One Year. One Song. Each Day.

Where it started...

Music has been a huge part of my life.

I grew up in a musical family. My mom and grandmother both played piano, leading the singing of hymns every weekend in church. I played trumpet and guitar when I was younger. Guitar up into my 20s, playing in multiple bands.

Aside from playing instruments and performing, I was constantly listening to music. I loved listening to music, of all decades and all genres. Discovering a new (old) band was the best.

I grew up in the decades of cassette tapes and CDs, spending my allowance on both. I remember losing hours looking at the inserts with unique pictures or art and reading the lyrics to every song.

But lets talk about mixtapes! If I didn't have an album of an artist with a song I liked, I would wait by the radio with a blank cassette in the stereo ready to hit record as the DJ announced the tracks. There was something that still feels so right about this, making me smile.

I grew up and had kids...

I'm older now, and don't have the time I once did to explore and discover new bands or learn the story behind a song. I wanted to find a way to relive the magic of my youth, finding excitement in the music.

I have two kids. A 16-year old daughter and a 9-year old son. Both love their music. But, music is different now. The sound is different. The meaning of the lyrics are different. It's not bad, just... different. Also, how did we get to Cardi B or Imagine Dragons? Who inspired them?

I thought it would be a fun project to expose my kids to some new music. But, not just artists or songs I like. I want to show them what's out there. Something old, something new, something with piano, violin, trumpets, or no instruments at all. I want to try to tell them the story of how we got here today. Where did Rock start? Rap? Who was Elvis or Cab Calloway and why do they matter? Have you heard the name Ozzy Osbourne, Muddy Waters, John Lennon, or Aretha Franklin?

I want to share with them the history of music. I plan to do that by sharing with them one song, each day, for one year.