Thanks to my friend Tyang, Mama and I were able to watch John Ford Coley's 40th Year Anniversary Concert here in Manila. John is one-half of the popular 70s duo of England Dan and John Ford Coley.
I was around 8 years old when they released their Greatest Hits album which my older sisters constantly played in the cassette player. This was years before we bought our first Madonna album.
In fact, it was one of the earliest albums I heard in my young life, right before I formed my own musical taste. That's why these songs have such a nostalgic ring to it everytime I hear it.
They bring me back to my chilhood years living in the boondocks of Cebu.
The 70s really had that easygoing, folk-rock sound, and the songs had meaningful lyrics in them.
John Ford Coley played most of their hits during the show including several famous songs of the 70s era. I do not know the titles of most of the songs but they sound pretty familiar to me.
It was a very relaxed show as Coley confidently told stories about the songs they've written and how he has come to love the Philippines. He said he has been here 30 times already and he can speak a smattering of Tagalog like "Bakit ka tumatawa?" or "Isa pa". Amazing!
