US News Wrap, September 14 - What Happened Today

News by Stephany Nunneley-Jackson Former News Editor

Published on Sept. 14, 2011

Some of my biggest heroes in life have been cowboys and outlaws.

As you probably know by now, I am a bit horse crazy. I have been since the first breath I ever took, it seems, and while most girls love horses they are, truly, in my blood thanks to the maternal side of my family.

Because of this, it shouldn't surprise anyone if I were to tell them my uncle is an actual real-life cowboy, or that my grandfather was a horseman. Going further back, my great-grandfather was a country vet who "birthed" many a foal and calf, as did his father before him. When you fast forward to the present, you will find my mother is a horsewoman herself, as was her mother, and her mother before her. So, I honestly, didn't stand a chance.

Growing up in a barn, basically, with so many cowboys and horseman around, it familiarized me with "true" country music. Even as a child, I generally preferred the music tastes of my mother, which consitsted of Peter Frampton, Led Zeppelin, Heart and The Who - but there were some country artists I just resonated with. Two of these were Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash.

When I was small, I cannot recall the age to be honest, I went to a Waylon show with my father. It is one of the few happy memories I recall having with him, and still to this day when I hear Lonesome, Ornery and Mean play through my iTunes, a wave of nostalgia runs through me. Johnny Cash? Well, he is a different story altogether. I love his music as much as my grandfather did, and I still get choked up when I hear him sing Sunday Morning Coming Down, which was written by Kris Kristofferson. One of the happiest I had ever seen my grandfather was when I took him to see Cash at a remodeled theater in town. He would talk about that night at least once a week for many a year, until his death four years ago. I am happy, pleased, and grateful it was something we could share together.

There is nothing like music to bring people closer. Especially, when it is written and or performed by a cowboy, or an outlaw whose hard knocks in life you can relate to.

Thus, ends another vanity card from me - let's get you caught up on my shift.