Revisiting the music of youth

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Timeless tunes can revive memories of the good ol' days.

Date published: 7/26/2005

By LEE WOOLF

A COUPLE of weeks ago, I invited readers to share memories from their favorite musical concerts.

The most enthusiastic response came from Christina Dolan of Park Ridge, who had enjoyed seeing many of the top rock groups of the late 1960s.

Her list of favorites included the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield and Iron Butterfly, with its "unforgettable drum solo in 'In-A Gadda-Da-Vida.'"

"I feel very lucky to have grown up with such wonderful music," Dolan wrote in an e-mail. "It was the best time ever.

"The one person I wish I could see again is Janis Joplin. She was amazing. She was gutsy and unique."

Dolan wrote that she saw Joplin perform with Big Brother & the Holding Company at an amusement park called the Lagoon near Salt Lake City in 1968.

She recalled that Joplin, who died of a drug overdose in 1970, ended the concert with a classic, "Ball and Chain."

"I remember just being amazed," Dolan wrote. "I was immediately one of her biggest fans.

"I wish she had been given a second chance. I still listen to her last album, 'Pearl.' I think she opened the door for other female rockers. She left us with her amazing voice, lyrics and a little of her sadness. Oh, what might have come next from her?"

My column also prompted an invitation to the Stafford Regional Choral Society's summer performance at Colonial Forge High School. That concert, "Decades: The Music We Grew Up With," featured society members performing some of the best songs from the '50s, '60s and '70s.

The show included music from the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Aretha Franklin, Elvis and a disco medley.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend. But it didn't take much investigative reporting to figure out that the joint was jumpin'.

"I think the concert was awesome," wrote society member Mary Jo Hiles, who estimated the attendance at about 300. "We had a lot of fun performing those songs."

"The costumes were wild," wrote Jeannine Moss. "The choreography was a tad erratic (at least on my part), but the singing was inspired."

Barbara Perry, the society's founding director, deserves credit for the theme.

"And we knew immediately it would be a winner--perfect for a fun summer concert," wrote Kevin French, the chairman of the society's board.

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Date published: 7/26/2005