May 16, 2016

Hey, ho kiddios. Welcome to another fabulous work week. 

Or some such horseshit.

There's a birthday today that means a lot to me. Today would be the 89th birthday of Donald Bean. 

Don't recognize the name? That's okay. We may not be that close. So I'll tell you- that's my dad's name, and he was born on this day in 1927 in Chicago. 

Besides the fact that he was my dad, he was a big influence on me as far as music. I use past tense because he died in 1993.

Growing up in the late 20s and 30s, big band was the big thing back then. Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Louis Armstrong- that was the kind of music my dad listened to, and it was the kind of music he played when he worked in radio (including a stint at WSB in Atlanta, way back in the day).

And he kept listening to music. The fact that I could name those names (and so many others from the era) are thanks to him, in a very large part. And the fact that he worked in radio played a huge roll in my attempting a career in broadcasting (that attempt not being particularly successful notwithstanding).

When I was learning to play the saxophone, my dad gave me a Hank Williams record- Hank Williams' Greatest Hits. He put a label on it that said "I hope you can make as big an impact on music as he did. Love, Dad". I still have the record (and I got a little misty just typing that out). 

I haven't had that kind of impact, obviously. Nowhere close, in fact. 

Honestly, though- that never would have mattered to him. Because- no matter what- my dad always encouraged me to follow my dreams. 

So hey- maybe I haven't had a huge impact on music. But I like to think I've had a little. And Dad would be proud of that. He was always proud of me (even when I was an infuriating little shit). And, these many years later, I still miss him terribly.

Happy Birthday, Dad.