1 10 1 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/846ecd2e9132ce5a2131fde702a7cec1.pdf?Expires=1781740800&Signature=wDLd60uEoGCM7xEhwjvcrUmWn%7ELf7pgxQZOBE1aVBVgv1MJy6DHyyyZBMLohyfoDuUHW%7ECpbc8pCWuU0etVDvDNWrhu8BLcKBmATzpzbclkUrW6c1ogwiQIRJ0TzN1l603Y9P8w61jsXpscGTVCr9UEXtpBS8Pged39QbFIfdQPgNmMzA1t90RReGzmd2yw36LYWKHtz34kEFOwfRv8hoFgYt2Tz0J-RnMXuBLWpcgzakD38xjyWa8zh%7EkJvw7yvT30%7Es8K8ToIFDwQ5q1qNja6p7OEjPdZx4XTyxFW6Jtw9DDYat3G6pCydV8Ky-J-Vz2ub0ZtbRQvDBLR81HqlIA__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 077c73afa9470da83c1b888ef3c10068 PDF Text Text TRANSCRIPT - DELIA RIOS CHARIKER Interviewee: DELIA RIOS CHARIKER Interviewer: LAURA BROWN, DENNIS JOYNER AND CODY MAHEN Interview Date: APRIL 18, 2017 Location: CHARLESTON, SC Length: 60 min. INT: Sometimes it gets stuck, so I want to make sure it's moving. Yeah, as long as that clock is moving, you're good. DJ: We're rolling? INT: Yeah. DJ: All right. INT: But feel free to continue with your preliminaries. DJ: Good morning, ma'am. If you could state your name, your age, and where you were born, for the record. DELIA RIOS CHARIKER: Sure. Delia Rios Chariker, born in Kingsville, Texas. DJ: Okay. If you could just give us a little bit of background on your early childhood life, I mean, there's really not a lot of information on you that we could find. DRK: Okay. I was born in Kingsville, Texas. I'm Mexican-American, and I was raised, when I was younger, for about two years there before I moved to South Carolina. But my grandparents and all my family back then, here was always music in the house, always people singing. No instruments. They would just break out in song. You know, it was great. So, there was a lot of vivacious energy around, singing. People didn't really care that they could play an instrument or that they could even sing in tune, but there was �Delia Rios Chariker 2 just a lot of celebration around music. And I remember always thinking that was just something in me to do, I guess. I don't know. DJ: Now, how big was your family. DRK: I have five brothers. I'm the only girl. But I have, on my mom's side, my Mexican side of the family, is I can't even count, probably fifty or sixty cousins. And it's a huge family, because my grandfather, who came over, he actually started, there's actually a small town in Texas called Rios, Texas, where his family was established. DJ: So, your father was from Rios and your mother was from Mexico? DRK: Actually, no. My mother is Mexican-American. My father is Anglo. He's in the Navy. So, my mom and dad met in Kingsville. He's my stepfather. So, they met in Texas, and his family lived up here in South Carolina, so that's how we moved up to South Carolina. And, yeah, so, that's kind of the nuts and bolts of music, and I just have a lot of great memories with aunts and uncles and cousins all singing and playing or hanging out. DJ: Now, what was your big thing whenever you were younger? What was your favorite thing to do with music? DRK: Well, when I was younger, I started playing guitar, probably when I was in high school. And I remember watching TV and seeing, I don't know if you all know The Ed Sullivan Show. You do? DJ: I do. DRK: All right. And there was a woman, Joan Baez, familiar folk, a folk singer that was famous, or still is famous as a folk singer, and I remember seeing her on Ed Sullivan and going, wow, I didn't know girls could play guitar! (laughs) Because I had �Delia Rios Chariker 3 never seen a girl play guitar. And from that moment on, in high school, I got my church choir director to teach me how to play guitar. Yeah. DJ: Now, did you sing, as well, with church? DRK: Yes. Yes, sang with church and started — they have a folk band and it's a Catholic church, so they had a folk music group, choir, yeah. DJ: Which family member had the biggest influence on your younger life? DRK: Probably my mom, my mom. She is Hispanic, so she wasn't born in Mexico. So, a lot of people think, oh, you're Mexican-American. You're part in Mexico. No, that wasn't the case. My grandfather. So, she is like third generation, I guess, American. My grandfather's mother, my great-grandmother lived in, was born in Mexico, and then they moved over to Texas. DJ: What was your education like at the time? I mean, did you grow up, go elementary school, middle school, high school, or college? DRK: Yep, that's what it was like. I went to elementary school in Clover, South Carolina, and that's where I was raised. DJ: Oh, so you moved from... DRK: