Okay, okay. I know you probably don’t listen to music on your turntable anymore like we used to do when we were kids. But, given the age demographic of most of my readers, I know you know what a turntable is. And I also know that you are probably hip to streaming.
So what music are you streaming?
I’ve long known that music is important to me and vital for the health of my heart, soul, and mind. Naturally, I’ve been listening to lots of music during my healing sabbatical.
Earlier this year, we found an eye doctor to help preserve my Mom’s vision. That means we travel to the Big City every couple of months and pay a visit to the doctor to get an injection in her eyes. On our road trip, I streamed a Classic Country playlist. To my delight, Mom knew every word to every song! It did my heart SO good to hear her singing along to the tunes playing on my car stereo via my Spotify app.
What is your relationship to music? Is it important to your daily life? I can’t imagine my life without it.
I’ve been listening to a variety of music, mostly Country and also some Worship music. I mix in piano instrumentals or the kind of sounds you might expect to hear at a spa when I’m focusing on my inner peace and spiritual wellbeing through meditation, Bible reading, or journaling.
Currently, I am streaming a lot of old classic Country and Western—Hank Williams, Pasty Cline, Willie, Waylon and the Boys, Glen Campbell, and the like. Recently, I’ve also become a fan of Sturgill Simpson and I am working through his complete discography.
As I type this, I’m listening to Simpson’s second studio album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, originally released back in 2014. It received universal acclaim as Simpson’s excellent songwriting explores the response to postmodernism called metamodernism with songs like Turtles All the Way Down, Living the Dream, Long White Line, It Ain’t All Flowers, and a cover of the 1987 synth-pop classic The Promise. Sturgill’s album title alludes to the groundbreaking 1962 record by Ray Charles and like his predecessors Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, Simpson adventurously explores a more progressive side of outlaw country. Honestly, I think it’s an album that would make the Beatles proud as well as legends like Ray Charles, Miles Davis, and a host of country greats. I believe it took guts and courage to make this record.
I’ve also been listening to the new worship album by Stephen McWhirter titled Unto the Lord: Worship Songs I Love. McWhirter offers up his take on several Christian worship classics. His unique style and interpretation help reimagine songs that are familiar to anyone who’s attended church in modern times. McWhirter covers songs like Oceans, Goodness of God, Holy Forever, and 10,000 Reasons.
As I mentioned at the start of this post, I’ve been listening to a lot of old Classic Country during my healing journey. The familiarity of the music drew my ears to it, I believe, as I grew up listening to most of these songs. My parents both loved music and when we moved to Texas from Switzerland, they quickly got introduced to Country and Western. Our next door neighbor, Dolly Dalrymple, a huge country and western fan, would bring us tabloids like Country Music Magazine, Country Hits, and Country-Western Stars, so we could all stay in tune with the latest Nashville happenings There wasn’t a day Merle or Hank weren’t playing on the kitchen radio at some point. And weekends—-well—crank up the Country! is all I can recall. My relationship to this style of music grew during my years on college radio and serving as the board operator and show producer for programs like Kip Martin’s Big Country & Western Show and Bill Ogden’s Bluegrass Special. My genuine appreciation for this music didn’t fully blossom until later, especially during and after my recovery from alcohol and addiction. Go figure.
Of course, there’s always a little Zach Williams music nearby, sitting in my streaming cue.
So what music are you listening to these days?
Be salty, stay lit.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
#bgbg2#BibleGateway
The Stigma Stops Here.🛑
#mentalhealthmatters
The Devotional Guy™ 
I love listening to music myself, Music Man. My tastes have changed and evolved over the years, but music is still a vital part of my everyday life. Glad you found my blog. Thanks for reading and dropping a comment. Blessings 🙏
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I don’t have a turntable but I do have a cd player. Tina Turner’s Twenty Four Seven is next to be played. I love listening to music.
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I don’t have a turntable but I do have a cd player. Currently the album Twenty Four Seven by Tina Turner is next to be played in my cd collection. I love listening to music.
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Have you ever heard of Weird Al Yankovic? Google him and Dr. Demento. Usually it is parodies or made up lyrics from regular songs.
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Awesomeness. Please enlighten me to Dr. Demento music? Sounds fascinating. Thanks for reading and sharing!
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I still have a Turntable aka Record Player as well as Cassette and CD. I have mainly been listening to the radio though or Pandora. 70s, 80s and Dr.Demento music.
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That’s awesome, Loring. I hosted a Contemporary Christian program and a Classic Rock show in my first and second go round at college. I love the sounds of vinyl, too. Thanks for reading and sharing your insights and experiences. Blessings!
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Ah, the turntable, I love it. These days, in my studying, reading, and writing, I usually have soft hymns, instrumentals, and classical music in the background. Saturday is southern gospel day.
Currently, my choices for pure enjoyment is to stream the music of my youth which covers many genres. Mostly ’60s-70s rock. Got deep into country music and Elvis when I met my wife (that happens) That led me to eventually programming and hosting a Christian Country radio show. (There’s still nothing like listening to vinyl with the pops and scratches)
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