No matter your age. No matter your whereabouts. You have a memory that is nourished by music. Maybe it’s that endearing lullaby your hummed to your newborn baby girl, or the fight song that blared from the speakers at your son’s little league game – that time and that tune are always linked.
I can’t hear Mandy without returning to Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia, and being so in smitten with Lobo [at that time in my life, definitely, the one], I couldn’t stand it. The lyrics “you came and you gave without taking” were trailed always by first-love tears. Then, there’s Love Shack by the B52s, a song born out of the hoopla at The University of Georgia and a search for a “love getaway” which included the abstruse “tin roof rusted” line. That song deposits me in the middle of Sanford Stadium with about 90,000 of my closest friends.
Granted, these are not country tunes or bluegrass ballads, but country and bluegrass have a more compelling chore – to transport me home. To the mountains. To a time of front porch rockers and fried apple pies. To melodies of crickets and barking dogs blanketed by a starry sky. To those moments that remind me where I come from and what I must hold most dear.
Every time I hear a harmony, no matter the genre, I’m creating new connections; for this daily exercise is on-going and inspiring. Our recent trek through the mountains of West Virginia made clear that bluegrass continues to be dynamic, and its collection of artists is growing. In The Mountains Set to Music, we are proud to introduce you to a few musicians that impressed us with their bond to their Blue Ridge heritage. Meet The Wild Rumpus; Blackberry Jam; newcomers, Kayla Sloane, Chase Likens and Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.; The Bob Thompson Unit, Johnny Staats and Taylor Made. We’ve even included a playlist so that you can get started on a new set of memories. We’re looking forward to hearing your favorites.
Judy and Len Garrison make their home in Athens, Georgia. Len, an IT manager for a major Atlanta company, and Judy, an editor and travel writer, want to hear from you as you follow along on their travels and then experience them for yourself. They would love to hear your comments and travel or profile suggestions at seeingsouthern@gmail.com. They make their home on Two Coots Travel, and you can always follow their travels on Twitter at @judyhgarrison and @seeing_southern. Don’t forget to like them on facebook.
