MMario:

I didn't know the story of how my parents met until I was well into my fifties. One summer when I was home visiting my family, we were sitting out in the front lawn in our lawn chairs, and Mom happened to mention Corrine. I'd never heard the name before. Then the whole story came about my Dad and Corrine (ended up in another song that I wrote.. Montana.) Dad was going with Corrine before he met Mom, but Corrine's family moved out to Montana and my Father drove all the way there from Wisconsin in his Model T, trying to convince her to come back.

As long as we were on a roll, I tried to find out more about how my Mom and Dad met, and was told the basic story that started this thread. After I wrote the song, Mom fessed up and told me that she had been engaged to Alfred when she met my Father. (She had left that little bit of information out of the story when she told it that day sitting in our lawn chairs.

I don't know why it took so long for my parents to tell the story of how they met. Maybe because I've never asked, or shown any particular interest. I have to laugh at my family now. They want to tell me family stories in hopes that I will put them in to a song.

How my Grandparents met is more of a mystery, because none of their kids ever questioned them.

I happen to love these family stories. Last year at the NOMAD festival, I did a workshop titled A Family Album Of Songs. It was great fun for me, doing a photo album with corresponding song lyrics as the text.

Before my Father died, I got him to answer a series of questions on tape, and it is a treasured piece of family history.

Gather it while you can..

Jerry