My music.............

 Growing up my parents would have these house parties were my uncles, aunts, and friends of my parents would come thru, and have a good  time. Often these parties consisted of good music, plenty of drink, and occasionally what i would refer to as "those funny looking cigarettes." The backdrop for these parties was the music. I mean the good shit to!!! Sam Cook,  The Temptations, Johnny Taylor(oooh my momma loved some Johnny Taylor!), The Dramatics, Curtis Mayfield, Ashford & Simpson, and what liquor and pot filled party would be complete without Rick James! At the time i was only about 7 or 8, but i remember clearly being the kid that couldn't sleep, because i wanted to see what the grown-ups were up to. I'm not saying that i understood what was going on, but the seed was planted. And almost guaranteed the next morning was what i referred to as the cleaning party.  Saturday mornings my mother would open the front door, put on something to the effect of Smokey Robinson, or even some Parliment Funkadelic, and everyone in the house had to get up and clean. this was the case until my parents split up and eventually got divorced. We moved in with my grandfather, which meant all that secular shit had to go. So now we are listening to gospel, i mean that real salvation type stuff ya dig!!!!!!!! Bout this time i'm around 10 or 11, and one of my grandfather's favorites was Sam Cook! Every Sunday it was 'a change gonna come' or 'jesus gave me water' But occasionally i would go to see my kinfolk in the adjacent city and they would be jammin some Atlantic Starr, Zapp ft. Roger, or the like... Oh i forgot to mention i had an older brother who was totally into rap. I was getting music from all angles.