Making Music On Mill St.....

With the holidays fast approaching, my mind begins reflecting on my memories of growing up in a small Texas town and family and of course music. It was a simpler time and I remember as kids our parents worked hard to make us kids a loving home, a home where I was born and raised where we made many Thanksgiving and Christmas Day memories. David was the oldest, then William, Donnie, me and our little sis Mary Lou.We grew up on a small dirt road across from a dairy on Mill St. in Comanche Texas. We didnt have as much as some and if we were poor no one ever told us. I have fond memories of Mom in the kitchen cooking and Dad working in the garage..usually on a lawn mower or his old truck. My sister Mary Lou was in her room taking care of her baby dolls, my oldest brother David was outside working on his old 55 Chevy and you could usually find me and my other two brothers making music, me on guitar, Donnie on piano and William on drums...On a good day our dear friend Mike Stapp would join us on bass guitar...on a really good day our friend Bud Parker from San Angelo would join us. We didnt have lots of equipment in those days and more times than not we had to rig up a microphone stand which usually consisted of an old cheap Radio Shack microphone duct taped to a broom handle..I remember Mom came in the room one day and we were jamming away and we stopped as she spoke these words ever so softly.."One day you boys are going to sweep the Nation" referring to her broom rigged up as our make shift microphone stand..Our parents were so supportive of us and I remember back then we had only one grocery store in town that also sold records and when all of the other kids that I knew were waiting for the next big thing G.I. Joe or the new Daisy B.B. gun to hit the shelves at the local Western Auto Store, I was happy to get my hands on a record album..Once a week we would load up and go with Mom and Dad to the store and I couldnt wait to get to the record rack..I was allowed to buy one record a week which was usually a Charley Pride, Glen Campbell, Mel Tillis, Jerry Lee Lewis and the list goes on.....I couldnt wait to get back home and rip the plastic off that album, put on the record player and attempt to play along with it..I remember on Saturday evenings we would play and cars would line up on that old dirt road and people would sit and listen to us as we played for what seemed like hours...Speaking of Bud Parker......In my next segment I will be telling you stories about how we all got started in music our first instruments and influences.as well as the first time I got my first electric guitar and my first Creedence Clearwater Revival album..so many memories so little time!!!.....To be continued.