PRIVATE JOURNAL CHAPTERS
CHAPTER 2
Formative Years
CHAPTER 2 - EXCERPT
We were dirt poor and lived in a tiny brick home in the Village, a starter community on the Northwest side of Oklahoma City. It was a simple place during simpler times. I wandered the neighborhood at will, caught crawdads, sold lemonade, and kissed cute girls. Oh, the cute girls in Oklahoma! My first kiss was in first grade with Patty Neesom, a sweetheart with long brown hair and tan skin. We were coming home from her birthday party, sitting in the back of her parent’s car. She leaned in towards me and we squeezed our lips together. It was bliss!
Among my varied childhood loves, listening to music was near the top of the list...
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CHAPTER 2 - PHOTO GALLERY
COMING SOON
CHAPTER 2 - EXCERPT
I became obsessed with listening searchingly to each song I loved. I would lay down on the musty floor with my record player’s speakers situated on either side of my head. In that position, I could listen intently for hours, playing a record over and over again, straining to hear and understand each part of the band, what it was playing, and why I loved it so much.
“Wow, so that’s how the bassline works with the drums, giving the song its groove. Listen to how the lead guitar soars over the chorus in the fading vamp, it plays with the vocals then plays against them! Wait, is that a keyboard or another rhythm guitar part driving the harmony?” And so it went.
Looking back, I view this activity as a critical step in my formative development...
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