OkieMan

I recorded them all. Big bands and tiny dirt bands.

My recording studio. For about ten years I owned and operated a recording studio. Recording almost anything from a girl laughing and up to a big band playing old standards. And of course, everything in between. Pop, country, rock, and jazz vocalist. Church choirs and rap groups. Harmonicas, multi-string Harp players, and harpsichordists. Clarinetists, saxophonist,Continue reading “I recorded them all. Big bands and tiny dirt bands.”

The Okie summer nectar.

What’s in that bucket pops? Looking back over my Okie heritage, a summer had never passed without the turning-churning handle of the coveted ice cream maker. Possibly a wooden sided hand-cranked ‘White Mountain.’ And my Okie parents were in to this Heart and Soul. It was a big part of their Oklahoma heritage. A summerContinue reading “The Okie summer nectar.”

Non-stop gas pee and go.

Road trip. Almost every summer our family made a road trip from Los Angeles all the way to Wilson, Oklahoma. Non-stop. Approximately 1500-miles. Usually during the month of August. The hottest month of the summer. August was the only time available for my dad’s vacation. He was low man on the seniority totem pole atContinue reading “Non-stop gas pee and go.”

Please water me green.

California has a water problem. A three-year drought. People are asked to cut back on water usage by about twenty percent. Leave the water off when brushing teeth. Don’t use the water hose to wash leaves and grass off the driveway. Take shorter showers. Water the lawn only twice a week for about thirty minutesContinue reading “Please water me green.”

Olivia Newton John remembered.

Years and years ago I went to the Mabee Center in Tulsa to see and hear Mac Davis and his country band. He was more of a song writer than country singer. However, his opening act was Olivia Newton John. She was in a long soft white flowing gown and was most lovely. A gentlemanContinue reading “Olivia Newton John remembered.”

He had magical mechanical healing powers.

My gearhead dad. My dad had to quit school in the eighth-grade. He said he’d would rather have stayed in school and play baseball for the school team and continue his studies. But his family needed him to work the farm because His father was down in north Texas working on a drilling rig inContinue reading “He had magical mechanical healing powers.”

Flying entertainment free.

Inflight entertainment. Those of you who have flown recently have notice and perhaps used one of several seat-back entertainment devices. Video games, movies, music, audio books, and more. However, back in the 1970s you might remember inflight movies. Movies shown on three or four pull-down screens overhead of the center aisle. Screens about six orContinue reading “Flying entertainment free.”

Twitter is mean to me.

I am crushed. Twitter has suspended my account. What for? Why? What did I say? I have never resorted to profane language nor threats or wish anyone harm. I never post questionable images or photos. No images at all. None. Nada. However, on occasion I use cartoonish metaphors. For example, for the words meaning BS,Continue reading “Twitter is mean to me.”

A man who gave the Dodgers a voice.

Now try to follow with me on this. Back in about 1958 something possessed my parents to buy a big blond stereo from Sears and put it in the Livingroom. A blond wood stereo with an array of different size speakers that a 14-year-old teen boy only could wish for. Previous we had only aContinue reading “A man who gave the Dodgers a voice.”

Just a dollars worth and check my pressure.

1973 was the year full-service gas stations came to an abrupt end. It stopped ‘snap’ just like that! Swift without any means of restoration to full service. No one could reverse this sudden inconvenience. Gas stations or service stations flipped to a self-service or DIY service. But first let me explain what full-service gas stationsContinue reading “Just a dollars worth and check my pressure.”