WHAT IS YOUR HERITAGE

 LOVE OF MUSIC MY HERITAGE 

Many of us look back at our family history and think "this has been handed down to me through the years". It may be what you do such as "I am a doctor, my dad was a doctor, his dad was a doctor" etc. Or it could be I am a good cook, my mom was a good cook, her mom was a good cook, I am teaching my daughter how to cook. Whatever it is there are things that seem to be handed down year to year, generation to generation until it is so instilled in you that it is a part of you. In my family it is the love and ability to sing and play instruments. I was thinking yesterday when my son Byron posted a CD on face book of their family singing that this was not a first.

 I began to think back about our heritage and I really do not have the history back any farther than my grandparents and James grandparent. But on my side of the family my dad was a bass singer.He sang in different quartets over the years and also would sing with my mom in church.  Dads oldest sister Arpie played the piano by ear. His sister Ruth, her husband Fred and their daughters Barbara and Peggy would also sing in church as did my Uncle Bill's daughters Rosemarie and Betty. My Aunt Ann played the piano and also the violin.  Her son Richard  has a music degree and can play any stringed instrument. All of his children sing and play instruments. My uncle Hugh, dad's brother, played the violin also. 

 On my mom's side of the family my mom played the piano. She never had a lesson and learned on an old organ that was shut away in a room that was rarely used. She played in church for over 60 years. Her sister Irene also played the piano. I don't know if she had any lessons or not. She played a different style than my mom. More of a what we called Honky Tonk. I loved to hear her play. She has a son Jerry Brock that sings country style music and has made records. There may be more in my mom's family but those are the ones I know of.

In James family his dad also had a deep bass voice. That bass voice has been handed down to my son Byron, his son Matthew and my nephew Bradley. I know James dad also played the harmonica. On James mothers side there was also a love for singing quartet style. His mom, aunts, uncles would gather around the piano and sing. His sister Barbara played the piano and also made a piano CD that we all enjoy. She played in church for many years and played for many people including myself to sing. Her daughter Natalie took piano lessons and plays the piano and sings in the choir. His sister Brenda sings in the choir and her son Bradley is the music director at his church and sings in different groups.

I am not sure about the music in my brother John's family but I do know that his son John's son Connor and daughter Carlin are taking voice and piano. My sister June's grandson Andy plays the guitar. My sister Phyllis plays the piano. When she was a teenager she was the Pianist at Highland Baptist Church. She also has aspirations to play the guitar "when she has time." My brother Jim played the piano by ear and would sing around the house. His daughter Kim "plucks" the keyboard and loves to sing and has tried to play the guitar. Says her dad is her biggest inspiration to play and sing. Her son Donavan plays the keyboard and "freestyles" the piano. Son Kameron sings and makes rap as does her daughter Jaala who is also learning the piano. Jim's  daughter Mary sings, leads worship and has made several  recordings. His daughters are all very talented and some of his grandchildren lead worship in their church. I don't know how much singing and playing of instruments my brother Bill has in his family but when we were growing up nobody loved gospel music as much as my brother Bill. My sister Mary plays the piano and her daughters son Maxwell was in the Aclaim at PCC  as well as her granddaughter Caitlyn. Aclaim is a group that travels during the summer representing the College and recruiting new students.  Her son Jon's family is multi talented now singing as the Williams Family. They play various instruments and their son Josh writes songs. They have made at least 2 CDs.  My brother Ron is very talented singing all of his life in different gospel groups as well as solo. He has made several recordings over the years and has been music director in churches both in Tennessee and Kentucky. Ron's wife Pat sings in the choir and her son Kevin has a masters degree in vocal music, plays the piano and serves as minister of music and worship at Calvary Baptist Church. He has also sung the lead in several musicals and cantatas. His son Kolby has been the top tenor in the EastTN all state choir for the past two years. He performs in three different vocal groups at West High School and won his schools talent show his junior year and was first runner up in the county wide talent show which represented all 16 high schools in the Knoxville area. He also plays rhythm and lead guitar as well as sing in his church youth choir. Daughter Kiley made all state choir and sings in the girl's ensemble at West High School. She studies voice and piano and plays rhythm drums.  Jorja the youngest sings in the youth choir at church, in the sixth grade chorus and honor chorus at Bearden Middle School. Ron son Ronnie plays guitar and has a good singing voice and an appreciation of lots of musical genres. Ronnie's daughter Victoria "shows a great desire to play Pop Goes The Weasel on her Jack in the box".

Then it comes down to me and James.  James had many talents. He played the guitar, harmonica and sang. He didn't have the deep bass voice as his dad and son and grandson but more of a lead/tenor voice. He loved to play the guitar and his mom bought him his first one when he was about 15. He gave it to Byron several years ago. He took guitar lessons and was good. He quit taking when his teacher said he was so good he was going to have him play on the Cas Walker Show. Well that's all it took for him to quit because he was such a shy person.  He made several CD's and also played his guitar in church with the choir and for me and other singing groups. He recorded his own music on his CD's and he would be playing different guitars and his harmonica on some of them. We played a CD of him singing at his funeral. 

I have always sang in the choir and also sing special, I sung tenor and occasionally lead for about 20 years in a trio at House Mountain Church. I have always listened to gospel music and WKXV was my station until WJBZ came along. I would stand at the kitchen sink and wash dishes and sing. I would also push my med cart down the hall at work singing. Everybody thought singing meant you were happy and I would remind them that the slaves used to sing while they were working in the cotton fields. But singing does make your heart happy. I always wanted to play the piano but never took lessons. I play for myself sometimes behind closed doors. I know what I'm playing but you may not. 

Growing up music and playing instruments was always a big part of our familys lives. Daughter Pam took piano lessons and played for the chorus in school and was her church pianist for many years. She also sang in a trio called the New Hope Trio and they made 2 CD's. Her daughter took piano also. Son Byron played the trombone in school band and sang in the choir. He has been choir director at two different churches. He is also a solo singer, duet with his wife or daughter, and now a quartet with his family. They usually sing acappella but his wife can play the piano and daughter Elizabeth is taking lessons. Daughter Jennifer also took piano lessons and majored in voice and music in college. She played for the choir at school and has played in church many years for different groups and also for choir. She sings and also makes the recordings for me to sing by. She teaches music lessons and choir in a Christian school and teaches preschool music in another Christian school. Her son Jonathan is taking music in college and plays the violin. Son David plays the banjo. Son Luke is more interested in the piano. Our son Josh played the trumpet in the school band and his wife Amanda plays the piano. Her son Chris is a great flute player and played in the band in middle and high school. Ember will be starting music and band when she reaches middle school next year.

So when it comes down to it part of our heritage is that we are a musical family. If you sing you will know that there are times that the song can go from your heart and you think it will never return. This is usually in times of great sorrow.  But then one day you realize your song has returned.  

.