The year was 1966.
We had moved back to Germany from Canada the year before (see previous instalment for details, if you missed it. Click HERE).
During the week, living on the base, I was just another Canadian “Army Brat”. Weekends with my grandparents and other relatives transformed me back into a German girl.
For Easter break (2 weeks), we took a road trip to Tyrol, Austria, where my aunt and uncle owned a hotel and café in the ski resort town of Mayrhofen.
Thus began our European travel adventures…
Main sources for music were British Forces Radio, Radio Caroline (A British Pirate Radio station, just like the movie), Radio Luxemburg (broadcasting in 4 languages – English at night), German radio and TV.
In April, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were duking it out on the charts, as usual:
Our two-car convoy hit the road, Oma (grandmother) taking the lead in her sporty, white Audi. My mother and I rode along, as did Pepe, Oma’s silver poodle. Following behind were my father and Opa (grandfather), who didn’t drive.
It was a long trip, approximately 9 hours, including rest stops. What I remember most is the dog farting at regular intervals along the way and us frantically opening the windows!
We were given hotel rooms but also enjoyed spending time in the private apartment and at the café downstairs, which had a lovely outdoor patio. My uncle, a pastry chef by trade, would get up every morning at 5 am and bake the most delectable goodies for afternoon “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake), a ritual as important to German culture as Afternoon Tea is to the British.
Minutes away from Mount Penken, we sometimes took a cable ride to the top and stopped for lunch. Interesting to see women skiing in bikinis! The sun was warm, but there was still plenty of snow. Only my aunt and uncle knew how to ski (I learned a couple of years later), but we enjoyed the ambiance, nonetheless.
The café had the requisite jukebox. Although there was less English music on Austria’s charts, Nancy Sinatra made a big impression. That was the year native son Udo Jürgens won the Eurovision Song Contest (on March 5th), so his entry also got plenty of airplay.
My mother’s other sister had married a Frenchman from Versailles. That July, we were all invited to his sister’s wedding at the family homestead. How exciting! Versailles is only 25 km (~15 miles) away from Paris, so arrangements were made to stay a few extra days and do some sightseeing.
The two-car convoy was back in action, except this time, Pepe stayed behind with a friend. Our first stop was Strasbourg (in Alsace), where my aunt and uncle lived with their one-year-old daughter. They led the way, and we were now a three-car motorcade.
The Beatles and Stones still dominated the charts, with Paperback Writer and Paint it Black.
This was the first time I noticed The Spencer Davis Group and The Troggs. Gotta love it!
Mother’s old schoolmate lived a few blocks away from Oma and Opa. Over time, I became good friends with her kids, twins; a boy and a girl. They had a band (can’t remember the name of it!) and jammed on weekends.
Although I was a couple of years younger, they invited me to participate once in a while, starting with the tambourine and backing vocals. My (contralto) voice wasn’t terrible, and I could sing in tune, so eventually, they let me try a few as the lead.
This spurred me on to pursue a professional singing career 10 years later, which went nowhere. Mediocre vocalists aren’t exactly in demand.
The band’s signature tune was “Hanky Panky,” sung by the boy. We all rocked out to that! I managed a credible rendition of Monday, Monday, with the twins singing harmony.
As the year came to a close, I marvelled at my good fortune.
This dual existence was so much fun and the travel! How I loved the travel!
Where were you in 1966? Join me for some #MusicalMemories! #dogladysden Share on X
This is a continuing series inspired by
“THE SOUNDTRACK OF MY LIFE”
at
It Rains…You Get Wet and Your Daily Dose
Coming next 👇
The year was 1967:
More travel adventures and “The Summer of Love.”
Where were you in 1966?
Any memories you’d like to share?
Looking forward to your comments!
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
35 thoughts on “THE YEAR WAS 1966 | #MusicalMemories”
This is great! Love the year by year breakdown and memories, and obviously the awesome music of the period, Debbie. Very well done. Certainly will be following this lovely excursion. 🙂
Thanks! 🙂 I will get caught up on yours, as well. Please excuse my terrible memory. 😛 I’m almost finished the edits and will add the same for future posts.
You lucky gal! I was 2 yrs old at that time. I went with my mom and brother in 1972 to Vienna, Salzburg and Graz where my Oma and Opa lived now as well as my Tante Ilse and Onkle Egon. I love the Alps and feel drawn to them even though I have a strong phobic fear of heights. Love the music
It was a good year, Birgit. 🙂 I see you have strong ties with Austria, as well. Your heritage draws you to The Alps, no doubt. Glad you enjoyed the post. A popular Austrian greeting comes to mind…….Grüß Gott! There was definitely a different “flavour” to Austria, as compared to northwestern Germany, where we lived.
I am not so fond of Western music. But then, i kinda liked it. The family fotos are so lovely and reflects bonding and love amongst you all.
Different cultures, different styles. 🙂 Thanks for visiting today and have a good weekend.
Wonderful music. Thanks for sharing. When I listened to Michelle and read the date, I wondered if the American first lady’s parents were influenced by the song.
