Music has always been a part of Rashod Ollison’s life. His new memoir, Soul Serenade, is a story both of songs and hardships. His father left the family when he was only 6. He writes that his mother, meanwhile, was far from affectionate — she had “a love redolent of vinegar, without the slightest hint of sweetness.” He moved several times as a child — switching schools, cycling in and out of housing projects in and around Little Rock, Ark.
But music, and particularly soul music, was what got him through. His love of music began at an early age when he first heard the “wail” of Aretha Franklin. It continues in his current life as a music journalist.
So much of Ollison’s love of R&B comes from his father. Soul Serenade tells the story of his 6-year-old self hearing “All the Way Lover,” off of Millie Jackson’s 1977 album Feelin’ Bitchy.
For the complete story, visit NPR.org/Books.
