A Sentimental Journey for Old Timers

“There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.“ – Will Rogers, famous Oklahoma humorist of yesteryear

Howdy Journal,

This is one of those times that I really feel a bit quirky. Think it has to do with the diet that I’m on. So you ask, ‘What’s changed?’

OK, thanks for the compliment.

Hang around, you are in for a trip, and especially for you old timers. By the way, this entry is a bit lengthy because of the music you may wish to listen to.

Well, as most everyone knows, I really have a love for old-timey music, with a special liking to a country sound.

So, let’s begin with a little background to my music journey of life.

How about the banjitar. Never heard of a banjitar? Well a banjitar is a cross-over between a guitar and a banjo. For we guitar players who don’t want to learn how to play a new instrument, the banjitar is a perfect replacement for the banjo. It plays like a guitar.

Interesting how I came to play a banjitar. Some of my cousins and friends were having a pig roast out in the country. (Few years ago.) Good friend, Larry Jeane, was with us and had a banjitar with him. Seems he inherited it but didn’t know much what to do with it.

So, here we go, Nathan on the guitar, me on the banjitar. We begin by picking in unison the Spanish song malaguena. (Our style and design.) At the end everything gets real quiet. Larry looks at me and says, “I got no business with this thing.” And so the banjitar has been on loan to me ever since.

—  By the way if you aren’t familiar with Malaguena you can listen to it here. We aren’t near as accomplished as this lady, but what do you expect from a couple of country boys. However, it is nice to make the comparison —

This brings me to ….

Our Family of Musicians

All three of our kids, Nathan, André and Shana, are great instrumentalists. And of late I’ve had this burr in my saddle to get the kids together to work on some music with me. Wouldn’t it be great to hear the ‘Martins of Sabine Territory‘ send forth some good old gospel renditions. Course I always love slipping in some ole songs like, ‘Mama don’t allow no low downs hanging around here’, ‘Froggie went a courting,’ and, ‘This trains a clean train.’

By the way, my mama taught me the song, “Mama don’t low no low-downs hanging around here.” Then she told me to stop singing it. Can you imagine?

Listen and make your own judgment –

(Just funning with the Sabine Territory bit. ‘The Martins of Sabine Territory’ is the name of my genealogy site.)

Speaking of gospel groups it has been a long time since I’ve worked with one. Had a couple long years ago. (Speaking of the 60s and the 70s.) Then when I became an evangelist, I took my guitar, my Bible, my sweet Betty, and my kids, and off we go. We preached mostly in Louisiana, Texas, and New Mexico. Over time the Lord gave me my own unique sound and songs.

If interested you can listen to some of my music at this site. (Its in-house so don’t look for professionalism.) I’m on the guitar and our three children are on other instruments. Have a couple of back up singers:

http://www.christianchallenge.org/JubileeCD.html

Music From Our Youth

Everyone has music roots. The music we enjoy the most will likely have been imprinted in us during our youth. I sure feel sorry for kids today. Not sure that screeching, head-banging sound I hear is real music. Sounds like a cat got its tail caught in the screen door.

Anyway, this is really for our old-timers. They will identify with what I have to share at this point.

My earliest imprint takes place in the 40s, when we lived in California. To this day I love the 1940s music. Songs like ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Buttons and Bows’ and, ‘Some Enchanted Evening.’

– Ok, you asked for it —

First, ‘Sentimental Journey’ –

OK, old timers, do you remember, ‘Buttons and Bows.’

Can you tell that I’m on a sentimental journey?

Well the forties was also when I became exposed to Mexican music and I fell in love with the Spanish sound. Here is one that I dearly love. (It was written in the 1800’s but has remained popular over the years.) It is entitled ‘La Paloma.’  — Might help to understand a bit of Spanish —

In English —

La Paloma (‘The Dove’)

My dear, la paloma sings in the tree above;

He sings with his sweetheart softly their songs of love;

Canta, la paloma sing us the serenade.

Canta, en la noche sweetly your serenade.

Fiesta is here, we smile and guitars are playing;

Breezes are blowing, as we are gently swaying.

 

La paloma, the dove,

La paloma sings on this summer night;

He coos, oh, so gently,

He coos so gently, under the stars so bright!

 

Fiesta is here, senoritas and hombres dancing;

Guitars softly playing, making the night entrancing;

Our hearts fill with love, we wish this could last forever;

This magical time that brings all our hearts together.

La paloma, the dove, la paloma sings in the tree above.

He sings with his sweetheart softly their songs of love.

This brings me to…

My Introduction to Gospel Music

In 1949 we returned to Louisiana. My first experience with church life took place in a small Pentecostal Church near the Sabine River. What an experience. I was nine years old. Needless to say that is when gospel music also entered my music imprinting. And its been that way ever since.

Yes indeed. My music journey carried over through the fifties, the sixties, the seventies, and so on. I well remember my Navy days and the music that was popular during that decade. I had a band abroad ship. We played in various ports.

But it was when I came to know the Lord Jesus in a personal way, that the music that truly extols Him has found its resting place in my soul and heart. How I love to get together with my country cousins and make a joyful noise to the Lord, with our fiddles, guitars, banjitars, and anything else we can put a joyful noise to.

Now that we’re getting older…

Most of my cousins and I are all in our sixties and seventies. We don’t get together very often. But Betty tries us to get together for a gospel hoe down that can be recorded for our posterity.  That’s a fancy word for the offspring of a given progenitor.

— Seems she thinks we are progenitors. Guess that means something like ‘bonified.’  —

Well, the burr has made me fidgety. Guess I’m just a dreamer.

But as for music, I could write about music forever. And that comes from a fellow who cannot read the first note.

Anyway, just wanted to give you a feel for how I feel about music, and a bit of my music background.

And it’s like Will Rogers said,

“I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off everything like golf. I have never been depressed enough to take up the game, but they say you get so sore at yourself you forget to hate your enemies.” 

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

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