| I
can honestly say that I have never known a member of our
Allen, Lillywhite, or immediate Milano family, to suffer
from chronic blues attacks. In analyzing why this is so,
I determined that music played a big role in cheering
our lives.
 Both
of my grandparents enjoyed homemade music. The Lillywhite
daughters played piano well, their brothers played horns
in the school band. The father, Charles W. Lillywhite,
was a hard-working pioneer who played no musical instrument,
but had a fine tenor voice. When he took the family camping,
they could plan on him filling the air with hymns as they
sat around the campfire. Music added spice to their lives
as they worked and sang side-by-side.
My
grandmother, Barbara Phelps Allen, had a natural talent
for music. She not only sang and harmonized beautifully,
but also played the organ and concertina by ear. Life
was challenging as she raised their 12 children on farms
and dairies. The more difficult life was, the more energetically
she sang and whistled. My father, Charles Ashael Allen,
was her eldest child. He not only looked like she did,
but also whistled continuously like she did. In fact,
while serving on the Los Angeles Police Department during
the dangerous prohibition years, he was known all over
the city as the "Whistling Cop." He was the
one who brought a large, old, upright piano into our home
and started me on my music career. The following Christmas,
he placed a little purple accordion under the Christmas
tree. We kept so busy there was no time for self-pity
or blues in our family.
In
my desire to have our offspring excel us, I taught all
six of our children to play the accordion. We arose at
5:00 a.m. and each child went into a separate room to
practice. Soon, sounds of struggling musicians filled
our home. When we were capable of doing so, we met and
performed as a group. How we did enjoy making happy accordion
music together!
There
are many songs that came into being to help "Bust
the Blues" during their era. Some were composed during
wars, such as: "Smiles," ("There are
smiles that make us happy... "). Others came
into being during the Big Depression, such as: "Now's
The Time to Fall in Love," ("Tomatoes are
cheaper, potatoes are cheaper, now's the time to fall
in love... "). Most musicals send cheery messages,
such as: "Put On a Happy Face," from Bye Bye
Birdie, ("Gray skies are going to clear up, put
on a happy face... "). Why not fill our lives
with refreshing melodies and steer clear of depressing
sounds? I am so grateful for the way music has helped
"Bust the Blues" for my loved ones and me.
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