"A Million Tears Ago"...

This was my older sister's '45 circa '63/64...

Well, I belong to three music Facebook groups and I occasionally drop by to see what's up. Mostly, it's my generation growing nostalgic through all the good music we had the good fortune to grow up with. Turbulent times, for sure, but the music somehow helped us all cope with it all on top of all those raging hormones.

I know, back then, all I did at sock hops was stand in front of the guitarists trying to steal their chords. I remember Roger Bertrand with the Radiants, bowled me over when I first heard his lead on the Beatles,"Got To Get You Into My Life." That fuzz tone was like something I never heard before. I later saw and heard him perform the intro to Vanilla Fudge's, "Keep Me Hanging On!" It was flawless and I was hooked. I never really lived up to my own expectations as a guitarist. Life got in the way... and I allowed it to!

I am certain, though, that most of my high school friends thought I was shy and to a certain extent, I was, but I also know that I couldn't even trust myself and would probably do something adolescently stupid that would have, if not entirely embarrassed myself, gotten me into some real trouble.

But, I could dance! I had to. My older sister would have it no other way. And that's how I got my great rock'n roll roots... from Adele!

Big sister... all grown up!

When she tired of dancing with the door knob on the door to her room to favorites like Fats and Elvis and Buddy Holly, Chuck, Bo, Jackie, she would play slow tunes by Irma Thomas, the Inkspots, the Platters, and especially Sam Cooke, she'd beg me to dance with her. Occasionally, we'd dance the foxtrot, the cha-cha, the twist, but mostly, it was slow dancing... just swaying to the music!

We grew up together, and at that innocent time in our lives, I guess we just needed each other's touch. I learned a lot from "Dell" as I called her. She helped me grow up in so many ways! It was a million tears ago!

And, it was one of her favorite songs... to slow dance to!


Here's the actual song that a high school friend found for me... Thanks Susan!

Copyright 2012/ Ben Bensen III