Oldies

One of my biggest gripes with some music listeners are music purists who only listen to one genre or one generation of music. Whether they're complaining that today's music is trash or yesterday's music is boring, all they're doing is denying themselves a chance to listen to something great. There is great music (and trash music) in every generation. 

I felt like I've been focusing too much on the music of my lifetime and thought it would be a breather to dedicate a small blog on some of the music my grandparents would enjoy.

Frank Sinatra

Sinatra easily ranks on my list of favorite singers. During his life, Sinatra was capable of great ranges and tones, making him an effective force in all of his songs. The songs themselves had a fantastic diversity. Though he stuck to the genres of swing and jazz, Sinatra's music can be smoothing, relaxing and relaxing depending on the song. Overall though, his music is very "feel-good" and always puts me in a brighter mood. It's easy to see why years after his death, Sinatra is still one of the largest figures of the swing generation and a symbol of American music.

Johnny Cash

"The Man in Black" is to this day a country superstar. Very few dedicated country listeners do not know of Cash. Johnny Cash had a very low, but powerful voice. The beginning of his career was highlighted by themes of romance, patriotism and outlaws with Cash's sense of style that would help define the genre. Towards the end of his life though, Cash's music became much more harrowing and mournful. However, this did not deteriorate Cash's optimism, even though he was clearly going through hard times, coping with multiple diseases and the death of his wife. Cash's later songs dealt with death, sorrow and loss but also the potential of rebirth.