Learning As A Lifestyle – Songs Of The Sixties

On Saturday, February 27, the Center for Lifelong Learning will host a performance called Songs of the Sixties by the Athens State Community Chorus and the Decatur Civic Chorus. The show will take place in the Sandridge Student Center Ballroom on the Athens State University campus. Dinner will be served from 6:00pm-7:00pm, and Sounds of the Sixties concert will be from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Tickets are available at the Center for Lifelong Learning for $25, which includes your dinner and the show. Get your tickets by Thursday, February 25!

I am really excited about this concert. The Sixties were my era. My prom song was Crimson and Clover, by Tommy James and the Shondells. I can put a memory on most of the songs from that time period.

In the sixties, there was music from Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Pat Boone, The Highwaymen, Chubby Checkers and Frank Sinatra. And as I sit here writing this, a flood of favorite songs are coming back to me.

Do you remember Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini? It was a song from 1960 written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. The song was released by Brian Hyland with an orchestra conducted by John Dixon. It was about a shy girl going to the beach in a bikini for the first time. Boy, how I could relate! Bikinis were so skimpy after all those one-piece bathing suits.

Maybe you don’t remember that one, but what about Travelin’ Man by Ricky Nelson? I know you remember Ricky Nelson. His whole family was on television in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (mom and dad). Ricky and his brother David were not the stars, but they provided enough entertainment so that they were interesting to watch. Besides, Ricky was SOOOO CUTE when I was a teenager. I could just listen all day – “I’m a travelin’ man, I’ve made a lot of stops all over the world, And in every port I own the heart, Of at least one lovely girl…..”

Maybe the early sixties are too early for you to remember. What about 1968? That is when Otis Redding did (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay. Or maybe you remember Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel. How about Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C. Riley?

I know you remember I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. That song was used in a popular commercial for raisins in 1986. It was a commercial made for California Raisins and had raisins dancing and singing “I heard it through the grapevine.” It was very popular for several years. Burger King even had California Raisins as the toy in their kids’ meals.

Whatever the song, I am sure you can sing along with me during the concert. Don’t forget to get your tickets by February 25. And if you have not gotten your registration in for the Women’s Symposium – Leadership Next: Defying Gravity — on March 2, you will need to do that by February 25, too.

We are doing so much at the Center for Lifelong Learning. Whether you like travel, want to take classes, or need professional development courses, the Center is the place to never stop learning. Just check out the web site – www.athens.edu/CLL or call us at 256-233-8260.

And remember, we are all over social media. You can follow us on Instagram at centerforlifelonglearning. You can tweet us at ASU Center@CLLatASU, or you can like us on Facebook at Center for Lifelong Learning at Athens State University.
By: Wanda Campbell