I was ten years old in 1966. My Mom had only had her driver’s license for two or three years, so she still loved going out in her Buick convertible. Looking back, the summer’s in Maine seem idyllic and one of my most cherished memories is being in the backseat, maybe with a buddy, and my Mom, my little sister, and my older sister in the front seat, each wearing kerchiefs to keep their hair from musing. We might be going to the grocery store or the laundromat, or Mom might have simply said, “want to get lost?” and we’d just head out to points unknown and get out the Maine Atlas to find our way back.
The radio was always on. Mom loved music and she liked a lot of the music of the 60’s. My older sister controlled the radio and we always listened to either WBZ or WRKO out of Boston. I mention 1966 because this always seems the beginning of my connection to the music and the radio of the era. The style of DJing, the ads, and most of all the music pulls me back to those lazy days of one great song after another, while the sun dappled through the leaves overhanging the country roads.
Sunday Will Never Be the Same; Sunshine Superman; Yellow Submarine; Don’t Sleep in the Subway; Time Won’t Let Me; Walk Away, Renee; Whiter Shade of Pale… When these (and a host of other) songs spring out in the right context, it can bring a stab to my heart – a homesickness for the past.
My Dad bought my Mom a beautiful Hi-Fi console and in the winter months, I often sat at the controls, dialing through the various stations, switching to short wave or long wave to hear the strange signals and faraway voices.
I’ve been collecting airchecks for the past ten or twelve years; ever since I first discovered they existed. It’s such a nostalgic trip to hear even the stations and DJ’s that were well out of my childhood range; just that era of broadcasting hearkens to what, for me, seemed a simpler, slower time.
Anyway, I have rambled on too long. Glad to be here. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot and have a lot of questions! Many thanks!
Van
The radio was always on. Mom loved music and she liked a lot of the music of the 60’s. My older sister controlled the radio and we always listened to either WBZ or WRKO out of Boston. I mention 1966 because this always seems the beginning of my connection to the music and the radio of the era. The style of DJing, the ads, and most of all the music pulls me back to those lazy days of one great song after another, while the sun dappled through the leaves overhanging the country roads.
Sunday Will Never Be the Same; Sunshine Superman; Yellow Submarine; Don’t Sleep in the Subway; Time Won’t Let Me; Walk Away, Renee; Whiter Shade of Pale… When these (and a host of other) songs spring out in the right context, it can bring a stab to my heart – a homesickness for the past.
My Dad bought my Mom a beautiful Hi-Fi console and in the winter months, I often sat at the controls, dialing through the various stations, switching to short wave or long wave to hear the strange signals and faraway voices.
I’ve been collecting airchecks for the past ten or twelve years; ever since I first discovered they existed. It’s such a nostalgic trip to hear even the stations and DJ’s that were well out of my childhood range; just that era of broadcasting hearkens to what, for me, seemed a simpler, slower time.
Anyway, I have rambled on too long. Glad to be here. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot and have a lot of questions! Many thanks!
Van
