My Dad's Record Collection

 There were two things my Dad passed down to me: his love of sports (New York Jets, Soccer) and a small, but eclectic record collection  Those would be vinyl and a few 8-tracks. I absorbed all of it, because it was usually the only physical music I laid my hands on as a youngster. 

Later, as my own collection grew, my Dad often looked in awe at the burgeoning shelves of CD's or vinyl that populated my music room.  One regret I have is not telling him how much his records played a part in my own eclectic musical tastes.

In the late 90's/early 00's my parents made several trips to my Mom's birthplace in Munich, Germany.  They stayed at the same hotel, and my Dad would bring homemade CD's for the bartenders to play. I would supply the CD's for him to make copies of many of his favorite Pop singers like Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Tom Jones, etc. 

Below is a list, as I remember it, of his record collection.  Lots of Country and Pop vocalists.  When I was a toddler, and he was stationed in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, my Dad would take the family to many Country music concerts that came through town.  A lot of the Country names below were the ones we saw (have to admit I was so young, I barely remember going to those shows). Most of these titles are from the early 70's.

(Vinyl Albums/CD's)

Bobby Bare - Real Thing
Charley Pride - 10th Album
Charley Pride - Sings Heart Songs
Charlie Rich - Tomorrow Night
Charlie Rich - Very Special Love Songs
Chuck Berry - San Francisco Dues
Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn - Louisiana Woman/Mississippi Man
Dave Dudley - Keep On Truckin'
Don Gibson - Snap Your Fingers
Elvis Presley - Aloha From Hawaii
Elvis Presley - Elvis (1973)
Elvis Presley - Legendary Performer Vol. 2
Elvis Presley - Raised On Rock
Elvis Presley - Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas
Engelbert Humperdinck - After The Lovin'
Engelbert Humperdinck - Christmas Tyme
Fabulous 50's (1954-59) - Various
Fifth Dimension -Age of Aquarius
Frank Sinatra - Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back
George Jones & Tammy Wynette - Let's Build A World Together
Hank Williams Jr. - After You/Pride's Not Hard To Swallow
Jerry Lee Lewis - Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough
Jerry Reed - Lord Mr. Ford
Jim Ed Brown - Morning
John Denver - Rocky Mountain High
Johnny Cash - Ragged Old Flag
Johnny Mathis - I'm Coming Home
Johnny Rodriguez - All I Ever Meant To Do Was Sing
Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge - Full Moon
Loretta Lynn - Entertainer of the Year
Louis Armstrong - Golden Greats
Lynn Anderson - Rose Garden
Merle Haggard - His 30th Album
Merle Haggard - If We Make It Through December
Merle Haggard - Okie From Muskogee
Neil Diamond - Tap Root Manuscript
Sammy Davis Jr. - Now
Shirley Bassey - Never, Never, Never
Tom Jones - Body and Soul of
Tom Jones - Greatest Hits (bought at his concert which my parents attended in late 70's)
Tom T. Hall - In Search Of A Song
Tommy Overstreet - Heaven Is My Woman's Love
Waylon Jennings - Lonesome, On'ry and Mean

(8 tracks)
Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell  - s/t
Elvis Presley - Love Letters From
Rod McKuen - New Ballads
San Sebastian Strings - The Sea

Songs:  Often my Dad would walk around the house singing a few lines from a random song.  But it was always the same songs.  There are four listed below that he would always sing.  And his favorite lines from each of them.

"Funny How Time Slips Away" - Elvis Presley 

"Well hello there"

"Ain't it funny how time slips away"

"I gotta go now"

"The Party's Over" - Willie Nelson

"Turn off the lights, the party's over" 

"Old Man From The Mountain" - Merle Haggard

"The old man from the mountain's coming home, home, home"

"Get rid of Joe, the grinder, you better be there alone"

"Swinging Doors" - Merle Haggard

"And I've got swinging doors, a jukebox and a bar stool"