My Mother’s Vinyl

My Mother had lots of vinyl. She didn’t have a record player but she definitely had a great collection. When she passed away I was given an opportunity to sort through her collection. I almost fainted. some of what i was seeing were original presses and that seemed so wild to me. of course they would be.

My mother was a young buck in the 80’s. naturally she’d wait in line to grab Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” or even grab “Off the Wall”.

original presses.

that concept for me is unreal.

My mother loved listening to music. she didn’t have a favorite band or singer but her favorite genres included salsa, bachata & r&b/soul. She’s the reason I love R&B So much. without her that influence doesn’t exist. Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s it was this love of r&b that helped me influence my mom on younger artists. she wouldn’t tell many but mary j. blige was on repeat in our house!

In going through her vinyl I also found myself wondering what life moments brought her to those purchases. so often in life music is what heals us. I wonder about why these healed her. I wondered about stories of when she was young. I wondered about her relationships and how she loved. each record being a moment in time. oh how I wish she told me more about when she was younger. going through all of her things helps me in many ways to figure it out but its not the whole story. I wish we had more time so she could.

In this new chapter i’m looking to music a lot to help heal. i’m well aware its a bandaid and not the end all be all. still i’m so eager to dive into it and feel through whatever it is i’m feeling. I could use the healing.