As a kid growing up in the 70's in Seattle, I remember listening to the radio--usually KJR or KING AM, and thinking "Wow, there are so many incredibly great songs. How do they keep coming out with new songs that are so good, and so different, year after year?" In fact, I remember as a kid even being worried. What if...all the good songs stop--the whole process grinds to a halt? Who is to say there will be a great bunch of songs next year? Is there a guarantee? No. It is more like an act of faith. But bands kept producing inspired music and new bands kept appearing: Chicago, Three Dog Night, Olivia Newton John, the Bee Gees, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, ELO, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan, Toto, Men at Work, all the one hit wonders...what a marvelous kaleidoscope of music!

The other thing that I wondered about was if all the old good songs might just slip away. Even if new songs replaced them, would the old songs then be forgotten? Would somebody a few years younger than me not even get to experience the joy I had of listening to them? Karaoke did not exist yet. Of course radio stations surfaced that started playing classic hits too. So in ways, solutions to my childhood concerns started to appear. The other thing I pondered was, wouldn't it be great to sing all of these songs? Even if you're a superstar singer--a Paul McCartney, a Phil Collins, you're kind of stuck with your own set of songs. What about singing all of them?

But now there is karaoke. So today I'm definitely thankful for karaoke and all the songs the companies like Sound Choice, Chartbuster, Sweet Georgia Brown, Music Maestro, Pocket Songs, Legends, and the rest have created, because it really allows someone who enjoys pop music to fulfill a childhood dream--to be able to sing all these great songs. A few decades ago you couldn't do it. The stream of music was just sliding by into history.

I'm also thankful for friend and people I've met singing, for family, for living in Seattle (and yes it is drizzling today), for good food, for my nephew who will probably have 5 servings of mashed potatos today (although he asked if hash browns might be served on Thanksgiving ), and for this great country, the United States, that we've been blessed with--a country a bountiful natural resources, incredible scenic beauty, and nice neighbors--Canada and Mexico.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!