Where Were You in '62? I Was Up On The Roof.
In 1962 I was eight years old and, almost every night, I would fall asleep listening to WSGN, 610 on the AM dial. The Big Six Ten was one of the two, mainstream rock and roll radio stations in my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama (nobody knew who made these rules, but “cool kids” listened to WSGN, while "rednecks" listened to WVOK, even though both stations had identical playlists (1)). Up On The Roof by the Drifters was in heavy rotation and I lay in bed, night after night, listening to the lyrics. “When this old world starts getting me down and people are just too much for me to face...I climb way up to the top of the stairs and all my cares just drift right into space. On the roof it's peaceful as can be...and there the world below can't bother me...I’ve found a paradise that's trouble-proof...up on the roof.” 2324 Farley Terrace, Hoover, AL, where I grew up Certainly, as a sensitive, introverted, introspective eight-year-old boy, I had my share o...