Turn Your Radio On

I love singles. A lot of people considered them disposable, and as a result their collections were tossed out with their comic books and model cars. Too bad. Mostly they were just played untill the grooves were worn down and the labels faded.


One of my early memories was the time spent at my Aunt and Uncle's place. There was lots for us little kids to do. When I discovered their record player and stacks of singles, I was hooked. My cousins were all older than me. The oldest, Mike was a drummer who played in a few bands around the East Bay in the late 50's and early 60's. I suspect most of the records were his. His younger sister, Virginia, would spend the afternoons watching American Bandstand, with her friends and learn the latest dances. Her records usually had her name written on the labels. I wonder where all those platters ended up?


My parents always had some sort of hifi. They gave my brother and me a little record player and a bunch of kids records. The concept of recorded music available on demand was something I always understood. Radio was another matter. We'd sit in front of the radio, twisting the tuning dial to see what we could find. I don't know how I discovered you could call a radio station and talk to the DJ. My mom use to dial the phone for me and I'd cast my vote on the Spin It Or Stop It segment that came on early in the day. I must have been about four years old at this time. The seeds were sewn at an early age.