My Mom, The Queen of Cool

 

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

            It’s been a long time since I was a kid. Years and years have come and gone, but so many fond memories as seen through the eyes of a little boy remain. I remember my mom watching a small black and white television as she ironed our clothes in the kitchen. I seem to remember Marlow Thomas’ “That Girl”, as well as a show out of Cincinnati called “The Bob Braun Show” and another program with a host they called “Paul Baby.” My mom would iron our clothes and sometimes talk on the telephone. But amazingly, she never took her eyes off of me. I remember her giving me “Quisp” and “Cap'n Crunch” cereals, and she also gave me SpaghettiOs sometimes for lunch. (On a side note, she recently presented me with my original SpaghettiOs spoon.)

            It was a different world in middle America when I was a little kid. The cars were still awesome, the music was still exciting, and to me at least, the world was wild and wonderful. My mom was in her mid-20s back then, and she seemed to enjoy being with me as I explored my world. I remember she bought an orange-handled butterfly net, and we would chase crawdads in the creek downtown in the park and put them in a Mason jar so I could examine them for a few minutes. She wouldn’t let me take them home for obvious reasons, but believe me when I tell you it was some pretty exciting stuff.

Scott Coner's mother holds her two granddaughters.

            I recall her trying to teach me how to tie my shoes. That must have been frustrating because I was kind of a stupid kid. She would get down on her knees and grab one of my Hush Puppies and “chase the bunny around the tree” a hundred times over. I remember wondering who and why anyone would chase a bunny around a tree. But, like I have told you, I have never been a very bright light, even though I was probably a beautiful and angelic child.  

            My mom is probably the one who turned me on to music. We had a 1963 Impala with an AM radio, and I believe that may have been a pipeline to '60s rock. I remember being so excited when The Archies were on the radio singing “Sugar, Sugar”. I also remember thinking how much I hated “My Beautiful Balloon”. Man, that song sucked and still does. She would tool around in our shiny, burgundy “Chevy”, and I stood in the back seat with my Hush Puppies on rocking out way too hard to some song about “God not making little green apples, and it don’t rain in Indianapolis in the summertime.” I still don’t know where they were going with that song, but the lyrics where cool. 

The pop hit "Sweet Mary" (one of Scott's favorite songs in 1970).

            Anyway, she would put me in my bed at night, and I freaked out every time she tried to turn my light off. You see, I have quite an imagination, and I am a pretty big chicken. This can all be validated by anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing me. Usually after 20 minutes or so I would yell in my sweetest little boy voice that I was thirsty, and every single time she would bring me my glass of water. This probably went on until I was about 19 or so, but who’s counting?

  

            I could go on and on about my mom, but I’ll spare her all of my bragging. I will tell you that if there is anything even remotely artistic or good about me, it came from her. She brought style into our little town and gave it to me. She was miles and miles ahead of all of the other kids' moms as they wore their polyester. Her natural style and coolness left all of the other women in the brush. I remember how proud I was when she occasionally showed up at my school for some event. She just brought an energy to a room that others couldn’t dream of doing.

            These days, I find myself going back in time and appreciating each and every moment. We all come from something, and I came from good parents. If I have ever hurt anyone, and I know I have, it was my fault. I can assure you I was taught better than that. If I have ever misrepresented myself, once again, that would be my fault as well. However, if my music has ever given you a reason to smile or look into your own heart... well, that would be my mom’s fault. Like I've already said, she brought all of the style and all of the cool. I was merely a recipient of good parenting and excellent musical surroundings.       

         Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.

'It's Always About A Blonde'

By Scott Coner

Singer, Songwriter and Author

            It’s funny how so many of our current interests are carried over from our childhood. Like I’ve already said several times, my interest has pretty much always been music, and I started early. It’s just when you connect the dots to something from years ago, it begins to make sense in different ways.

            My first exposure to a piece of music that I loved was a song called “Dizzy”. I don’t remember specifics because I was somewhere around 5 years old, but I’m pretty sure my mom may have given me the 45 when I learned how to make my bed by myself. The song had cool breaks in it that utilized a snare drum, and it made me pretty happy. I think the artist's name was Tommy Roe, but I’m not even sure about that. Things get pretty hazy thinking that far back.

            I remember swinging in the glider on my swing-set singing “Dang Me” by Roger Miller with my big sister as loud as I could. I remember listening to The Archies singing, “Sugar, Sugar” as I rode in our '63 Impala. I also remember my aunt explaining to me that The Archies weren’t real and it was actually some guy named Andy Kim. I remember I didn’t like that. 

Scott Coner performs at "Tunesmithing" in Nashville. (Photo by Cyndi Coner)

            There was a weekday afternoon I remember sitting out front of my sister’s elementary school in the same Impala. In those days, we didn’t wear seat belts, so I kind of walked around the back seat in my Hush Puppies. That afternoon it was sunny outside, and Sonny and Cher were singing “I Got You Babe” on the radio. I was standing back there eating one of those orange, crappy tasting, “marsh-mallowly” Circus Peanuts. Anyway, as I’m back there rocking out, I witnessed an awesome blonde in a purple mini-skirt walking down the sidewalk. This was an important day because this was the day that I realized I would need a blonde just like that one when I got old enough to tie my shoes.  I wasn’t sure what I would do with her when I got her, but I sure liked thinking about it as I sat there in kindergarten eating my paste and thinking about the future. (I really didn’t eat my paste, just trying to paint a picture here.)

            Some years later, I got stung by a bee at our family’s farm in Kentucky. I became very sick from the sting, ended up in the hospital, and found out I was allergic to bee stings. That summer was spent following my mom to yard sales on Wednesday mornings instead of playing with my cousins because I needed to get my resistance built up with weekly shots before I could be released again into the wild. Mom gave me a $4 a week allowance and I spent it every week at the garage sales. I either bought comic books or 45’s. I would take those records home and listen to both sides. I had everything from The Everly Brothers' “Bird Dog” to Little Eva's “The Locomotion” (which I recorded myself later). I had stacks and stacks of records, and I would sit in my room and imagine I was a DJ playing really cool music for all of the people in the world that I didn’t even know.  We didn’t have digital music back then or even walkmans, but it didn’t matter. By the time I got better from the bee stings, I had every song I loved tattooed to my brain, and I listened to them all the time. I’m listening to them now….

            To learn more about Scott Coner or to hear his music, visit http://www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, http://www.ScottConer.com or http://www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer.

Scott Coner works with sound engineer Logan Schlegal. (Photo by Cyndi Coner)