In honor of my first blog post of the semester, I am going to write about some of my country music firsts. I have loved country music for my entire life, and some of my favorite memories include it.
I knew pretty much every word to every song on this album.
Going back to my early childhood years, immediately I think of Shania Twain, my first idol. In 1998 I was 4 years old in Charleston, South Carolina, and Shania was launching her first world tour for her third studio album, Come on Over. I thought she was just about perfect, and everything I wanted to be when I grew up. My mom had a tape, yes a tape, of her songs that she, my sister and I would sing right along to any time we were in the car for an extended period of time. Even now, whenever I’m starting a road trip I love to play some Shania. For my birthday I got one of her CDs, and for a couple years after it remained my top choice, along with the Back Street Boys, to lip sync my own concert to.
A few years later came my first country concert. By then I was living in New Hampshire, but as Brantley Gilbert says, ”country must be country wide.” One Friday after school my dad surprised me with three tickets to the Martina McBride concert, and Little Big Town, still one of my favorites, was the opener. I got to invite my best friend, and Dad sat a few rows back, so we could feel all grown up sitting by ourselves. I remember that night so clearly, from what I was wearing to the car ride home recapping every moment. My personal favorite was when Little Big Town played “Boondocks,” which I played on repeat for weeks to come.
By high school I was happily back in the south in a small town outside of San Antonio called Helotes. I lived right down the road from Floore Country Store where Willie Nelson can frequently be found, and I could hear the music being played from my back porch. It’s also where I two stepped for the first time. I have to admit, it was pretty awkward. The steps are simple enough, but I had a hard time with being lead and kept trying to go in the wrong direction. When it came time to spin things just got messy. Luckily, my partner was a doll and we both laughed the missteps off. Since then, I am proud to say I have greatly improved. Spinning around a Texas dance floor to good music is one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday night. If you’re ever in San Antonio, and have never been to Floore’s, I highly recommend stopping by to see artists such as Randy Rogers Band, or Whiskey Meyers.
You can’t miss it.
So there they are. A few of the many good memories I’ve had that country music played a role in. If you have any you’d like to share, I would love to read them!
Thanks, Elizabeth, for the tip about Floore’s. At some point I will resume my Willie Nelson stalking, and that’s where I’ll go to do it. I shared some of my “country firsts” in class with y’all: My first tape was Dolly, my first concert Alan. But I think my “country seconds” are also important. In middle school, I was embarrassed about listening to country music and was buying CDs by Garbage, Savage Garden, and some other bands that were popular in the mid ’90s. Then for some reason my parents bought me the “new” Dolly Parton album, ‘Hungry Again,’ which made me fall back in love with country music. I wonder what I would listen to now if it weren’t for that reminder.
That’s so funny how Shania Twain was most people’s first country idol our age. I commented something very similar on Jessica’s post about Shania, and how I have very vivid memories belting out Shania’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” in my living room with my brother at a very young age. Its weird to think that that is most of our generations first exposure to music. I also grew up around country music in my family so I know where you are coming from. I think its cool how you got to experience the country music culture first hand by growing up right down the street from a place like the “Floore Country Store”.
Shania Twain is beyond awesome. One of my favorite songs is “Man I Feel Like a Woman.” It is just the perfect song to jam out to when you’re hitting the road and need something to make it all fun. I must say country music was there for a lot of my very good memories. Country music is what helps me get through everyday, whether it’s a good one or bad. When my parents got a divorce, I turned to country music, and when I graduated high school, I celebrated with country music. Country music is very important in my life. It just makes my heart happy. There’s a perfect country song for every perfect moment. I really enjoyed your post. Maybe next time when I’m in San Antonio I will pay a visit to Floore’s.