“The first record I ever got my hands on was Elton John’s Greatest Hits. My dad got it for his 17th birthday back in ’75 and wanted to show me what a true artist was.”
“I think I was probably about 7 or 8. I had JUST started to realize that I was actually good at singing, and my father and I shared a special bond over music. He loved to share his love and passion for art with me at all times, and show me his favorite vocalists that inspired him, and in turn inspired me.
The first song he played me off that record was “Candle In The Wind.” I remember that feeling I had listening to the lyrics sink deep into my soul and hearing the age that only time brings to vinyl like that.
I think my old man also had a couple Pink Floyd vinyl records. The Dark Side of The Moon was the record that helped me realize that music is what I was born to do. I was a little older at this point, probably around 10 or 11. I remember my dad would come home after a long, stressful day at work, go down to the basement, turn on that old Pink Floyd record and just sit in the darkness while the music soothed his racing mind.
From that day forward, that record did the same thing for me every time I was having a rough day. To this day, I STILL listen to that record and it chases all my blues away. There’s something about David Gilmour’s lyrics and melodies that is incomparable to any other band I’ve ever heard. Those wailing guitars and psychedelic synths just melt me.
There are no troubles in the world when that old, crackly vinyl plays.”
—Brittney Shields
