I have searched for countless hours through family records, Ellis Island passenger lists and various county records of births and deaths, to trace my heritage. Thinking of how my great-grandparents arrived in America, their hearts filled with hopes and dreams, I also ponder on thoughts of how I share a heritage of some sort with those who were native to this land. Like the Hopewell, the Adena and decedents of French explorers, I too, was born here in Ohio, brought into the world along
the Great Hopewell Road, in Newark, on October 28th of 1953.
My father built our home in a small valley, nestled in the shadows of tall walnut trees and ground-covered with wild honeysuckle. Some of my most treasured moments during childhood were picking violets, cycling over the hills and round the bends of historic farms, not to mention the fun of hiking over worn wooded paths, once traveled by Johnny Appleseed.
Being the granddaughter of a big band leader, I am the successor to a love affair with the piano, any piano. The sound of his Starr studio grand stills resonates, along with holiday memories of family encircled around it, singing at the tops of our voices, as he performed Good King Wenceslas . . . his favorite.
Leo Reichert and his Orchestra traveled the Midwest, accompanying greats like the Andrews Sisters. If only I could share band stories with him now and hear about the days when they traveled unpaved Ohio roads during the Depression, drawing immense crowds at the famed Crystal Ballroom and when Ray Bolger, who played the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, bounced my father on his knee.
He would hear my stories of touring the United States, performing in clubs and showrooms. If only I could ask him if his dreams ever came true or if he ever wrote a song that he hoped would one day become a hit.
My mother’s father was an Ohio farmer, who watched his dreams come true every year from his gardens to his greenhouse. He taught me about the importance of where one comes from. His inspiration carved out the creation of one of the lyric lines in my song, “Down By the Yellow Corn”. It is something that he would have said if the subject of traveling abroad would have ever arisen. “I don’t need Paris, just the place where I was born, down by the yellow corn”. (He’s probably in heaven now, laughing at me and thinking of how foolish my thoughts are and most likely of how he dreamed of seeing Paris someday.)
Fortunately for me, I witnessed the induction of Wilfred Powell into the
Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame as the oldest living exhibitor of vegetables
and wheat, proudly sharing his story of how he was only 11 when he won
a blue ribbon for a peck of tomatoes. His induction-award was a wall clock in
the shape of the state of Ohio and it might as well have been made of gold. I remember seeing him hold it tightly in his arms, then pointed out to me,
“see, it’s in the shape of the State of Ohio . . . ain’t that grand?!”
Before high-school graduation, an audition for a lead vocalist in a local rock band, led me into a whirlwind of several years on the road, playing piano and singing a variety of music. Returning to Ohio, an offer to broadcast my own program on the radio was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. My days at WHTH-WNKO Radio were a wonderful proving ground, relating to an audience that I couldn’t see in front of me. By 1981, I had been offered an on-air position at WTVN Radio in Columbus, presenting an all-night music/talk program, reaching audiences as far north as Windsor, Canada. Three years later, I accepted a midday air shift at
WBNS Radio, having the honor of becoming the first female voice
in daytime radio in central Ohio.
Nashville opened my eyes once again to the universe of songwriting and the importance of the writer. The Nashville community has been very supportive and I am so grateful to the Bluebird Cafe, where my music has been heard and I'm thankful that I have gone this far, never being a Nashville resident. I have now shared so much there, not only with the writing community,
but also with its literary organizations.
In 1990, I returned to radio broadcasting once again, as Program Director for
WIJY Radio in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Hilton Head captured my heart and what a rare opportunity it was to have a radio job in "paradise." In Hilton Head, I had the honor and priviledge to interview Payne Stewart and Martina Navratilova, in addition to broadcasting live from the tower over Stadium Court, as Jennifer Caprioti was first introduced to the world in the Family Circle Classic. The more I did broadcast remotes with live musicians on Calibogue Sound or by the lighthoue in Harbourtown, my heart yearned again and again to return to music.
This time, it was another homecoming to the fields of corn and
the scent of the falling leaves in the Ohio autumn.
In July of 1992, I lost the love of my life, my dearest friend, Charlie,
who had been with me since 1973. I was certain that he would live to see twenty.
We met in a pet store in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he was immediatley introduced to a life on the road, filled with the constant playing of music,
singing and humming. Whenever he heard the slightest sound of the clinking of
car keys, he would insist on accompanying me, always ready for another adventure.
Every note and every word of my music is dedicated
to the white dog with brown ears and big brown eyes. Those eyes that
blinked against the rush of air, as his head and sometimes half of his body were stationed through the car window. There are still times when I
reach over and put the window down, knowing his spirit is still there in the seat next to mine. Songs For Charlie Music celebrates its 10th year in October of 2002.
Once I read a wonderful statement in a book that said, "where the music takes you". I believe that my life to this point can be best explained in those five words. It has not only led me back home, but it has transported me
to a very magical place . . . writing for children.
What a wonderful way to re-live one's childhood and in many, many ways. And, what better place but here, where I was born and raised in Ohio.
My musical-reading programs for schools and libraries have built the foundation for where I am today, preparing for Ohio’s Bicentennial in 2003. Doing the research, creating songs and writing the programs for "O" is for Ohio, has given me the opportunity to get to know our land, it's history and it's people. Me, the kid who hated history in grade school, especially memorizing dates, (which I'm still working at diligiently), can't get enough Ohio history! However, I promise not to burden you with too many "did ya knows?". Just pour a glass of refreshing lemonade and click on the Ohio Links page to discover some "cool" Ohio facts for yourself.
You'll be proud to be here . . . to be from Ohio!
Celeste Reichert Friedman
