Doo Wop

My youngest son, Carb Addict, is 17. He's also a massive Doo Wop fan, which is quite strange for a teenager. But then he's pretty severely autistic so most things about him are strange. Unlike most teens, autistic people don't go through phases - they have lifelong obsessions and Carb Addict has been into Doo Wop for about...oooh, 14 years. Now that's just lovely by me cos I love 50s music too. I'm a 60s baby but my folks were into rock 'n' roll, none of this Beatles malarkey (though I do like a bit of Mersey Beat every now and then). So I grew up on Elvis, Jerry Lee, Little Richard....Patsy Cline was a big favourite of my dad's too. I remember as a kid craving for a pair of boots like she's wearing here.

I was struck this evening as I ironed some of Mr Charming's Slipknot t-shirts ('You cannot kill what you did not create!') by how much music has changed over the years. Yes, singers still sing about love and heartbreak and wanting to be with someone forever but nothing can beat the innocence, tenderness and sheer yearning of some of those oldies. Which is why Carb Addict, Mr Charming and Red were brought up on the sweet sounds of the Golden Age of Rock and Roll. There's something about it, maybe something mysterious and genetic that makes whoever hears it want to tap their foot or get up and jive. Or just listen and think 'I know exactly how that feels'.

So I'm happy to listen along with Carb Addict to 'The Essential Doo Wop Collection'. I can do without him playing the intro of his current favourite 50 times in a row but that's another story. See what you think of 'Mr Sandman'.