Down to ‘The Crossroads’

I had been toying around with the idea of posting my music column articles here on RMDM the day after they are posted over at Dad-Blogs.com and finally got around to importing the articles that have already been published.  So,  like Vizzini says, we go back back to the beginning.  Over the next week or so I’ll be reposting the first nine columns.  To date I’ve written eleven and two are already floating around here.  The following post originally appeared on ‘The Crossroads‘ on April 30, 2009.

I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees

Down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees

Asked the Lord above for mercy, “Save me if you please”

As a product of the 70’s my early musical influences came from what I heard playing in the house when I was growing up. From the Beatles to the Stones to Led Zeppelin I took it all in, but by far my favorite artist of all time is Eric Clapton. So, when it came time to choose a name for this column I looked back at all the music that shaped my youth.

After a good deal of thought I decided to name it after the original super group of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Clapton – Cream, and, specifically, their hit ‘Crossroads’. For those who may not know ‘Crossroads’ is Clapton’s rearrangement of legendary blues man Robert Johnson’s songs ‘Cross Road Blues’ and ‘Traveling Riverside Blues’ and was a departure from Cream’s usual arrangement with Clapton handling the vocals instead of Bruce. In a way ‘Crossroads’ also explains the diversity of my musical taste and resonates with me today as much as it did when I first heard it.

I went down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride

Down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride

Nobody seemed to know me, everybody passed me by

So, what makes a stay at home, minivan driving and infrequently shaving dad such as myself qualified to write a column about music? Well, for one, I’m a prolific air drummer and I could give Neil Peart a run for his money, especially if said competition were to take place on the steering wheel of my Sienna. And, as if that wasn’t enough, I have a soundtrack to my life constantly playing in my head. No matter where I go or what I do my mind blurts out song titles and lyrics in response to things I see, hear and read. I’m not sure if it’s a diagnosable illness,but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Well I’m going down to Rosedale,take my rider by my side

Going down to Rosedale,take my rider by my side

You can still barrelhouse, baby, onthe riverside

The great thing about music is that while it is very much a matter of personal taste, it can also be a great connector. Over the years I’ve had some great memories with great friends and certain songs will always take me back to those times. What about you? Where does the music in your life take you? Is it your first concert, your first road trip or even your first dance with that special someone in your life.

You can run, you can run, tell my friend-boy, Willie Brown

Run, you can run, tell my friend-boy, Willie Brown

And I’m staying at the crossroads, believe I’m sinking down

No matter what your style – blues, jazz, rock – classic or otherwise, alternative, metal, pop, country or rap – it all has a message that connects the good and bad times we’ve had in our lives. Here at ‘The Crossroads’ I hope to examine the journey that music can take us on. We’ll talk about different artists, genres, new albums and old albums –pretty much anything about the music we love and why we love it. I’d like to hear your stories about the music that gets you going, brings back memories or makes you hopeful for the future. Above all, I want to have some fun with it. So, thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ll come along for the ride.