User:Newtsaver/sandbox

JON STRIDER : age zero to ten Jon Strider plopped onto the earth at roughly 12:15PM September 19, 1953 at Permanente hospital in Oakland, California. His mom, Mary Louise, very graciously skipped lunch to facilitate touchdown. From this point of origin, Jon was whisked off to his home in the hills of Berkeley, California - the university town that sits between El Cerrito and Oakland and across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco. Jon shared this home with mom, two older brothers, Rod and Eric, and his dad, Michael. It came to be that there were record lovers, and buyers, in this house. 4 of them, in fact, while they were all still around. Jon benefitted from this. Classical, jazz, R&B, country, blues - all the best of these genres was in the air... and absorbed. Jon's mom played piano and sang, and her father, Ollie, was in the Oakland Symphony as a violinist, played in a Dixieland band and played piano music for silent movie showings. All this led to Jon's very early interest in music, and at first, playing the piano. About age 4 was when his little hands ventured vertically and made contact with the keys of the family's upright in the hallway. Jon also loved nature and the outdoors, as well all manner of sports: basketball, football, baseball, skiing, surfing, skateboarding. He grew also to enjoy growing things. Jon remembers his grandmother Stella teaching him some Bach and starting piano lessons when he was 6 years old, or thereabouts. Bach, Beethoven and mom sneaked in some boogie boogie and blues. Jon liked his elementary school too. Back then it was called Cragmont. Life was quite serene and happy for Jon in those early Berkeley years. Before the 1950's yielded the turbulent 60's.