When dad was passing away I was looking through pictures, various old boxes and found his “Immigration Support Letter” to the American Embassy. It began with “Dear Sirs,” and that alone gave me tears. He explained how he had a wife, little girl and contacts in the aviation industry, enclosed his resume’ (certified, working AMP Mechanic in England) and explained he had saved $2,000. A required minimum in 1963. A few months rent and food. Dad also enclosed a form with all the detailed info, our names/birthdates, a sponsor’s name in America, etc. We were granted six-month Visas. Blessed, dad found work before the six months were up. You were either granted six more months or sent home. Usually you went home.
The picture in the podcast header is my dad’s last look at the high street in London. I can’t get enough of the vintage shots in album after album at mom’s home. Interestingly, dad put them together, with his writing, until mom took over in the 70’s. As my family grew she would ask me to print “doubles, then take a set and make an album. With spending hours on shooting, designing and delivering wedding albums, delivering portrait jobs, editorial turnarounds, for photography clients, I am eternally grateful for the treasure trove on mom’s shelves. It is an incredible gift to us.
My youngest son organized tons of LP albums in genre order, so I was able to find Trini Lopez’s live recording at P.J.’s, and I believe my parents were there that night, because my dad bought the “live” version of the album. The recording of him singing “America” is also below! Mum (see how I need to switch to “mum”) told me, after we recorded she had submitted a concert review to a music magazine and… one face slap later, we tore through all her writings and never found it. I 100% believe her since these memories are extremely sharp and mom wrote a TON.
Below are also pictures my dad took of various places we went in Southern California, (some my Nana took, one of my parents at Santa Monica Beach and in Las Vegas, after she immigrated here to be with us) with some classics thrown in.
Pick a song below to play and enjoy stepping back in time :)
Thank you so much for subscribing to The Family We Keep… and thank you for joining us. oxox
P.S. At the time of this recording RFK Jr. was still running for the presidency, which is no longer, however, we have hope in his natural ability to recognize human suffering and a “Creator approach” to our beautiful earth, as a leader in some capacity, for working on a healthier America.
The part where her oldest friend said “I’ll never forget seeing your faces smiling at each other when Trini sang “America.” This is the recording!
<If you’re on a computer, quick double-click on any of the videos, then click again, only once. Seems to work this way for me. If it comes up full-screen, hit the escape (esc) key and it’s back to normal - click play button once>
Definitely play the above! It’s awesome! More than likely mum and dad danced to the tunes of Joanie Labine, the first female DJ and sound mixer at the club in 1964. She played records in a suspended booth next to the stage, and got everyone dancing.
Apparently mum and dad were also there for Johnny Rivers first live recording in 1966!
For a hilarious story about my sweet nana click here :)
“The opportunities that America offered made the dream real, at least for a good many; but the dream itself was in large part the product of millions of plain people beginning a new life in the conviction that life could indeed be better, and each new wave of immigration rekindled that dream.” - John F. Kennedy, A Nation of Immigrants
When I think of how much mom and dad went through to come here, it makes me proud we made it.
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