Music & Family

 This is my mom.

Her name is Deborah Jones. 

She is 54 years old.

I had so much fun interviewing her, and I learned a lot about her.

ME

MOM

What are some of your earliest/favorite memories of music? 

Group dance off, kids “competing” with each other. Dancing with friends. School dances

What did you hear around the house as a kid?

R&B, old school music, gospel

Who was your favorite artist growing up?

Salt and pepper. New addition. Prince. Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.

Have you played a musical instrument?

I played the clarinet, and wished she played the saxophone

What was your favorite song?

Salt and pepper Push it. Prince Purple Rain

What was your favorite era of music? 

Hip hop

How do you feel about current music?

Sometimes I don't understand. Sometimes it is too vulgar. I'm not really a fan of nowadays rap.

What song has impacted your life the most? Why?

We are the world; it helps people come together as one. 

What song do you feel like is yours?

Fantasia truth is

What is music to you?

It brings me peace, relaxation, and soothes me.

Do you like to listen to instrumental music?

Yes, it can make your mind wander when alone and have memories from the past—just listening to it can take you to a different place.

What music has helped you during hard times?

Gospel music, praise, and worship music. It lets me know that no matter what we go through, God is watching over me, and God has got me. It gives me the understanding that things are going to work out. It's like a prayer in music.

What type of music do you listen to now?

Mostly gospel, little R&B, a small amount of rap, and some contemporary

Have you ever been to a concert? If not, have you ever?

Yes, I've been to a couple. It was salt and pepper, and they were singing Push It. I also went to a gospel tour where different gospel artists sing. I also went to Marvin Sease and Sir Charles.

Ever met a famous person in music? Who? What was it like?

Yeah, it was Marvin Sease, Sir Charles, they both sing old school music, blues, and soul singers.

What was the most outlandish piece of music you listened to? 

Hard rap where you can barely understand the raper and head banging heavy metal that is basically just screaming in your ears.

Has your musical taste ever changed?

Oh yeah, less vulgar and cleaner, and more gospel

What's a go-to song?

Chris Brown's new music is any kind of gospel. I'll rise up, Fantasia. Sometimes you've got to lose to win again.

What did your parents think of the music you listened to as a kid?

Turn that s**t off. Some of the lyrics were too grown-up for me at the time.

Were you involved in anything like band or choir in school?

I was in the band and the flag core. In the flag core, you get to make routines to the music the band was playing.

Was there any style or genre of music that was off-limits when you were a kid?

Sexual blues music or grown folks music.

Do you have any regrets about the type of music you listened to when you were younger?

No. I don't regret anything that I've done in my life. If I had never listened to one thing, I could not understand other things that I learned later in life. My only “regret” is not being introduced to more music as a child to help open up my mind more.

As I said at the beginning of my blog post, I had a great time interviewing my mom, and I learned a lot about her. I never thought there were things that I didn't know about my mom. She tells us a lot about her past, so learning that she doesn't have any regrets in her life is an awesome thing to hear.