Old Enough to Forget

As a kid variety shows were a staple. We had less than a handful of television stations, no one had cablevision, and colour TV was a futuristic concept. Like many families, our main set was a piece of furniture with the television set in the middle of a console. Rabbit ears were always being tweaked, or on occasion being held and grounded by one of us to help bring in a clearer picture. This was a time when there were summer replacement series, when the other hosts and performers went on vacation. My memory is foggy on the finer points on a lot of this, but I have memories of Johnny Cash, Andy Williams and a bear, The Smothers Brothers, my hero Glen Campbell, and of course Sonny & Cher. That show was somehow hilarious and cool at the same time. Seeing Cher on top of a piano singing "I'm a vamp." It was their song "I Got You Babe" that I never got sick of. Something about the oboe part just slays me. Then one day me and my cousins were picking up pop and chip...

Yeah I got an album by The Partridge Family. They weren't the Monkees that's for sure, but dang it it was the early '70s and we didn't have cable - hardly anyone we knew had cable. It was for rich people. We got enough channels with an antenna to be able to keep up with the latest cartoons and the best shows on television. Like the Banana Splits, H.R. Pufnstuf and Star Trek ... when I could figure out when it was on. The world was full of variety shows, and music was everywhere. Then one day a new family moved into my living room  - The Partridge Family. Good lord, it was enough having to watch The Osmonds with a prancing Donny, and the Jackson 5 with little Michael all the time.  At least the Brady Bunch weren't doing a song and dance act ... oh wait, they did. It was horrible. Still, it was fun. The music was terrible. It was also catchy. It was also incredibly safe for family consumption. They also played Ovation guitars. This I remember distinctly, because my un...