At the Copa, Copacabana...

I can't remember what 8-track tape was blaring out of the speakers on the day I drove east out of Hellgate Canyon in May 1980 when I left my college days behind, but I remember one of my favorites at the time was Barry Manilow. A couple other favorites singers were Crystal Gayle (Don't it make my brown eyes blue) and Jimmy Buffett (Margaritaville).

In fact, I felt a particular kinship with Jimmy Buffet. He helped me pass one of the few radio/TV classes that I took while attending college. I had to tape a 30 minute radio program where I acted as though I were a disc jockey. Since I owned about four long-playing (LP) Jimmy Buffet albums and since I'd seen him in concert at the annual Aber Day festival in Missoula, it seemed like I knew him. Or at least, he knew me. So I spent my 30 minutes "on air" talking about my buddy Jimmy while playing his music.

It's funny, but once I left Missoula, I forgot about Jimmy, Barry and Crystal. My musical tastes turned to other recording stars. Later in 1980 I fell in love with Sheena Easton singing about the "Morning Train" and in 1984, I discovered Wham and their mega-hit "Wake me up before you go, go."

I'm sure there were other songs and singers as well that ought to be mentioned, but the point I want to make is that even though the years passed and other singers and songs took their place, to this day if I hear Boz Skaggs singing "Lido Shuffle" on the radio, I'm instantly transformed to the undergraduate at the University of Montana listienng to that song during lunch hour before I left for my afternoon classes.

Another favorite of mine was B.J. Thomas singing "Hooked on a Feeling." While the song was recorded in the late 1960s, I didn't discover it until I was living off campus my senior year. I would crank up the 8-track and sing at the top of my lungs until I drove my avocado green LeMans to campus. If the song was over, I simply clicked the tape player three times until I had it cued up again and sang along with B.J. one more time.

Now, considering that I went to college during the disco craze, it's amazing -- or maybe not -- that none of my favorite singers were Donna Summers, K.C. and the Sunshine Band or some other disco novelty. While I went to the disco in Missoula a few times, it was never my crowd nor my music.

My favorite dancing spot in Missoula -- well actually, East Missoula -- was the Cabin Bar. It had a house band led by a guy from Miles City who went by the name of "Wild Bill." The Cabin was a country-western bar that played live music seven nights a week and attracted up to 350 people on any given night. I liked to jitterbug and the band at the Cabin could play Bob Wills and A Sleep at the Wheel swing music.

Another group I liked while in college was the vocal trio, The Lettermen. I found their harmonies and their songs very relaxing in the evenings and on the weekends. In looking back, it seems that I used music to either ramp up for classes or relax when I was at home from college.

I might mention that I still have all my LPs from my college days. I also have a turntable. But the records and player are downstairs and I'm upstairs...so I don't listen to them. However, if I ever need to go back to college, it's nice to know that I still have my tunes.