Texas, yeah. DJ: ...Texas. When did you move, if you don't mind me asking? DRK: I was about four years, three to four years old. We moved up from Kingsville to Clover, South Carolina. So, I was raised there. Yeah, and I remember singing in the, you know, church, school groups and things like that. Yeah. DJ: Now, when did you realize you wanted to be a musician? DRK: Well, that's funny, because I was in the Catholic youth group, and the �Delia Rios Chariker 4 Catholic youth group has a talent contest. So, that was the first time I, I mean, I always felt a connection to music, even when I was a little girl. So, the talent contest I entered and I won. I got fifty dollars. I'll never forget that, (laughs) and a trophy. And it was actually in Beaufort I won it. And from that moment on, it was just a really affirmation or validation, I guess you'd say, that it's fun to do and I've always, in church we'd sing and feel it, just feel it all in me to sing and people liked what I sounded like. So, it was great. DJ: Now, did you have a favorite song that you would sing whenever you were in the choir? DRK: In the choir, it was, you know, it was church stuff, so. It's a lot of Catholic hymns that I really like. I can't name one. But I won the talent contest with a song called “Billy Jack”. I don't know if you know about Billy Jack. DJ: I think I've heard it a long time ago. DRK: Yeah, it's an old Native. The guy that's the character is Native American, and he protects a lot of people. It's a great song. It's about people being up on the mountain and thinking all their riches are coming from the city down below. I mean, up above. And so, there's people down below and they're trying to get up to the top of the mountain to get all these riches, because people, they think, are rich. But what they find out later, that it's not about the money. It's about, you know, their values, you know. DJ: Okay. Now, I'm going to go a little bit to the dark side. DRK: The dark side. DJ: Is there anywhere where you thought that music wasn't your thing or that you shouldn't be a musician? DRK: Well, I don't know if I. Yeah. I mean, there's times, you know, when you're �Delia Rios Chariker 5 in high school, you know, you get a little insecure, because I think a choir director told me I shouldn't sing, because I was too loud. (laughs) Because I do have a projecting voice. And but I'm glad I didn't listen to her. I don't know why I didn't, but I'm glad I didn't listen to her and just kept on singing. And there was times going, you know, growing up that I thought, I mean, that's how I actually went back to college and got my master's, because I was in a crossroads of my profession singing for professional reasons or as a career. Yeah. DJ: Where did you go to college at? DRK: I went to Sacred Heart College in Belmont, North Carolina, a four-year college, and then I went to Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, which is a Buddhist school, studying music therapy, actually. So, that's when my life changed a lot. DJ: Can you talk a little bit more about that, like your education in music therapy? DRK: Yeah. I was working as a—oh, what do you call that—a psych tech, I guess you'd call it, at MUSC for like four years, and at that point, I was playing a lot of music around town in a lot of the folk clubs that were here back then and playing for certain events. And I remember thinking, okay, I don't want to be working on the psych unit for the rest of my life, because it was depressing, you know, and it only seemed like it only went so far. So, I was at a point I said, okay, I want to do music professionally full-time, or do I want to be a therapist and go back and get my master's in psychology or therapy? I mean counseling. And somebody said, "Have you ever heard of music therapy?" And I said, "No." I never had heard of that. So, that would be perfect, because I can do both. So, that was probably '94, I guess. �Delia Rios Chariker 6 DJ: Now, when did you start performing at venues? DRK: When I was in college at Sacred Heart. I played for events there, obviously. There was always something going on. And I played for the services. They had like a club thing going on at the university at Belmont Abbey. I don't know if you're familiar with Belmont Abbey, but I'd play music for them, had a little band. And from there, I left and played like what they call the hotel circuit. So, I played Holiday Inn. I was booked in that for a little bit. And so, I did that when