Memories....

Throughout our lives we all have markers, reminders that instantly transport us to that one particular moment in time. For many including myself, those markers come in form of a song. My entire life is dotted in red ,sort of like a timeline by certain songs or by certain albums. I also had the pleasure of growing up in Mid City and had the chance to hear the school marching bands from my porch as they got in gear for Mardi Gras. When I was a child and got punished for something, my radio would get taken away and I felt as if I would die because those songs contained all the lyrics to my feelings which I couldn't explain as a little girl.

I remember my first memory of a song at the age of 4 being "SWEET DREAMS" by the Eurythmics as if it was yesterday. My mom and stepfather and I had gone to the grocery store and there was a heavy thunderstorm and we were "stuck" in the car waiting for the rain to pass and THAT song came on. When I was six my favorite cousin ,Maria, had Michael Jackson tapes in her apartment and my love affair with Michael began. At the age of ten I got my first "Tiffany" record and I was in teeny bopper heaven but my favorite song from that album was "I saw him standing there" a remake of the Beatles classic, so Tiffany introduced me to the Beatles. On Sundays was cleaning day at my mom's house and once the Windex and Ajax came out, so did the old 45's which included "Funky Town" by Lipps Inc, "Agua de Beber" by Astrid Gilberto, "Him" by Rupert Holmes, Barbara Streisand and Barry Gibb's "Woman in Love" along with some spanish tunes from bands like "Los Panchos" and "Sonora Matancera" and my mom's favorite "Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine". Our Sunday cleaning sessions were fun ONLY because of those records as I sang along while scrubbing the toilet. So I now say ,"Thanks Mom for the music and the lessons in cleaning a bathroom spotlessly"

During my teenage years, I became enamored with all the music stars I'd see on the latin channel such as Thalia, Fey, Cristian Castro as well as Boys to Men, U2 and Depeche Mode. The latter band was my complete saviour when we moved to Memphis,TN because of a job offer. I hated it there especially after being taken out of my Mid City community and school which I had attended since kindergarten. You can only imagine the angst and gravity of my life at 13 in this situation. I somehow heard Depeche Mode and completely lost myself in "Violator". At the tender ,shallow age of 13 I would lock myself in my room and listen to that CD over and over. "World in my Eyes" and "Personal Jesus" became my teenage mantras.

A few years later at the age of 20 I became pregnant and during my 9 months of waiting to see my baby's face, I would sing Bette Midlers "Baby Mine" to my daughter and stroke my growing belly. My daughter is now 12 and that song is on her playlist on her IPOD. Stevie Wonder's "You are The Sunshine of my Life" is forever attached to my child as well and is now her ringtone on my phone. Now she introduces me to music and she likes country and Teen Heartthrobs like Justin Beiber and the Jonas Brothers but I am also proud to report that my daughter loves Queen, old Cher, Elvis. Etta James and the Eagles. It's in her genes to like good music.


The countless music I've seen in New Orleans is part of my fabric and soul and one of the many reasons I returned here from California. We are now coming up on the 5th anniversary of Katrina (Trageversary, as I like to call it) and it will always remain in our collective memory. The other day, I was talking with a friend about my Katrina experience, I mentioned to him that I took 3 Cd's with me and those 3 Cd's helped me keep it together as I hung out in Fayetteville, AR with some kind strangers way from my family and those same 3 Cd's made their way with me to California. I remember playing those Cd's as I made myself at home in my new Oakland dwellings. Those 3 picked favorites were Etta James greatest hits, Aretha Franklin's Greatest Hits and The Beatles "Hard Day's Night". You know that question, "What records would you take with you to a deserted island" well mine were those three and I am so grateful for them. Thank you Etta, Aretha, John, Paul, Ringo and George and Yes I feel comfortable enough with them to call them by their first name because they were my true friends during a very hard, traumatic time in my life. Just like real friends do, they saw me cry, saw me laugh, saw me dance, they put me to sleep and greeted me with subshine and incredible music.

I honestly think I would wither up inside if it wasn't for music and I believe there is a reason why my family chose to come live in the most musical city in America. The universe knew what it was doing because my life without the beat would be no life at all. Music comforts, uplifts, gives me goosebumps, brings friends together and cleanses our soul. Music makes the soul overflow with laughter. I am happy all my memories are attached to a song and I hope when I pass this life there will be song after song after song played.

"When I die, you better secondline"-Kermit Ruffins