Gracie and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Part One)

Gracie arises from her hotel bed well rested. Her friend advised her that as woman traveling alone she should: always pick a hotel with a lobby; click on more than one floor on an elevator; and never stay on the first floor.  Locking the doors is a no-brainer and Gracie sometimes sets up a booby trap as she is such a deep sleeper and a bit paranoid at times.  With WiFi and breakfast provided she prepares for a fun day because in 40 minutes she will dance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.  Gracie is more than ready to embrace their mission, which is “[to] engage, teach, and inspire through the power of rock and roll.”*

Courtesy Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

She finds parking and joyfully approaches the beautiful geometric museum designed by I.M. Pei – in and of itself a sight to behold.  She stops and asks someone to take a picture of her as she has not yet mastered the art of taking selfies.  Besides, it gives her a chance to interact with people:  Why did you come? Have you ever been here before? Where are you from?

Entering an exhibit of Early Influences, Gracie sees the names of Les Paul (Inducted 1988) and Mary Ford she puts on the head set, she presses a button and begins softly singing along to "How High the Moon."  All at once she is whisked back to her grandparents sun porch.  She sees the wall with the built-in bookcase made for her father, a gift from his mother to house his many books.  In her mind's eye, she sees the century plants on top of the radiator, which still survive in their original pots.  Across from the radiator is the
couch and chair where on could sit and listen to the most important piece of furniture in the entire room:  the stereo.  She feels comforted that many of the sun porches’ furnishings, including the bookcase, are now in her home.

Gracie's record collection includes Muddy Waters (Inducted 1987) the Ink Spots (Inducted 1889), Louis Armstrong, (Inducted 1990), and Mahalia Jackson (Inducted 1997). Mahalia was a major inspiration to Gracie, showing her that singing is a way to let your emotions take flight.  Jackson enjoyed her Baptist religion and she expressed the hope of the gospel message with her remarkable voice.  Mahalia said that "Rock and roll was stolen out of the
sanctified church."* She influenced

Gracie to stand up and speak up for what she believed in whether political views, faith, or a love of music and performing.  Who would have thought that listening to music on that little sun porch would instill what became lifelong values? 

Gracie remembers performing.  She started off in minstrel show and though people now view that form of entertainment as racist, Gracie did not experience it as such.  Gracie grew up surrounded by family and neighbors who were involved in many aspects of entertainment.  They performed in vaudeville, minstrel shows, variety shows, and musical reviews, sometimes as soloists, and accompanists.  They also worked as directors and choreographers.  One of her relatives was a member of the Honey Girls’ Quartet whose picture often graced the posters advertising their performances. This famous quartet performed often and practiced in their homes as that's the only way Gracie could hear them as she didn't get to attend the performances.  These were contemporary forms of musical expression.  Her family enjoyed and were influenced by both black and white performers over a broad spectrum of styles include jazz, country, blues, and more, so racial prejudice wasn't part of her experience.

As a child she was very tiny and was nicknamed “Splinter” because she was too small to be a chip off the old block.  It wasn't until later in life that she realized one of the main reasons she really liked performing was when she walked on stage, in spite of her diminutive stature, she was in control; she was powerful.  She was safe and free from abuse of any sort.  You just can’t be abused when you are out in the open in front of the flood lights and feeling their warmth.  She was on stage under a spotlight her abusers were behind her and in front of her but they couldn't touch her or verbally assault her.  Gracie knows from sad experience that the damage done by verbal abuse takes longer to heal than the scars left by physical abuse.

Original stereo

She returns to the present and leaves the early influences part of the museum thinking about how her childhood experiences affected her life, for good and ill. Eventually, after years of work, she is dealing with it and making those memories part of her story. It is what it is and you can’t shut the door on the past but it’s not good to live there either. 

In a way, isn't that what comes about in all or our lives? Coming to terms with the good, the bad, the highlights, the dark, the disappointments, the lonely parts and the lovely parts of our lives makes us who we are.  No one gets though this life unscathed. At one point or another we all live through something we didn't want to go through and we didn't planned.  Woody Allen once said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” Gracie believes that if God laughs, then surely He weeps as well.

*Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum website

Copyright © 2015 Martina Sabo