Learning Music From Grandma

When I first learned that I would have to do an interview project with an older person, I immediately thought of my grandma. I knew that she would love to tell me stories about her childhood, and I know that she has seen and done a lot in her ninety years. More than anything, I was excited for the chance to hear stories about her that I never knew. For the first interview, I asked her about her experiences with radio and music. 

My grandma Margaret was born in Michigan in 1928, and was one of six kids. Growing up in the 1930s and the era of the Great Depression, her family did not have a record player, but her grandma did have a wind-up phonograph that she remembers listening to. Although she did not listen to many records growing up, her family did have a radio that was an important part of their daily lives. It was a Philco radio that Grandma describes as “a big tall thing.” It sat in their dining room, and the

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Abbott_and_Costello_1950s.JPG

family would gather around it together to listen to whatever was on. They did not get many stations, but she remembers some of the programs they enjoyed, including Fibber McGee and Molly, The Shadow Knows, and Abbott and Costello. Her father was an avid news listener who got most of his news from the radio.

Interestingly, that radio is still in the family. My great-uncle has it at his house, and says it was still working when it was put into retirement. It dates to the early 1930’s, and cost about seventy dollars, which is equivalent to about $1,000 today. 

Back of radio 

Photo © Bob Gamache.

 Used by permission

Front of radio 

Photo © Bob Gamache. 

Used by permission

Without a record player, the family listened to most of their music on the radio. A popular program was The Hit Parade, which was a top ten countdown of the most popular songs. I enjoyed hearing about that because I watched a lot of music countdown shows on TV when I was younger, and I sometimes listen to them today. I think it is interesting that that has been a part of our country’s popular culture for so long. 

Although remembering specific songs and artists was harder for Grandma, she did come up with a few names right away. As soon as I started asking about music, she mentioned The Andrews Sisters, along with one of their songs, “Don’t sit under the apple tree.”

The Andrews Sisters, LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty 

 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/The_Andrews_Sisters_1952.JPG

Another song that she named right away was “Hallelujah, I’m a bum.” After the interview, I found both these songs on YouTube and listened to them. The sound was exactly what I expected from music of that era based on what I have seen and heard in movies and TV shows. The slightly canny sound of the voices and the smooth instrumentals really seem to reflect that time. Other artists that Grandma mentioned were Kate Smith and Benny Goodman, who were both very popular at the time. 

Listening to the radio was a family affair. All the kids would gather together during the evenings and listen to the programs. It was especially popular as a summer evening pastime. Some nights, however, they would go to a local park and listen to live bands play. Those nights were popular community events, since Grandma says “there wasn’t much else to do” in their small town. These concerts featured a variety of music, mostly instrumental. Since the park was close to their house, the family could just take a short walk to enjoy some evening entertainment. 

After my grandma graduated high school, she and her twin sister moved to Chicago to get jobs to help with the war effort. They had a small radio there that they listened to music on, but they had to keep it down because of the other girls who lived in their tenant house. 

Several decades later, some things have stayed the same. Radio has been a fixture at my grandparents’ house for as long as I can remember.  After spending the night at their house when I was little, I would always wake up to the sound of the local news coming from the radio in the kitchen. At lunch, we would sit together while the local country station played in the background. Listening to classic country music at my grandparent’s house inspired my love for the genre. To this day, I still listen to the songs that used to play on their old RCA radio, and hearing them takes me back to that time. Of course, now I listen to those songs as playlists from apps on my phone. A lot has changed in the world of media; most of my music consumption comes from on-demand sources like Spotify and YouTube, and the presets on my car’s radio. No longer are we at the mercy of a few radio stations playing programs at set times. 

Even though the ways in which we consume media have changed, the reasons for it have stayed mostly the same. Just as we typically go to our TVs for entertainment in the evenings today, my grandma and her family would do the same with radio. It was their source of broadcast entertainment, how they stayed connected to the world beyond their home. After all, that is why we consume media. It allows us to experience something bigger and connect with others, all from our own homes. 

In just one short interview with my grandma, I learned a lot about her and our world as it was many years ago. Listening to her stories gave me a better appreciation for today’s media, as well as perspective on how far we have come. My grandma represents “The Greatest Generation,” so I know that hearing and preserving her stories are important. I can’t wait for our next interview, when I will get to learn more about her through her media experiences.