This past week a music legend passed away with very little fanfare. There was a small article in the Orlando Sentinel that said, "Neil Peart 1952-2020, Master drummer, lyricist of influential rockers Rush," on page A10 of the Sunday edition. He was a part of a rock band that has been a mainstay of classic rock and rockers for decades, so why was his death not huge news? If I asked a millennial, "What is your favorite Rush song?" I can guarantee the puzzled look on their face and the instant reach for their phone to google the name is all I would get from them.

Music is and always will be a part of our lives. Its presence is essential for various reasons. However, like the history of our nation, music has a history that most young people do not learn about. These musical poets that have written odes and verses, trilogies, and operas dealing with wars, drugs, violence, and heartbreak are slowly fading away to only be idolized for a week on a radio station when a member of the band passes.

So, why is it that most millennials don't know who Rush is, or Queen for that matter? Could it be that their parents did not include their music experiences in the lives of their children? As a young girl, I can remember my mother singing Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Etta James songs on the radio. She loved Elvis and on Saturday mornings she would crank up the radio as we did our chores.

Like my mother, I shared my appreciation of the music of my generation and my mother's generation with my daughters. The music of Mo-Town, especially the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder, played on a cassette in my minivan as I drove them to school or soccer games. Many mornings stuck in traffic the girls would complain about the music and ask to turn on the radio station so they could listen to New Kids On The Block.

I recall once my oldest daughter said she thought New Kids On The Block were the new Beatles. It took me no time to convince her differently. A few hours listening to the Beatles albums and she was hooked. She is a lot like her mother when it comes to her music taste, apart from her rap music period. I appreciate their talents, but it just is not the kind of music I can relate with. There is music playing in her home daily and her children are appreciating the music of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, as well as Disney songs and classic children's songs like "Baby Shark."

What we all need is a new era of rock and roll. Bring back the garage bands, grunge, and even the punk rockers. Let's break out the electric guitars and the bass guitars and a tambourine or two and a strong drummer that keeps the beat no matter what direction the musicians take the song. Let's protest the establishment and the society that is tearing many of us apart. Let's make some noise and bang our heads and sing along and pump our fists in the air to show the world we are here, and we want to change.

By the end of this week, there was an announcement that Pearl Jam has a new album and are going out on tour. If you don't know who they are, click here. I have linked a top song of theirs from 1991. However, one of my favorite songs is "Last Kiss." It is a remake of an old Ricky Nelson song from the 1960s.

The library, internet, and radio stations are full of music of all types, and in order to appreciate the past and the people that changed the world with their music, everyone should listen with an open mind and heart. As the musical poets tell the story of their lives and the lives that bring others together, we all need to do what The Beatles sang and "Come Together."