MY MOTHER'S MUSIC

A Belated Musical Mother's Day Post

My mother was soul girl. By that I mean the soul music of the ‘60s and early ‘70s was her sweet spot for celebrations, parties and daily encouragement. Whether it was the music from WLIB-AM or WBLS-FM, we woke up to this music. On WLIB it was Eddie O-Jay and his ‘Soul at Sunrise’ show. That AM station had a sun up to sun down license, which meant it only broadcast in daylight hours. When black FM emerged in the ‘70s with better fidelity our family migrated to BLS and the morning broadcast of Ken ‘Spider’ Webb, who would suggest the color for the day and, on the subway that day, you could tell if they listened by their color choices.

While black radio provided the hits, it was small Mom & Pop record stores like Birdels on Nostrand Avenue in Bed-Stuy where you purchased them. One of my mother’s friends dated the owner Joe Long at one time, so we’ll stop by his store after shopping downtown to buy the platters that mattered. Many Saturday nights our living room in the projects and, later, the basement of our home was the site of Saturday night soirees with much dancing and drinking. A few bold folks would light up reefer and stand by the window, blowing the smoke outside.

Because people could get sticky fingered, my mother would put her ID on her favorite records. Her married name was Arizona George and her nickname was Doll, so either could be found on her fave singles. Marvin Gaye’s “Can I Get a Witness” from 1964 and Chuck Jackson’s “I Don’t Wanna Cry” from 1959 both have Doll written on them, while Johnny Taylor’s 1968 classic “Who’s Making Love” has AG for Arizona George.

(Beneath Taylor, you can see Lucky Peterson’s “1-2-3-4” from 1971.)

I wasn’t able to be with Arizona this past weekend, but touching this vinyl (and the other singles of hers I have) is a tactile connection to a lost world of labels, music and lifestyle that dates back the middle of the last century. So glad these songs aren’t just digital files but can be held as testaments to the joy they brought our family and, perhaps, yours.

Happy Belated Mother’s Day to my mother and all the soul sisters out there.