…that would be in the early ‘50s when your mom and dad were just kids playing “doctor and nursey,” I was an eighteen year old Disk Jockey (and I have the picture to prove it). There was a popular song during that period entitled “Cherokee.” It was recorded by Charlie Barnet and Glen Gray and a number of other big bands on those 78 rpm records that only lasted three minutes.
I’m familiar with that instrumental because I used it as a theme song for the “Rhythm Express,” a record show that I did from 4 to 6PM on good ol’ WSIC in Statesville, NC.
“All aboard the Rhythm Express – coming your way with all the hits of the day, let’s get it underway and swing and sway with Sammy Kaye.”
Yeah, I know it was corny but in those days we couldn’t cuss on the radio, so it was the best I could do. The song was mixed with the sound ot a choo-choo train, which somehow seemed appropriate for rhythm “Express.” Well, those are just memories. Can you imagine records that could only hold three minutes of music? I’ve got about 150 songs on my iPod shuffle which is about the size of a fifty-cent piece (which is something else you don’t see much anymore) and there’s room for another few hundred or more.
I was thinking about that today while enjoying some music. This country has become so politically correct that today the name of that song “Cherokee” would have to be changed to “Native American Tribe.” Obviously, using the name of an American (hyphenated) Indian tribe for the title of an insignificant piece of music is totally racist.
I can’t help but believe that this not-offend-anybody-about-anything attitude has stifled conversation. So that now if people communicate at all it’s in the form of texting because they are afraid to say anything out loud. The Founding Fathers forgot to give us the right not to be offended. I guess they thought that wasn’t necessary but today it appears to be vitally important. We are the only nation in the world that gives us the right to free speech, and we don’t use it. What a shame.
johnbeckmanbooks 