Baseball Cards and Banjos: A Trip Down Memory Lane

Baseball Cards

This month has been a month of nostalgia for me. I always taking a trip back in time through objects or stories from my childhood.

Since my dad and Kristen are moving from Ada to Norman at the end of April, they've been packing things up. When we were kids, he began collecting baseball cards for Andy and me as part of our legacy from him. After pulling things out of the attic to pack, he presented me with the first box, and I was excited looking back through all of the assorted baseball cards I remembered from childhood.

Then, he showed me the 7 other U-Haul boxes filled with cards ...

A daunting task, but for me, it has actually been a good thing. My organizational side kicked in, and I've been gradually sorting everything into brands and years all month. It's a slow process, even with a lot of it already organized from dad's venture into it. It occurred to me that he was around the same age as I am now, when he was also spending many nights with the TV on (music for me), and baseball cards laid out in front of him for sorting. The cards that were already in order when I received them, had likely been put that way 30 years prior during one of his baseball card sorting nights. Ideally, I'll get them all in sequential order, by brand and year and card #, and have a nice spreadsheet indicating what I have. The idea ultimately was to sell them, but as most are from the 1980s/1990s overproduced era, the main value is sentimental. I'd like to get them all into those long card boxes and maybe put them on a book shelf in the meantime once sorted. The process continues, but it's fun thinking that 30 years ago, he was likely doing something similar in the evenings while Andy and I watched tv or did whatever we were doing.

Banjo

On a more musical nostalgia note, I flash back to the year 2004. I was finishing up my freshman year of College, and maintaining a 4.0 GPA. My grandmother- "Mema" was entering her final days, having battled cancer for years after the initial "6 months to live" diagnosis. Probably due to needing to keep her "Sonshine Gospel Singing Barn" going as long as possible (See: Betty Jean Birthday Blog for the whole story)

Mema knew about 3 chords on guitar- just enough to sing her favorite tunes. From what I understand, when she knew she didn't have long to live, she went out and bought some things she had always wanted. Amongst these items was a Dean Banjo (Banjitar)- strung and played like a guitar, but with the sound of the Banjo she was so used to hearing from her favorite Gospel Music artists.

My guess is Jimmy bought it for her at some point, as it has a case from South Austin Music. When she passed away December 2004, she left the banjo to me. Along with a letter from her, which had more sentimental value, I received basically an unused banjo. And, sadly it remained unused for about 15 years.

I intended to use it a few times, but I never realized the even as a 6-string Banjo tuned like a guitar, it needed some TLC to get it sounding better. Since it always sounded out of tune to me, I just never used it. It traveled with me from apartment to apartment over the years. A nice memento from her, but essentially just gathering dust.

Over the years, to my shame, I even considered selling it when we went through lean times. It was essentially new, as she had never really had a chance to learn it prior to her passing. But, the market for Banjitars (thankfully in hindsight) is not all that prominent.

The Banjo traveled with us to Ada when we moved in 2017, and other than one brief attempt at gauging its value at a local shop, it remained unused in the closet. I had long ago taken out of her personal letter to me for safekeeping.

Fast forward to this year, either January or February. I'd begun playing with the worship team at Crosspointe Ada and was on the group message thread by this time. One day, the worship leader sent out what probably seemed to her an odd text, but which struck a chord (pun somewhat intended) with me.

They planned a song for Easter 2019 that would need a bit of Banjo, of all things, to help give it the feel of the original tune. "Does anyone have a banjo?" she had asked.

Well, what do you know, the new guy in the band just happened to own a 6-String Banjo

And so, Mema's banjo, 15 years after passing into my hands, finally has seen some use. I took it down to the local music shop, and had them change the 15-year old strings (one reason it never sounded right), and adjust the bridge a bit. Then, the worship team bought one of those things that can take an acoustic only instrument and make it electric. Can't think of the name, but it's a little circle that fits on the body of the Banjo, and goes out to a 1/4" jack (see pic above). Since it is tuned and played similar to a guitar, the learning curve was not tricky.

After its makeover, the "Betty Jean Banjo" as I have been affectionately calling it in my head (Mema's name was Betty Jean), will finally see its debut tomorrow at our Easter service.

It is a small part to be sure, the song is not a banjo led song, and whether or not it will be discernible in the mix remains to be seen. But, more than whether or not it can be heard, it will finally see the light of day, and I'll live a bit of Mema's banjo pickin' dreams for a moment.

Despite my love of cheesy banjo jokes all week at rehearsals, and generally making light of myself playing it, deep down, it turns out it does have sentimental value. It is still just a banjo, sure, but as silly as it seems, I think it traveled along with me all of those years, to get me to church tomorrow. If that's the only time it's played, then I'm sure Mema would still be happy knowing it's being used in an Easter service, as she was a believer through and through. But, I suspect, I'll find more good uses for it going forward.

Memory lane is a fun place to visit, and between my Baseball cards and Banjo this month, I've certainly been traveling it frequently. I hope I can have memories and things to pass on to Hannah someday as well. The nostalgia perspective now that I'm a father, takes on a whole new level of possibility, and even if Hannah doesn't have interest in baseball cards, banjos, or any other random thing I collect thinking she'll like it, we'll still have some stories to tell, and memories to share.

And so, the Byers Baseball Banjo saga moves forward into whatever the future may hold. Perhaps more card sorting and the occasional Banjo picking. Or, perhaps sorting cards while listening to banjo music. Or playing banjo while a baseball program plays on the radio in the background. Or any other combo. Unlike the banjo prior to changing strings, stay tuned! (musical pun somewhat intended again).