The Music that Made Me

I Believe In You— My Sunday Best #102

When I turned sixteen, my mom gave me the keys to our 1975 GMC truck. While a few of my classmates got new cars, I drove a white truck with rust in all the right places. A saddle blanket seat cover hid the torn vinyl on the bench seat. It had an eight-track tape player and a CB radio. For this wanna-be cowgirl, it was my dream ride. I couldn’t wait for Friday night. With my younger sister riding shotgun, we would cruise up and down the main street of our small mountain town with the windows rolled down and the stereo turned up. From one end of the street to the other, I eased the clutch in and out and honed my shifting skills to near perfection.

Occasionally, we would make the two-hour drive over the pass to the big city of Denver. My mom would get a room at the Holiday Inn, and while she read her book at the hotel, her teenage daughters would cruise the big-city street of West Colfax Avenue until 10 p.m. These days, the thought of two young girls cruising on Colfax seems crazy dangerous, but back then, it was exciting and fun. We found others just like us. We brought some of them back to meet Mom. Two of them became our prom dates the following year.

Smokey and the Bandit was the movie that introduced me to the CB radio. But even before that, there were C.W. McCall and Tom T. Hall. I can still recite the words to C.W.’s 1976 hit song Convoy. “Pig Pen, this here’s the Rubber Duck, and I’m about to put the hammer down.” Then there was his song Wolf Creek Pass. I knew the mountain pass, we’d driven over it in a school bus a time or two. Tom T’s song I Love, is a staple on our setlist. There’s Sneaky Snake, I Like Beer, Faster Horses, I could go on and on. As a young teenager, songs like these became a means of connecting to a place where I felt like I belonged. And what amazes me most is that they continue to stand the test of time. I was twelve years old when these songs were playing on country radio stations nationwide. My life as a songwriter can be traced directly back to these storytellers who crafted the songs that run deep in my blood. They’re historical markers in the timeline of my life. I can tell you the when, where, what, and who of that time and place.

It may seem strange that I would delve back to the late ‘70s on this warm April morning in 2025. But last night, we saw a band that made me remember, and I’m still thinking about it this morning. They were kids, young enough to be my grandchildren. They didn’t look old enough to be drinking the bottles of beer they had in a cooler on stage. Although they weren’t armed with mind-blowing guitar licks or virtuoso skills, they did have great stage presence and a powerful arsenal of country songs from the ‘70s. I, along with every other person in the audience, which spanned three if not four generations, knew every word. These kids hadn’t lived these songs, but the rest of us had, in one way or another. There’s a lot about those days that I don’t miss. But one thing I was reminded of last night is the power of a song. As I looked at the people in the crowd, I saw that despite all our noticeable and perceived differences, we all had at least one thing in common—a song.

This morning, I’m grateful for those good ol’ boys playing old country music. There are a lot of other things they could be doing with their time and youth. Instead, they’re bringing people together for a little fun and stirring the pot with some two-stepping magic and a timeless song.

In ways I can’t put into words, those songs stir something deep in my heart—that place that still believes in love, music, magic, and you.

I Believe in You
written by Roger Cook and Sam Hogin

I don't believe in superstars
Organic food and foreign cars
I don't believe the price of gold
The certainty of growing old
That right is right and left is wrong
That North and South can't get along
That East is East and West is West
And being first is always best

But I believe in love
I believe in babies
I believe in mom and dad
And I believe in you

Well, I don't believe that heaven waits for only those who congregate
I like to think of God as love
He's down below, He's up above
He's watching people everywhere
He knows who does and doesn't care
And I'm an ordinary man
Sometimes I wonder who I am

But I believe in love
I believe in music
I believe in magic
And I believe in you

I know with all my certainty
What's going on with you and me is a good thing
It's true, I believe in you

I don't believe virginity is as common as it used to be
In working days and sleeping nights
That black is black and white is white
That Superman and Robin Hood are still alive in Hollywood
That gasoline's in short supply
The rising cost of getting by

But I believe in love
I believe in old folks
I believe in children
I believe in you
I believe in love
I believe in babies
I believe in Mom and Dad
And I believe in you