I lost a piece of my past today.......
It was just before the Christmas of 1970, and I was getting ready to head north for college in January. It was an exciting time as I made a list, checked it twice, and decided there were still a couple of "must haves" missing.
First, college was in South Dakota so a nice warm coat was mandatory. And, second, I was lacking a dynamite stereo for the dorm room.....an essential piece of equipment for any self-respecting college student.
A friend, Tom Jones, was to be my roommate. We were destined to play football for the SDSU Jackrabbits, but right then, we were both more concerned about acquiring the college necessities before piling into his 19968 Olds 442 for the drive to South Dakota.
First stop, the music store and the purchase of a portable stereo system with lots of wattage and big speakers.....it was awesome. Next stop, Weinberg's Western Wear, where Willie Weinberg was more concerned about our choices of coats than either of us were. She knew I would struggle to pay for the coat she had picked out for me, but she insisted, and I relented. She then rang up an amount that barely covered the sales tax, and threw in a nice warm pair of gloves to boot. I was astounded, and if her husband, Maurice, had known.......Oh, but it was the Christmas Season!
On the way back to my house, I figured I still had a few extra dollars in my pocket (savings from the gift of the coat you know) so we stopped by the record store for a couple of new albums. It was a great time for music......
First selection; Sly and the Family Stone with the featured track, "I Want to Take You Higher".
Next selection; Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishmen.
Practically every song was destined to become a classic, and Joe Cocker became my all-time favorite performer. Who will ever forget his 1969 performance at Woodstock!
I turned eighteen the Sunday morning when Jimi Hendrix electrified the crowd on the last day of the festival, so it was a very special time of life.
This morning, at age seventy, Joe Cocker died. I feel much like people must have felt when a plane crash took the life of Buddy Holly.......immortalized by Don Mclean in the song, "The Day the Music Died".
I still have the albums we bought that day......I think I'll run a needle through a few of the old tunes of my youth, and conjure up memories of a time when one of my very best friends entertained us all with his spot-on impersonations of Joe Cocker singing "The Letter". What times we had.
Rest in peace Joe. It's been a great ride.
