The Music That Moves Us:

How Songs Shape the Heart of Lee’s Traveller

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

(Editor's Note: I asked Microsoft's Copilot AI program to review the presence of music in the history of Lee's Traveller over the years. Here is what it came up with.)

Every community has its traditions. For the Lee High Classes of ’64–’66, one of the most enduring is the way music threads itself through the stories we tell. In Lee’s Traveller, music isn’t just a topic — it’s a recurring character, a familiar companion that shows up issue after issue to remind us who we were, who we are, and how far we’ve traveled together.

Across the years, the newsletter has become a kind of jukebox of shared memory. Open any issue and you’ll find melodies tucked between classmate updates, reflections, and historical notes. Some songs arrive as passing references; others spark full‑length reminiscences. But all of them serve the same purpose: they bring us home.

When a Song Is More Than a Song

One of the most beloved features of Lee’s Traveller is the way editor Tommy Towery uses music as a storytelling anchor. A single tune can unlock a cascade of memories — a concert attended, a record bought with a week’s allowance, a dance where someone worked up the courage to ask for a slow number.

A recent issue revisited The Monkees, not through a dry historical lens but through the personal recollection of seeing them perform. Suddenly, the reader isn’t just learning about a band — they’re standing in line outside an auditorium, hearing the buzz of anticipation, feeling the energy of youth and possibility.

That’s the magic of the newsletter’s musical touch. It doesn’t just tell you what happened. It lets you feel it.

 Folk Harmonies and the Echo of Simpler Times

The folk revival of the early ’60s holds a special place in the hearts of many Lee alumni, and Lee’s Traveller returns to it often. Mentions of The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Smothers Brothers, and The Chad Mitchell Trio appear like old friends dropping by for a visit.

These weren’t just performers — they were the soundtrack to a generation learning to find its voice. Their harmonies drift through the newsletter like a warm breeze, carrying with them memories of:

• Late‑night sing‑alongs

• Road trips in cars that now qualify as classics

• College dorm rooms filled with guitar chords

• The feeling of a world opening up

When classmates write in with their own recollections — a favorite album, a concert they attended, a song that meant something during a difficult time — the newsletter becomes a communal scrapbook.

The Radio That Connected Us All

Before streaming, before playlists, before the internet, there was the radio — and the radio was everything.

Lee’s Traveller often taps into that shared experience: the thrill of hearing a new hit for the first time, the ritual of tuning in to a favorite DJ, the way a single song could define an entire summer.

Readers are reminded of:

• AM stations fading in and out on nighttime drives

• The excitement of calling in a request

• The heartbreak of a song that played at the wrong moment

• The joy of one that played at exactly the right one

These memories aren’t just personal. They’re collective. They belong to everyone who grew up in that era, and the newsletter treats them with the reverence they deserve.

Why Music Still Matters — Especially Now

As the years pass, the role of music in Lee’s Traveller has only grown more meaningful. It serves as a bridge across time.

Songs collapse decades into seconds. A few notes can transport a reader from the present day back to a high‑school hallway, a prom night, or a first love.

A shared language: Even classmates who haven’t seen each other in years can instantly connect over a familiar tune.

A cultural anchor: Music helps contextualize the stories of the era — the social changes, the political climate, the shifting values.

A source of joy: In a world that moves faster every year, music offers a moment of stillness, reflection, and warmth.

 The Newsletter as a Living Playlist

Over time, Lee’s Traveller has become something like a living playlist — curated not by algorithms but by memory, emotion, and community. Each issue adds another track to the collective soundtrack of the Lee High classes.

Some songs remind us of who we were.

Some remind us of who we’ve lost.

All remind us of what we share.

And that, perhaps, is the greatest gift the newsletter gives its readers: the reminder that even as the years stretch on, the music — and the friendships — continue to play.

The Wayback Machine

"Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)"

The Buckinghams

1967

Even though it came out after 1966, the song goes well with the lead topic of this week's issue. "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)" is a song by The Buckinghams, which they released as a single in 1967, and on their album Portraits in 1968. It spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 12.

The Buckinghams are an American pop band from Chicago. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed in 1980 and as of 2022 they continue to tour throughout the United States.

LEE LUNCH BUNCH

Classes of ‘64, ‘65, ‘66

Logan’s Roadhouse

Thursday, April 23, 2026

11:00 am

Thanks to the efforts of Judy Fedrowisch Kincaid and Ken Martz, we now have a reservation at Logan’s Roadhouse, one of our favorite restaurants for this group.

As we begin our sixteenth year of LLB, it has become apparent to most of us just how quickly the years are passing and most painfully as we lose our dear old friends and classmates. With that being said, I urge you all to make every effort to come, have a good lunch, and enjoy a little time with dear old friends. Hope to see you in April.

Patsy Hughes Oldroyd ’65 (256) 431-3396

patsykeith2025@outlook.com   

Judy Fedrowisch Kincaid ’66 (256) 656-3667

I am still playing around with Artificial Intelligence and seeing how it sees the things which were important to us in our youth and expecially how it relates to Lee's Traveller. Over the next few weeks I will share some of the results.

The following email addresses had problems receiving my emails:

maverick13@bellsouth.net

jimjohnson98@gmail.com

lyons_richarda@bellsouth.net

ann@huntsvilleaccounting.com

mecdajmykiki2850@gmail.com

Last Week's Questions, Answers, And Comments

Delores McBride Kilgore, LHS '66 , "Very nice!, Tommy ! Those were the best days ever !"