army. Pretty
smart, huh? SO, when country music came on, I began to like it and sing along.
Plus, when bands played at our local Service Club (a small version of a USO)
they, too, played an assortment of music genre.
One of the songs performed countless times,
"Silver Wings" was a big hit of Merle Haggard's. It held special
meaning to all of us wives and servicemen since we were so far from home...and
to those who maybe had to leave their spouses back in the States.
from You Tube
When a "celebrity" dies, I'm less
saddened because of what we still have them: movies, records, TV appearances,
etc. I'll be playing my Merle Haggard CDs and loving that voice of his again
and again.
What a handsome man he was...way back when....