I got out of college, for a while. And so, whatever. And then I took a break from music for a long time, because, you know, it's no guarantee that you're going to make money doing music, and you got to make a living. You got to live. So. DJ: Did you do anything else other than music? DRK: Yes. When I left college, my first out of college was at the, it's not the Peace Corps. It's called the VISTA Corps, which is a volunteer-in-America corps. And I did that in Kentucky, because I think everybody should serve their country on some level, and that was a way for me to do it other than military. So. DJ: And what exactly did you do for them? DRK: I worked in this rural area in Kentucky, and we were responsible for working with a senior center that they had there. And I'm talking rural. There was nothing out there. (laughs) And so, it was like three of us women. We had never met each other, that's what I did working there. And I didn't do much music there, you know, because we were way out in the boonies. And so, we just kind of helped senior citizens with activities in a small town. I did that for a while, a year. It's a year commitment. And I left that and �Delia Rios Chariker 7 went to Nashville, and Nashville is where I started back up into the music thing. I was getting a momentum going in Nashville playing music professionally. Yeah. DJ: Who was your musical inspiration? I know you mentioned that your mother, you looked up to your mother, but who would you listen to to get inspiration, or who did you want to be like? DRK: I didn't have any one person. I just really was influenced by the Motown sound, you know, all the soul music. Ray Charles, I really liked him a lot, and I liked, there wasn't many female musicians back then, so, that were on the radio, so, other than The Supremes. I like them a lot. And Joan Baez, I really liked her a lot. Yeah. Melanie, I don't know if you remember her. She was an old folk singer. I think she was on Ed Sullivan. So, like I said, there wasn't tons. Familywise, it was just really my mom and her sisters. You know, they sang and just would always sing, just out of nowhere. (laughs) They would just break out into song. You could be in the grocery store, and they'd start singing. You'd be in the car, walking, you know, whatever. They'd think of these old songs, and they all have these — the Mexican songs have a lot of history and memories for them, so they would just start speaking in Spanish, which up until two, that was my primary language, but then we moved to South Carolina and then I didn’t get encouraged for me to keep singing — or using Spanish. So, that was kind of weird for me. So. DJ: Now, was that a — I know you were young, but was that a major change for you moving from Texas to South Carolina? DRK: It was huge, a huge change. DJ: Can you talk about how that impacted you? �Delia Rios Chariker 8 DRK: Well, my mom's side of the family is very big and loving and, like I said, very outgoing, colorful, a lot of celebration, always there. And then when we moved to South Carolina, my dad's side of the family was not like that at all. (laughs) It was the total opposite. So, his family was more disconnected, so I didn't have that influence around me all the time just to sing and be in that setting, you know. So, it kind of, I guess, stifled me a little bit, you know. So. DJ: Now, do you have any regrets that you made in your younger life, like when it came to music or anything affiliated with it? DRK: Regrets. You know, that's a hard word, because yes and no. I mean, I was in Nashville for a while and I was really starting to get some momentum to be, you know, performing more and getting more gigs there. And something in me said this place will eat you alive, because there's so many good musicians in Nashville. I was too insecure at the time to think that I was, you know, that I could hold my own. So, I felt like I couldn't do it. So, I left Nashville. So, then a part of me thinks, wow, I wish I kind of had just hung in there. But then if I had, I wouldn't be able to work with veterans doing counseling and work in that. And that's actually my most rewarding work, I think. DJ: Now, when did you come back to Charleston? DRK: Charleston, Charleston. Okay, 19 when I came back. I went to California after Nashville. California, I played music out there in the coffeehouses and stuff out there. DJ: Can you talk a little bit about that? I mean, that's quite a change going from Nashville to California! DRK: It was weird, you know, but, yeah, so, I left Nashville and went to �Delia Rios Chariker California, didn't know anybody, go out there by myself and got a job working as a counselor in a group home for mentally handicapped kids up in Ramona, California, where there is nobody up that way. And then one day I went to the coast, and there was — on the coast, there was a coffeehouse on the beach. And they had open mics, so that's kind of where I started in the music scene there in California. DJ: Now, what kind of kids did you work with? DRK: Well, they were adults, but they were probably at an age mentally around teenage age. And so, girls and boys, and we, it was a house that we worked as a group home. DJ: Okay. DRK: Yeah, so, a counselor for them, yeah. DJ: And did you just find music that would help them, I don't want to say cope, but that would make them relax? DRK: Yeah, I mean, music was always a fun way for them to feel entertainment and dance and it's always a—it was cool, because—don't know if you've worked around mentally handicapped kids, but most of them were Down syndrome. So, and they love music, and they will sing and play and anything. And it was cool to see that. DJ: The reason I asked is my cousin has Down syndrome. DRK: Oh, okay. DJ: I actually just spent the weekend with him, and he loves music. He loves karaoke. DRK: Yeah! DJ: And it just really relaxes him, and he takes pride in it. So. 9 �Delia Rios Chariker 10 DRK: Well, good for him! Good for him. Yeah, it's a very therapeutic tool, music, you know, on lots of different levels, yeah. DJ: Now, you went to Nashville, you went to California... DRK: Right. DJ: ...then you came back to Charleston. DRK: Came back to Charleston, yes. DJ: Or South Carolina. DRK: Yeah. Came back to South Carolina, Charleston. DJ: What was the goal whenever you got here? You came back to Charleston. What did you want to do? What was the plan? DRK: Well, there was no plan. It was just I was homesick. I missed my family. (laughs) But I didn't want to move to Clover, because Clover, I don't know if you've ever been around there, it's a very small town. Charleston was more transient. There's more people. There's different cultures, different types of people, so it was more colorful to me. I like Charleston, so when I got back here, I got a job working at the Psych Institute at MUSC, and then, again, going around Charleston, there was coffeehouses and I started playing for open mics, open mics that way, and then got in meeting a lot of musicians that you've probably have interviewed, I'm guessing. (laughs) DJ: Oh, yeah. We've interviewed a lot. But I did notice that you are you signed with a record label? DRK: No, I'm not signed at all, but I have a CD, yes. DJ: Okay. There was a company that popped up, Hungry Monk Music. DRK: Right. Hungry Monks, right. And John Holenko is one of the founders of �Delia Rios Chariker 11 Hungry Monk. That's his and his wife, Hazel Ketchum. And at the time when I was walking to finally record something, it was I wanted to do something that—just to do a CD, because everybody wanted me to do a CD, but I didn't have enough vocal material together, but I play Native American flute, so I was doing an instrumental and he played the guitar for me in there. And his company or his label is the Hungry Monk label. So. DJ: Now, how did you get to that point? DRK: When I moved back to Charleston working at the Psych Institute and that's when I was wanting to change careers, and I ended up in Boulder, Colorado. So, that's where I went and got my master's in music therapy and counseling. So, that was really a great experience. DJ: You've done a lot of traveling! DRK: I have done a lot of traveling. (laughs) I mean, I think that's most of it. I've been around here and there. Yeah. DJ: What's been your favorite place? DRK: Oh, gosh. I really like Boulder a lot. I like Colorado a lot. I like them all, really. You know, I like them all, even though my friends said, "You're going back to Charleston. It's so redneck. It's a small town," blah, blah, blah, blah, "so prejudiced," and, which, you know, the South has that reputation, but I haven't really come across that too much, you know. DJ: Yeah, Charleston isn't that small anymore. DRK: Un-unh! It's growing all the time and more culturally diverse and cray cray. I don't like it as much. So, I liked it when it was more easygoing. I mean, I could go to Folly Beach, and there would be no traffic. It was great. Yeah. Now, it's crazy. �