A high school friend and I met for coffee Friday. She had moved back to Manchester from Asheville last year. We had sung together in a folk duo called "Lavender," from 1969-70 and I mentioned a few songs I still associated strongly with her voice. I included this one and she gave a start: "I always think of that as more Kitty's song," and mentioned that she had been sent a recording of her from a person she did not remember. Kitty and Chris Riley were Irish twins, both born in 1953, with a third sister born in 1954. Kitty, the oldest, died a few years ago as did Karen, the youngest. So Chris has lost her bookends before she is 70. Her voice was much like Kitty's is here.
Nostalgia is supposed to be warm and fuzzy. This is quite sad for me.
I am sorry. As someone who has never heard it before, though, let me say that it is definitely not sad for a rodeo song.
ReplyDeleteNo, the song is fine, it's the context, and mostly that it caught me by surprise. There is more to the story. She was a Type I diabetic, diagnosed at age 7 and in those days that meant a short life was likely. Her parents thought she would be gone by 21 and she may have thought that herself early on. They were ordinarily strict, but somewhat indulgent with her, and she was certainly indulgent with herself. Even when new treatments were available, she did not care for herself that well. She joined the Scientologists, who do not support medical treatment in anything but their own quite insane sense. Toes were amputated, then a leg, and when the second leg was called for she decided to let herself die instead. I half-knew the story, and got the detail this past weekend.
ReplyDeleteHers was a very sad story. I'm sorry for your friend.
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