I grew up in a great neighborhood in Chicago called Uptown. It was two blocks from Lake Michigan and near a park district (Margate) recreation center where I went as a child every day after school. I attended tap and ballet, drama and art classes there. I believe this experience of being so immersed in the arts as a young girl had a major influence on me.
I don't often think of those days but there is a club house where I played today that reminds me somewhat of a place I'd imagine being in Chicago. It has a real inner city feeling to it with people of all different ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Today was a typical summer afternoon at the clubhouse where folks sat in the cafe playing cards and relaxing. I got out my guitar and started singing songs like, "My Girl", "Lean on Me", "Stand by Me".
This led to a conversation about the old Motown songs and I sang, "Love Child" by the Supremes and "Bernadette" by the Four Tops. Both songs are the kind that you have to belt out to do it justice and I was having fun imitating the singers I grew up hearing. I got a lot of laughs as I sang those songs but I could see they were not laughing at me but they were enjoying the moment of reliving those songs with me.
Then I started singing, "House of the Rising Sun" and I made up my own words:
"There is a house in Charlottesville
they call the Blue Ridge Club House
and it's been the ruin of many poor girl
and me, I know I'm one"....
it goes on to tell the tale of the rummy card game and who was winning and losing. Another guy who was watching the game also made up a few verses. Another man gave me two sticks of gum and carried my guitar for me to my car when I was ready to leave.
Sometimes I've wondered, "what if I stayed in Chicago?" and today the experience I had there made me have a taste of sweet home, Chicago again.
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