Sound Recordings - "Elvis was going to destroy morality!"

The conversation about sound recordings was arguably the one that got the most derailed, albeit for good reason. Around 1959 or the early 60's - they didn't quite agree on the year - they purchased a combined record player and television set, a somewhat upscale technological purchase for the time. They got it mostly to watch television, but it sounds like they also got good use out of the Curtis Mathes record player. It came with free records that they still have today, with artists such as Perry Como, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra. They were all 33 1/3 records, a fact that I had to think hard back to class lecture to remember the meaning of. They kept it in the living room.
Like so:


Although they seemed to enjoy the free records, they have always leaned towards the country side of things, especially Vernon, and they soon accumulated such names as Buck Owens, Porter Wagoner, and Ed Ames (I haven't heard of a single one of these, I Googled the names but still type them hesitantly).








This was all several years into their marriage, of course. Before then, they listened to jukeboxes, especially in high school. They didn't carry money, so they simply listened to whatever people put on (at the service station, obviously). "Was Elvis big at that time?" I asked. "Oh yeah. He was okay. Not my favorite," said Joanne. "He was going to destroy morality!" said Vernon, cracking up. I asked if this was something their parents thought, but they remember it being more of something only a few really thought, but those few were very vocal.
(Admittedly, some of his moves were probably pretty shocking at the time:)

Although for Joanne, there is some truth to this, since her mother was a pastor and growing up she really only ever heard religious music. She remembers one time playing a "not nice" secular song on the piano that her mother disapproved of. "I can't remember what it was, but it was the song I played best!" she said, laughing.
That just about concludes their early experiences with sound recordings. Today, they sometimes use the internet to listen to use music, via Pandora radio. For the most part, sound recordings have been present in their lives, maybe more than they realized, but like the other forms of mass communication I talked to them about, it has never been as important to them as faith, family, and each other. It has certainly helped them enjoy the 61 years they have been married however, and I was glad for a reason to sit down with this wonderful couple.