Making Early Connections
by Michael Doyle

Growing up, living in the shadow of war,
There was hope, but little more.
Utopian dreams grew from anxiety.
There was no surrender to the complexity.

America offered her roots, rock, and blues.
Trains were rolling over blue suede shoes.
Memphis electrified its rocking guitars,
While young British boys dreamed of being stars.

Lonnie Donegan with his skiffle beat,
Took the folk into rock, lifted off the streets.
Transfixing country and blues into freedom,
It was an offering of hope to the United Kingdom.

Allowed or not, guitars brought music to the rise,
And with a few melodic runs, there was no real surprise.
Vaudeville and music brought the boys from the start
Until it caught on in their stalwart hearts. 

 With no disrespect meant to the fathers,
Little Richard's voice knocked it out of the water.
Shaking all over as the girls moved closer to connect,
It was a shuffle that came to dramatically affect.

There were songs played with a sultry roll,
From out of the backbeat, the Shadows stole the show.
The church of the corrupt souls led to the slam,
Most of it was an improvised, deeply felt jam.

Something was rocking and always going on,
From the rhythm to the harp of Sonny Boy Williamson.
No one could keep this business to themself,
And records kept selling like hotcakes off the shelves.

James Brown's drums held the feel of the hard beat
That brought a musical riot to the city streets.
Two sticks beat the tempo, pound after pound.
John Bonham knew exactly what was to be found.

Here came the players with their electric guitars,
With stars in their eyes, they dreamt of being stars.
Whatever it took to find the height of that beat,
These boys would rock, hanging out on the streets.

Studio sessions were magical and somewhat legendary
To be played out accurately and with efficiency.
Cutting teeth with improvised parts in the section,
This was the beginning of many a connection. 

(c) September 3, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved