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THE
HEALING POWER OF MUSIC
11-9-08
I
just had an experience of the healing power of music and it reminded me
that I have wanted to write a Sunday Journal on that theme for several
weeks now.
Jimmy Tawater has always been one of my favorite area entertainers. He
played at one of our biggest and best dinner clubs for many years and
always had a large and faithful following. He plays good rock and roll
guitar, sings great and we have never had a better showman.
Today I got an email from him telling me tonight he would be playing the
Lakeshore Club overlooking Lake Chickamauga. I went and to my great joy
I discovered Tommy Haskett plays guitar with him. Tommy has played a Les
Paul with masterful proficiency as far back as I remember.
Nightclub and dinner club music has come on hard times. For over a
quarter century I had a choice of a dozen places to hear great bands and
I regularly moved among them freeing myself from the cares of life with
some of the best music in the world. Tonight I freed myself one more
time.
My music healing began when I was a pre-school child and my Uncle Van
would take his Gibson out from under the bed and play some great Jimmie
Rodgers songs. Then mother would take her harmonica when Aunt Carrie
visited with her mandolin and we'd walk down the road to Bill Durham's
house and they would jam for hours, doing real old songs like "Devilish
Mary" and "Carolina Moon." It literally branded my soul.
During those years an old blind minstrel name Pete Cassell played with
local groups on local radio and I got to hear him one night at the
Pilgrim Holiness Church. It was one of the most deeply spiritual nights
of my life. Not because it was in a church. He did a lot of old folk and
country tunes as well as gospel songs.
Which brings me to something that is a profound truth to me. Spiritual
music is any music that moves your soul. I know musicians who don't
think they are playing "for the Lord" unless they are playing in church.
It has been my personal experience that any time and any place I have
deeply enjoyed and been moved playing my music, I have been "playing for
the Lord." After all, your calling is in your talents and whatever music
you make is an exercise of your God-given talents. That is pretty sacred
business.
When I hear a great talent like Jimmy Tawater pouring himself out in his
music, his work is as holy to me as a giant cathedral organ or the
finest gospel quartet in the world.
I love the Gaither gospel show because it has elevated gospel music to a
level never before seen. I am proud to say my song, "His Amazing Grace,"
is in the Gaither songbook. The Lewis Family sang it on one of the
Gaither shows.
It's all in your perspective so why not adopt a perspective of accepting
all music as healing energy. I am not about to let anyone or any
limitation in perspective rob me of the blessings, joy and healing power
of music.
Part of this power comes from the personal power of the energy and
personality of the music maker. I remember how girls literally fainted
when Elvis or the Beatles performed. This little boy almost passed out
with pleasure when he heard Pete Cassell in person. My explanation is
that such experiences come from the harmonizing of energy fields.
What slays one person can put another to sleep. When you hear someone
make music that is in tune with you and your energy, you cannot help
being deeply moved.
Use music to heal yourself. The more deeply you experience it, the more
power it will have to empower you.
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