A Musical Interlude: God Bless America

Been listening to some songs I haven't heard in years at work on XM's "The Bridge". There was a tense moment when the District Supervisor was in the store and a Led Zeppelin song was playing. I don't remember which one it was but I can guarantee you it was the very first Zeppelin song they played as long as we had been listening.

Most of their programming was mellow rock like Beatles, CCR, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, Nilssen, England Dan and John Ford Coley, ect. Real hard core stuff. Hardly a hippie employee rock and roll cultural rebellion. If I really wanted to rebel it would be about being forced to listen to the live broadcast of "The Grand Old Opry" twice a week.

Don't get me wrong, I like country music. Hell, I've shaken Willie Nelson and Toby Keith's hand. I just quit liking Little Jimmy Dickens somewhere around 1968 and his vocal skills haven't improved in the meantime. I don't believe just because we live in a small town we are stereotyped unto listening to old school country music just because we ain't big city folk..

Even tho it was one of their more mellow songs, (and I still can't tell you which one but I think it was off Houses of the Holy) it was still kind of hard to answer the question "When did we start playing Led Zeppelin?" from my District Supervisor.

Timing

is

everything.

Back to America... Not bad for a bunch of "Air Force Brats".

America may be the most underrated band in the history of ever. They weren't huge "rockstars" smashing guitars on stage and thrashing hotel rooms. America just made great music over and over again and stayed out of the headlines going about their daily lives.

As I said before, not bad for a bunch of Air Force Brats. But maybe that had a lot to do with their success and lack of scandal. Military life for dependents is, to say the least, hectic. But at the same time it's very structured. Gerry Beckley (born in Ft. Worth), Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek were all military brats with British mothers and American fathers that came together to form a legendary musical group. They were exposed to cultures most of us never see outside of  watching NatGeo or The Travel Channel.

It's a unique POV most will never experience, but those that have will be quick to point it out.

Ventura Highway, Sister Golden Hair and Horse With No Name are classics and can easily fit in anyone's Top 10.