Cookouts are a great way to gather family and friends for lots of memorable moments. Lord knows I love a down-home cookout with good food, good drinks, good conversation, a few good games of Spades. I know that as soon as I turn the calendar page to July, the cookout invites will be coming in droves. My mouth is salivating at the thought…
My family cookouts are got-to-be-there events. Suffice to say, there are a few Wilson family food staples that must make an appearance at every gathering. Bragging rights for my mama Betty’s ‘have mercy’ collards with their hard-to-beat rep. The mouth-watering greens are so savory! My sister Michelle is known throughout the south for her slammin’ mac and cheese, a recipe she will take to her grave for sure! My sister Fanessa’s tuna macaroni salad just cannot be duplicated; people have tried and failed. My sister-in-law Gladys’ oxtails will make you wanna slap yo mama! And of course, there is always a line for my famous baked beans that folks just can’t get enough of!
I come from a very large family. Our cookouts are fundamental to the stories of our family, community, and culture. These special outings serve as come-together-spaces where family histories are handed down and wonderful new memories are created. And I truly cherish each and every get together.
But wait! You certainly can’t have a good down home cookout without back-in-the-day jams. Don’t you love hearing those songs that can take you back to the years of your younger self, when life was easy, and you were hot, and ready to trot?
The Wilson family loves to dance! I get a kick out of watching my sister Stacy and her husband Ed do the hustle, reliving their youth like this was 1976. I love trying to learn all the new dances from my nieces and nephews, but I don’t like getting the Charley horse that sometimes accompanies the lessons. My brother George and his wife Gladys have me rolling as they attempt to bring back The Bump but instead, nearly knock each other out in the process. My dad, George Sr., can still get his two-step on, cane and all, and loves an audience when he’s doing so. Betty, my mom, will try and take center stage from my dad and at 84-years-young can still keep up with the best of them.
Oh yes, we all have songs that will transport us back in time at a moment’s notice. And there were so many back-in-the-day tunes that made us never want to sit down as we danced the night away. Our songs spoke to us as a generation. We loved and enjoyed listening to our jams because even now, whenever we hear them, they still warm our hearts.
Here are a few back-in-the-day jams (all are available on YouTube) that are required listening at every good cookout. Note how we have four dance anthems!
The Message by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
