45 rpm

"45 rpm" is 4' x 5'

So, this is me.
Christmas, 1966. Santa on my footie jammies. Music made for mono.

(Click on each picture to enlarge.)

The 45s are Petula Clark: "Downtown," "I Know A Place" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway." Two are stacked on the turntable platter, the other spun on my hand.
They were the orange Warner Brothers label, with the inward facing rim arrows that made a 5-year-old dizzy.
I still have them.

The turntable was a Westinghouse. It had a handle and I took it everywhere. I don't have it anymore -- but I have two like it.
This is a good memory.

One of the things I enjoy doing is taking a brittle snapshot and turning it into a big drawing, such as this. You may notice that I've squeezed the original image a bit, tightening it up and bringing the record player closer to me.
I wanted a sketch that would make a statement in my music room. This is definitely making one, because it is an immense image. It's called "45 rpm."

Childhood was great and my parents were cool and young. Dad bought the records for me.
Feels good when I look at it.

The frame is from the same time frame, the 1960s. Solid maple, huge and heavy. I got it for $3 because a wife said her husband wanted rid of it.
He must be fun to live with.
I appreciated its beauty and value right off, even though it was propped up against a garage wall. Old nails hold in the glass. I wiped mildew off the matte, and sealed up the back.
It's a keeper.

That kid from 45 years ago is still me, especially when I'm playing my records.

 Did you do the math? Fifty years will overtake me me this September.

"45 rpm" be my daughters' when I'm gone. They can fight over it.
Ah, memories.
They'd better not keep me in the garage.

45rpm is not for sale.
Get your own memories.
But for inquiries about commissioning or purchasing original Tom Wills art, contact hankbonesman@embarqmail.com