Remember Dolly.

There is a very large piece of my heart that is completely dedicated to old country music. I mean the kind of country music where the men wore sequined leisure suits and big old designer cowboy hats. The kind of country music where it's not just about having a southern accent (like modern country music. Don't even get me started on how it's NOT country music). I grew up listening to this stuff at my grandmothers. We used to watch The Grand Ole Opry together and I could list off every single singer there just by sight. We've been talking about making a trip down to Nashville and Graceland maybe this year or next and actually going to the Opry. I was BESIDE myself with excitement just thinking about it! Matt was like "is that small guy still there?" and I said "Little Jimmy Dickens? Of COURSE he is!" I actually was talking in a higher pitch at the excitement of seeing the Opry and hearing the music I love so much again. I saw a photo on Pinterest the other day and it was a roll of film and someone had written on it "my children won't know what this is". You're children will only not know if you don't teach them. So many people wonder what happened to todays music and why people no longer know who people like Marty Robbins, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, The Big Bopper and Woody Guthrie are. It's not because the information isn't out there to find- it's because no one has taught them who these singers are and just how beautiful their music is. Case in Point:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WXYjm74WFI]

This song has probably the most beautiful lyrics ever written. Will your children ever listen to it? Mine will. Music only dies if it's not passed along. Do yourself, your children and your unborn grandchildren a favor: play this music for them.

When Whitney Houston died, I was sad. LOVED her music and as a kid, I remember listening to her with my mom a lot. My mom was a pretty big Whitney fan. I kinda lost interest in her during her Bobbi Brown years and the whole "crack is whack" thing and she became much less a part of my musical interest. I made Matt watch The Body Guard with me a few weeks ago and spent pretty much the entire movie in tears. Ask people their favorite Whitney song and probably 90% of them would say "I Will Always Love You". Although beautiful, it's not MY favorite Whitney song. If I'm going to listen to "I Will Always Love You", I want to hear it sung by the prettiest voice left on this earth.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS-F4rfU4ns]

No one sings this song like Dolly. NO ONE. Her voice is just so amazing and, you gotta love that hair. So, I let you into a stranger side of my life- yes, I have a thing for men in sequined cowboy hats and white sequined jump suits.

While my thoughts will be with Whitney Houston's family this morning, I can't help but think: we may have never loved her at all had it not been for Dolly.