“Grandma was a blues head. All day, she’d listen to the likes of B.B. King, Johnnie Taylor, and Aretha Franklin. Roaming around cleaning, cooking, and humming, she’d only stop briefly to switch 45s to the next iconic vinyl – those giants I still listen to today.”
“I really didn’t understand the notion of that music thing. To me, it was just noise in the background that kept me from hearing the conversations between Grandma and – well, anyone she was talking to. But I was fascinated by the little shiny black circle thingies that produced such a sound.
I made every excuse imaginable to tamper with the records, of course at the dismay of my grandma. I can hear her now: “Chaudrian, be careful ’round my records.” We couldn’t afford a decent contraption to store them, so Grandma would remove each vinyl from its sleeve and place it on a spool. I would routinely take them back off of the spool and group them by the colors in the middle of the record – likely the beginning of my anal ways.
I’ll never forget beckoning Grandma into the room as though it was a true emergency. She frantically entered with a look of terror ready to fix any problem I had. “Grandma,” I said, smiling with my eyes “can I put the records in ABC order?” She just shook her head, mouth slightly twisted, and said “Yes, Chaudrian. But don’t you break nothing!” I heeded her warnings with complete compliance knowing just how important they were to her. But at that point, I was too young to understand their significance.
CeCe Teneal – Work
As I grew older and her records continued to spin, I began hearing the sounds as music. I memorized the lyrics having absolutely no idea of their meaning, but life quickly remedied my obliviousness. Once my life made each lyric live, it all made sense: Grandma’s records were more than just little shiny black circle thingies that I shouldn’t break; they were her courage in the face of obstacles, strength in the time of weakness, and hope when the future was bleak. The lyrics gave her boldness, even if it was fleeting, and sassiness, even if it was undercover.
Vinyl was her stabilizer, and she became mine. So, when I think about my first date with vinyl, I think about the role it played in her survival and undoubtedly, the role it played in mine.”
—CeCe Teneal
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