Featured Essay: Notes From My Mother on the Music of her Life

by Marie Catalano

ed note: I wanted to interview my 86 year old mother for Mother’s Day, about her love of music and other things. I sent her a list of questions and she sent me back basically an essay. I am publishing it as such, as it tells a better story about her than just listing questions would. Enjoy, and Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who celebrates.

First I have to tell you that I have been an avid music fan from about age three. My parents were definitely into music. All our family events centered around the radio or the piano. I remember sitting in a fluffy ruby colored chair, “watching” the radio and listening to Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, etc. I remembered the words to every song and how they were sung.  Big bands and pop. My house was always filled with music.  

When I was 15 things started to change.  There was this guy named Elvis making the scene.  At that time we moved from Brooklyn to West Islip (Long Island), and along with the change of address came the change in music.  We had an unfinished basement where my sister Anne and I would listen to rock and roll music with Alan Freed and the Moondog show. (We weren’t allowed to listen to it where my father could hear it). It was a whole new world for us.  The songs  had a rhythm we never heard before.  We listened to WINS NY and WKBW from Buffalo, when we could get it.   

We always had our own record players.  And tape recorders.  Gigantic, with those reels of tape.  

We loved all the groups we heard. It’s impossible to pick favorites because there were so many.  We mostly listened black groups, whose harmony to this day is unmatched. The songs were about love, or loss of love.  Melodic and sentimental.  Some silly ones we had fun with.  White artists covered a lot of them but they were bland and unmoving. To this day I hate to hear those covers played. 

My wedding song was “Because of You” by Tony Bennett.  We didn’t pick it.  The band leader did.  That wasn’t such a big deal in those days. But our favorite song to dance to still is “Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles.  It’s the first song we ever danced to so that’s “our song.”

We used to drive around Bay Shore in my convertible with the top down and the radio blasting, especially when “Come Go With Me” by the Del Vikings was on the radio.  Or Jerry Lee Lewis. Or anybody. 

I still have all my records stored in my attic. LPs, 45s, 78s. My preferred method of listening to music is still the radio, but on Sirius because there are no ads.  

My favorite song to remember is still “Since I Don’t Have You” by the Skyliners.  We went to Coney Island every Friday night, and that song was always playing sometime during the trip. Still love it.

Anne and my friend Eleanor, and sometimes Karen and I used to go to the city to see rock and roll shows. We’d get up at 4 AM so my Dad could take us in when he left for work.  We’d go to Aunt Mary’s house and she’d make us breakfast.  Then we’d take the train to Brooklyn. Skorous Theatre, or the Paramount in NYC, or many other venues, we’d get to see a movie and then the live show, usually hosted by Alan Freed.  We saw some of the greatest singers of the day, groups that  wound up spanning half a century, or more!  We missed a couple of acts but the one artist I’m sorry I never saw is Elton John, of all people.

I really got into Pink Floyd after they peaked.  It was probably late 80s-90s.  I listen to Dark Side of the Moon at least once every day. It’s my favorite.

 My other passion is Broadway. The last thing I listened to was Phantom of the Opera.

Mom with her grandsons, who all inhabit her love of music (missing: one granddaughter)

Marie Catalano is 86 years old and lives on Long Island with her husband of 63 years, Angelo. She is an avid music listener, and passed that on to me, for which I am grateful.