I think most people know that I am a fan of John Prine because of my dad. My friends and family love to send me John Prine stuff. Usually it is a cover, or an article, and I definitely appreciate those things that always make me think of my dad, but it would be nice if people remembered that Charlie Croyle also loved other music.
Dad liked all kinds of music, he primarily listened to rock ‘n roll, but he enjoyed all the different sub-genres. He obviously liked John Prine and Bob Dylan, but you know who else he loved? Billy Idol and AC-DC. He could jam out to Foreigner and Pat Benatar. Oh and you know what? He loved O.A.R. and Live. Later in life he would get really into Johnny Cash (I think one of our last musical discussions was about Cash’s gospel music from one of his albums, I do not remember), and he became more of a country fan.
So join me on this journey of some of Dad’s music…
Dad subscribed to the Time Life Collection CDs. You know, they would send one each month from a different year. I remember 1958 being one of the best, and I know he loved singing Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace.”
He loved The Beatles, I mean who didn’t that was his age. I remember when the Anthology albums were released, we listened to them constantly. In particular, I recall the second one coming out and Dad listening to “Norwegian Wood” and the string version of “Eleanor Rigby” all the time. I am 99% sure he forced everyone to listen to the beauty of those strings.
My dad enjoyed great guitarists. It was always weird to me that he did not play guitar. I wonder if he ever tried. Random side story. People love to say that I am smart like him. I am not. I am smart, but my intelligence and his were totally different. I read way more than him. I loved learning facts, hell I still do. I love to read about a variety of subjects. Dad could pick up stuff, and learn it. I cannot watch a video, and then just do something and be good at it. He could see a fly-tying technique, and figure it out. When he made a sign for our camp, he had to paint a rainbow trout. He got a book about painting fish, and it explained how to use like a thousand colors and dabs to create that look. He did it perfectly on the first try. When he started doing carpentry, he quickly became a master because of his ability to just learn how to do stuff. And this is why it is weird to me that he never once picked up a guitar, and had someone show him (my Uncle Jack plays guitar very well). I feel like if he did, he probably would have been good at it. Me? Not a chance, someone tried to show me a chord once, and it was not pretty. Imagine the hot dog people from Everywhere All At Once playing guitar…
Really just a long-winded way for me to mention that Dad really liked Stevie Ray Vaughan…
But then he could bust out some Nitty Gritty Dirt Band…
Once when we were at our camp, a few of his friends wanted to meet up and do a little boozin’ and cruisin’. Now, I was not old enough to drink, also not really old enough to drive, but I was 15, and we were on all dirt roads, so they let me drive. They played this song like five thousand times. Later in life, Dad was at the Jamboree in the Hills, and Alan Jackson played “Little Bitty”, he immediately called me to let me know.
And finally we have 4 Non Blondes. I have to cut this short, I could probably post about songs all night. Who wants to read something that long? He heard the song “What’s Up” on MTV one night while flipping channels, and loved it, but then forgot the name. He was explaining the song, and singing it a bit, but it was really new at this point, so not many people knew it. Then one day, he spots it on MTV again, he wrote down the band, and went to a music store the next day to buy the album.
Think about how ancient all of that sounds. Not knowing a song, having to wait to hear it again, writing it down, driving to a store to buy a CD. Now? You can use something like SoundHound to sing a few lines terribly, and it will tell you the song. Or you could Google a few lyrics. Then ask Alexa to play the song. Or whatever streaming service you use. A different world.
I hope you enjoyed this little stroll down memory lane. Let me know of other songs my dad love that may surprise people.
