I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. Like forever. I literally cannot function without it taking up some part of my day. There is nothing else on the planet with the ability to get me smiling, moving, coping, thinking (or not-thinking, as the case might be) faster than time with a large thumping dose of aural goodness into my ears.

Music has had my back whenever and wherever I’ve needed it, on more occasions than I can count. It has tirelessly soothed, inspired, eased, motivated, enhanced and/or distracted. I’ve powered through countless hours of housework, gardening, dog-walking and driving, not to mention rocking out at concerts, days at the beach, drinking on hot summer nights and intimate moments after dark with music my ever-present partner, loyal to the end. It’s the perfect accompaniment for anything and everything and can be all things to all kinds of people. That’s the cool thing about it.

Just like eating and sleeping as long as this half-century old heart still pumps blood around my body, for me music will be an essential part of my life, every day. As the very wise Jimi Hendrix once said: “Music is my religion.” Amen to that, brother.