What a delight to read these posts! Some of the songs mentioned would go on my tape too... Take Five being one that I associate with "discovering" jazz. Actually, as far as I know, it had already been discovered.

Skokian by the Bullawayo Sweet Rhtyhm Band was another eye opener for me. It opened a whole world of African music to me, and it still sounds as exciting as it di the first time that I heard it.

Rock Island Line by Lonnie was another key moment in my life. The Rock River flows through my home town in Southern Wisconsin and it flows down to join the Mississippi at Rock Island. And the Rock Island line, she goes down to New Orleans. You know. Up until Lonnie, most of the folk I'd heard was "nice" and parent-friendly, like Burl Ives, or heavily laundered, like the Kingston Trio. That's not to knock either of them. I just hadn't heard folk music motor the way Lonnie did it. The energy he brought to that song was really exciting and it gave me a whole new perspective on folk music, long before I heard any real traditional, older recordings.

Lonnie was on my play list, right in between Gene Vincent and The Fendermen doing Mule Skinner Blues. It all rocked.

Jerry