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There is one powerful thing that we humans have that transcends war, poverty, and even pandemics. It is the one truly marvelous thing that cannot be taken away from us, nor can it be destroyed. That thing is music.

I grew up in a household with parents who tried their best to make our youthful years enjoyable. Sure they made mistakes along the way, but they never denied us an education, or to have those thing that we truly needed. One of those things was to expose us to cultural events, such as on stage musicals, such as Annie Get Your Gun, starring Ethel Merman; Music Man, starring Forrest Tucker. They took us to a concert by Montovani and his symphony orchestra. We were also treated to evenings of laughter, such as Victor Borge, live on stage. Years later, my dad asked me if my wife and I, and our two children, would like to go to the Showboat Dinner Theater, in Clearwater, Florida, to see a stage performance of The Sound of Music. We had seen the movie, so I wondered how on Earth could such a thing be done on stage. We were not disappointed. Many year later, I got the chance to return the kindness, although my father had died in 1989, my mom was still living. I found out that, who I consider as the world’s greatest comedian, Red Skelton, would be appearing at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, if January of the following year. After my father died, I did all that I could to help my mother overcome the effects of grief, so I knew we both needed to have an opportunity to experience laughter. I asked her if she wanted to go. She did not hesitate. Never in my entire life, and not since then, did I laugh as hard and as much as I did that evening.

My mother was a child prodigy on the piano. She performed in numerous piano recitals and had won several times. She also was invited to perform on the radio on the Baby Rose Marie Show. For those of you who do not know who Baby Rose Marie was, she was a part of the cast on the Dick Van Dyke show. Music was in our household and I developed a love for all the different genres of music…with the exception of Rap music.

So, you ask, what is this all about? I am glad you asked. In the wonderful world of YouTube, I have discovered some musical performances that I truly enjoyed, so I decided to share them here on my website. The first one is perhaps a good example of the power of music. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.