Hi Joyce; Nice to see you, again. 🙂 I bet so many baby girls were named “Michelle” that year. Glad you enjoyed the post. More to come. Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend.
Oh my! That was my first year in high school, although I know Paperback Writer (my theme song then and now) came out at the same time as Rain, around the beginning of the summer of ’66 (I was living with my dad then). I loved those two songs and played the 45 over and over again until I think it broke. (I still love them; I actually bought the record for Rain–something all Californians were looking for.
Wasn’t Mick Jagger cute back then? He looked like a street urchin.
I spent a lot of time at the beach those days, listening to all my dearest music with my handy-dandy transistor radio. I thought I was so lucky to have some top technology. Heeheehee.
http://marypurpari.blogspot.com/2015/07/not-my-will-but-thine-be-done.html
Those must have been idyllic days for you, Mary. 🙂 I can just imagine you at the beach, listening to your transistor!
For you:
Oh, for the days when Top 40 radio was worth listening to…
Yes, indeed. 🙂 Those were great days in music. Thanks for dropping in, John. Have a good weekend.
Loved reading about that time…I’ve always been fascinated by the bygone decades and feels good to read about it, something about it, from someone who experienced it first time…
Yes, it was so long ago and yet, doesn’t seem like it. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for visiting!
Excellent memories.
Fun Photos.
isn’t it cool to look back….see where you’ve been? xxx
Hi, Kim; Glad you enjoyed the post. This is a continuing series. I’m pretty jazzed about writing it because so many things I’d long forgotten come back to mind. Must admit, my life has been pretty exciting in many ways. Still, it wasn’t all roses, but those are chapters for a different book. Concentrating on the good stuff, now. 🙂 Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend.
Hmm… I can’t help wondering if it really was the dog!
Did anyone use the German for drive? The dog may have thought it was a request in English!
Hahaha! So clever, Clowie. 😀 (If anyone is reading this and doesn’t get it, the German word for drive is “Fahrt”.) So, you speak German as well? I’m not sure Pepe was bilingual. Thanks for dropping in and have a good weekend.
No, I can just use some basic words and phrases in German. I understand a little more but not much.
I lived in Australia in the 60s and started my family while I was young. I’ve now moved to England.
My Londoner husband used to drive the Beatles around at that time. He remembers when the shy Rod Stewart joined the band. So long ago.
I would love to visit Australia, some day, Francene. 🙂 How cool that your hubby was a chauffeur for The Beatles; and Rod Stewart as a bonus? I’m envious of that, for sure (Rod is one of my all-time favourites). Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend.
Some great tunes back then though I was too little to know as I didn’t grow up with them. In 1966, we moved to Canada from Holland where I was born. And I hear you on the coffee and cake tradition, being European! 😉 <3
German and Dutch people are from the same roots, Elly, or so my Dutch friend keeps telling me. 🙂 Some of the best music came along in the 60s and 70s, in my opinion. I’m biased, of course, having lived through those decades. Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend.
Hello there German girl. I have similar photos of me sitting with my grandmothers and aunts at Cafe’s for ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’. I love that tradition… and it shows. :-0 If I lived in a café’ I would have eaten it from the inside out…lol . You have a charming and entertaining way of relating to us your life.
In the summer of 66 I worked as a waitress in Schloss Elmau. http://www.schloss-elmau.de/en/experience/. I was 17 at the time. It was considered to be an honor to work there, since they hired students from all around the world. We didn’t get any pay! That sure is one way for an establishment to get rich.
Loved the music! Do you have any tape of the band and your singing?
Hahaha! Same here, Angelika. 😀 Schloss Elmau looks amazing! I guess they were doing you a favour by letting you work there for nothing. 😉 Hope you had plenty of time off to enjoy the area, at least!
No, there were never any recordings made of this rag-tag band; strictly a “basement phenomenon”. LOL We did play a few parties of friends, but Brigitte and Björn lost interest a couple of years later.
Such beautiful memories. I was not around in 1966. I was born 20 years later 🙂
So , now I feel old! 😉 Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for dropping in.
Wow! that’s fun! You look so adorable playing with Pepe 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it, Parul. 🙂 Pepe was my favourite playmate in those days. Thanks for visiting.
What a fun post! I loved reading about your ski trip. And the music! Flashback Friday indeed!! 🙂 😀
Yup; this is flashing waaaaaay back. 😀 Actually, I found France more interesting than Austria. Thanks for visiting and have a good weekend.
Loved the music – most of them triggered memories. 1966 — I was getting married. These boots were made for walkin’ — it’s what I should have done 🙂
Sounds like some of those memories weren’t so great for you, Carol. The music always was though, yes? Thanks for dropping in. 🙂
How I love the Mamas & the Papas! And one of my very favorite songs of all time is Nancy Sinatra’s big Boots hit! I forgot about the Troggs and the Spencer Davis Group! I should’ve added them into my A-Z. Totally forgot about them.
I loved hearing about your travels and adventures. How fun to have a pastry chef in the family! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the post, Michele. 🙂 There were so many great bands back then; hard to remember them all. I’ve been perusing old music charts to jog my memory. My uncle made amazing cakes and the café was always packed in the late afternoons.