A Baby Boomer Remembers His Rock 'n Roll Past
I helped my 11 year old grandson buy his first electric guitar last weekend. Boy, that sure brought back some memories. I first began playing acoustic guitar when I was in my teens but didn't get an electric guitar until I started playing in a Christian band about 25 years ago (wow, can it really be that long!!) There were four of us in that band and three of us wound up going into the ministry. So much for the theory that rock music is the devil's sound! After the band folded a few years later I sold my electric guitar but wound up buying a bass guitar back in the mid-nineties, just as I was getting started with a new church plant in Surprise. Sure enough, we started a little band for the new church and I tried to play the bass, but I found that it was just too complicated to play with the praise band, lead worship and preach, so I reluctantly gave it up. Haven't really played much for the past few years. I didn't realize that I missed it until I played a few chords on Cody's new electric guitar.
So, as I said, it really brought back memories, helping him with tuning it and teaching him some basic chords. Obviously he thought it was very cool that his grandpa (I sure don't feel like a grandpa!) had played electric guitar in a band! I imagine I'll need to buy an acoustic guitar sometime fairly soon (I have an old one but its not in very good condition). I really want music to be a strong part of our new church and until I can find some talented musicians, I may have to inflict my limited skills on my new congregation. Here's hoping I don't scare them off.
Yes, I'm a grandfather, and a proud one at that. I'm also a young looking grandpa (still got all my hair and very little has gone gray). And I still love that old time rock 'n roll. Being a baby boomer, I grew up with it. They say you're only as old as you feel and I still feel young -- which is why I think, with God's help, I still have it in me to start a new church. I guess we'll see what the future holds.