In 1964 I became an indentured servant at the family business—Cleaver Carpet. I became the “assistant” to both the cleaning crew and the installers. Being the owner’s kid gave me very little perks, other than that I got to learn a whole lot about how people live—for $1.15 and hour. When we were working at a home, the men who actually earned their living would often bring their portable radio. There were two AM music stations in Pueblo—KDZA, which was the classic Top Fifty pop station, and KPUB which was REAL country. Guess which one the guys made me listen to? It was not Del Shannon playing “Runaway”.
I was forced to listen to the likes of: Porter Wagner, Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Johnny Horton… and on and on. Every day all summer long when my buddies were listening to The Beach Boys, I was learning the words to “Your Cheating Heart”. I would complain to no avail.
Then, there was KDZA which I could listen to on my two—transistor radio. The most popular DeeJay was Bob Leon Kirch— Ah, Chubby Checker, Elvis, Aretha, Bobby Darrin, The Supremes, and help yourself to add to the list. Oh yes, the Beatles showed up that summer of ‘64. I never quit complaining to Richard, Chuck, Bud, and Jose.
Fast forward to 2025 and Sirius Radio. My favorite channel is not Classic Vinyl, or The Bridge or Coffee House, but I will often find myself listening to Willie’s “Road House”. I am not sure this is a confession or a concession but I mostly really enjoy it. The words to the songs are indelibly programmed into my memory. So when Johnny Horton sings “North to Alaska” I am there. A couple of years ago Ken Burns did a 10 episode deep dive into Country Music. He confessed that he did not expect to find the treasure trove of both poetry and sounds that go deep into the soul of the fabric of America.
When I can find time I love listening to the Grand Old Opry on Saturday night. A few months ago I had the treat of driving home with my five year old granddaughter, Sofia. Vince Gill was doing a set on Saturday night. From the backseat came a sweet request “Park, could you play that sad song again”. “Honey, that is not off a play list but when I get home I will find it and play it for you”. By the miracle of Amazon Music I pulled up his version of “Country Roads”. Back in California, Vince is proudly part of a five year old’s playlist. Yes, she has a play list. On it is everything from Peter Rabbit, “Let it Be” to Elton John.
Now, let me put in a word for KOMA 1520 on your radio dial. 50,000 watts of broadcast power. When the sun went down, teenagers from the entire western US could listen to Pop songs across thousands of miles. My blue transistor radio could play it perfectly as I went to bed, if I turned the angle just right. And yes, once in a while I could listen a bit to KPUB.
Onward and Upward,
Mark
Lyfting Me Up 