MY LIFE IN 1953
EC's Glee in '53
It's the middle of June... school is out... EC is footloose and fancy free until the Monday after Labor Day -- the infamous first day of the new school year... EC will be in the 8th grade... actually, 1953 was one of my better years in school... I went the entire year without changing schools -- that's a first in my life... yes, my Mama, little sister Linda and me are moving to a new life in Mobile... my Mama is a waitress at the Rex Cafe on Government Street... she works the day shift... so she has to hire a wonderful lady named Roxy to babysit us... Roxy is a very special lady... dressed in a white starched-and-ironed uniform... no kids ever had a better nanny than Roxy... my sister adored Roxy... I adored Roxy and my Mama loved Roxy... she treated us like her own kids... she babysat us, washed clothes, kept the house spotless and cooked Monday through Friday... Roxy really was a member of our family... she was special... Roxy was a blessing from God.
Roxy taught my Mama, little sister Linda and EC that you don't judge a person by the color of their skin... Roxy was a wonderful Black lady and I'm proud she was a part of my life... knowing Roxy made our family better human beings.
We lived on Conception Street in a beautiful two-story antebellum-type house... we lived on the first floor and another family lived on the second floor... there was a beautiful mahogany staircase at the end of a long entrance hallway -- and yes, EC used to slide down the railings... goodness gracious, great balls of fire... sorry for the sudden digression... now back to the apartment... our apartment had 15-foot high ceilings, gorgeous hardwood floors and windows that went from the floor to the ceiling... not real big... it really was just three rooms and a bath... a living room, bedroom and very small kitchen... separating the bedroom and the living room were two massive, floor-to-ceiling, white folding French doors... my Mama and sister slept in the bedroom... EC's back on the couch in the living room like I was in that small apartment in New Orleans on Vermillion Street... no problem... I love sleeping on a couch... I like the wonderful back support.
Rent is $85 a month... I'm guessing Roxy was paid around $25 a week... my Mama's salary was $35 a week... in '53 the average family income is about $3000 a year... but my Mama didn't make anywhere near that... so our life depended on tips from customers... life was not easy for my Mama... but we got by... I never realized how tough it was for her until I was in my 20's... my Mama was a special lady... she was a blessing from God.
The owner of the house lived in an apartment built onto the back of the house... it was really beautiful... he likes classical music... and one time he invited me to listen to his sound system... EC was used to listening to small radios...but he had huge speakers, probably Klipschorns... the music was magnificent... maybe this introduction to music made me a lifetime lover of music... don't know if I have ever told you, but EC has his own audio system in my present life... it is a two-channel system... with a 250-watt per channel Anthem amplifier... two Klipsch Heresy III speakers and a subwoofer... it is pure heaven... when I listen to the trio Peter, Paul and Mary, it is like they are standing right smack dab in front of me... Peter on the left, Mary in the center and Paul on the right with EC sitting in their midst right smack dab in the "sweet spot" listening... the "sweet spot" is when you separate your speaker about 10-12 feet apart and you sit about 5-6 feet away from them and halfway between the two speakers... that is the perfect place to listen to music... there is a scientific formula to figure the sweet spot... I got it from an audio engineer on the internet... and it really works.
And since y' all brought up the subject of music, how's about we listen to two of the best songs being played on the radio in mid-June 1953.
"The Song from Moulin Rouge" is still number one on the pop charts... I played that for you awhile back... it was number one for 10 weeks and still has 5 weeks to go at the top spot, so I will feature another song... it's by Jo Stafford... EC thinks she is one of the greatest voices of all-time... she started off with the Pied Pipers and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the 1940's... now she is a solo artist and is doing quite well with a bunch of number-one songs like "Jambalaya" and "You Belong To Me".
Here's the great Jo Stafford with a little bit of Pop Rock from the early 50's: "Make Love To Me".
Come on darlin'... sing those sweet nothin's to EC... I'm all ears for ya, dear!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x24oxzwNwY
Well, EC can't forget about all you little darlin's and all you buckaroos, too... after 10 straight weeks at the top spot Jim Reeves and "Mexican Joe" were finally replaced as the number one country song in early June by Hank Williams... here's the great Hank Williams and his Drifting Cowboy band entertaining y'all with another tearjerker from his life -- "Take These Chains From My Heart".
Sing it purty, Hank!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdtSxT_R6C4