Music

I am having a racial problem. I came of age during the 50’s listening to Perry Como, Tennessee Ernie Ford and my beautiful, wonderful Pat Boone. I loved Pat Boone with his sweet melodic voice and his white buck shoes. I had his autographed picture on the wall. His music lived in my heart. Today I am a member of the Bowie Senior Chorale. This is a group of mostly white senior citizens who came of age listening to the same music I loved. We are good at singing songs like “Moon River” and “Shenandoah.” Our young and talented director has decided that it is time for us to learn some new music, so now we are preparing to sing Motown for our concert in May. This is not our music. We can’t make our Pat Boone souls sound like Ray Charles and the Rayettes or the Supremes or Stevie Wonder. We are trying and having a good time in stretching our souls into Motown. Can a girl who grew up with Pat Boone learn to sing, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours?”