From my earliest memories, music has been a major part of my families activities and traditions.

Before I was born, my father’s family traveled all over north Mississippi during the depression putting on shows at local high schools. My grandfather played the fiddle, my aunt played the piano, and my Dad played eight instruments and sang.

Additionally, my uncle was a comedian and my grandmother sold tickets at the door for a nickel each. As my dad said “no one had much money, but they were so starved for entertainment they could scrape up a nickel to see the show.”

My mother said that the first time she saw my Dad he was singing “My Blue Heaven”, “I’m looking over a Four Leaf Clover” and “The Isle of Capri” at a nearby high school. She said that she fell in love with him that night and knew she would marry him someday.

Dad was invited to sing at the Mississippi Pavilion at the 1933 World Fair in Chicago. However, getting there was his problem. He talked a fiddle playing friend into going with him and they hitch-hiked from Pontotoc in Mississippi to Chicago, Illinois.

He said that when he arrived in every town in the late evening he would go to the Mayor and offer for the two of them to play for a local dance that night for a room, supper and breakfast. He was never turned down!

During World War II he was classified 1A but instead of being drafted, was hired by the Defense Department to go to the Meridian Military Base and provide entertainment and special programs to the troops.

The base was reorganized in 1943, and my Dad lost his job so we moved to Mobile, Alabama. Dad went to work at Smith Bakery there and soon became a route driver. Back then the bread was delivered before the stores opened so he finished his job every day at around 9:00 am.

From 1944, until 1952, my Dad would come home on Friday, get in our car, and drive to New Orleans where he would sing at Pat O’Briens Night Club on Friday and Saturday nights. He would then return home on Sunday.

In 1952, my Dad came home and informed me that he had quit the night club job the night before since he wanted to be involved in my teen age activities. Although he stopped singing professionally, he never even considered quitting what he loved so much and was so good at.

I recently had a man, that was in the music business, tell me that “Elvis had the most memorable voice he ever heard, but your Dad’'s was a very close second”. He began singing in our church choir and soon was Choir Director. Due to health problems he finally had to give that up but continued to sing in church until the week he passed away.

All of us have Christmas Memories tucked away in our mind but my favorite one was unique.

Every Christmas we would load our car and drive the three hundred miles from Mobile to Pontotoc and then home again. We all got great food and welcome presents but I got to lay in the back seat of our car and listen to my Dad sing Christmas carols both ways. Christmas has never been as sweet to me as it was back then.

© Janie Moser November 2009
As written by Charlie Baldwin
Photo © Charlie Baldwin

Many thanks to Doris Fuller, of Graphic Design By Doris for the creation of this webset using a photo of Charlie's dad and his sister.