Baby Huey - The Story Of Baby Huey (The Living Legend)
Vinylwav Personal Record Collection
Some songs have a way of speaking your whole story in that moment.
There have been a couple of times in my life when I dealt with overwhelming grief and struggled to maintain, the hardest being the months prior to meeting my wife. I had just broken up with my ex-girlfriend of almost two years, and my living situation was unlike anything I had experienced before.
I was living with my mom and brothers in a motel—actually, several motels—as we moved up and down McHenry, trying to survive without ending up on the streets. My brother John was working at Jack in the Box, and my mom was working at Denny’s. At the time, I was a tile helper, and much of my paycheck went directly toward paying for our room.
We really depended on John bringing home food from work and eating the continental breakfast at the motel. In fact, those donuts, danishes, and bagels really helped me survive. I can still recall many days when my setters provided lunch for me. I’m still incredibly thankful for those who helped me through that time, and I always make sure to do the same for those I work with now.
The only things that kept me sane back then were my friends and the music. I was DJing with some friends at a small bar called Charlie’s on Tuesdays, really just playing whatever we wanted. I was being looked out for by my buddy Rich, and good friends like Casey and Brandon. I was just getting started on music projects, but more than anything else, what sticks in my mind are two albums that hit me extremely hard during that period:
"Fall in Love" felt like an ego declaring independence from the pain of a bad relationship—that’s how it resonated with me. Meanwhile, "Hard Times" was literally my anthem.
I remember sitting in my Honda Accord, blasting Hard Times at full volume, singing like I was Baby Huey himself while tears streamed down my face. I didn’t even intend to buy that album for Hard Times. Back when I bought it, I was just happy to be in Berkeley, digging for records and eating pizza with my ex-girlfriend. I didn’t need that album back then the way I needed it now.
And it was in those moments of despair that I was reintroduced to my wife.
I stayed with her through everything—she has been my savior. She has given me my kids and shown me true love. And because of her, Hard Times no longer makes me tear up—it makes me reflect. It reminds me how difficult things have been, but more than anything, it fills me with gratitude for the love we have now.
There are several great songs on this album:
Hard Times
Listen To Me
California Dreaming
All worthy of some play time.
Rest In Peace James Thomas Ramey aka Baby Huey
If you would like to hear any albums I share on this blog, check out my YouTube Playlist: Vinylwav Personal Record Collection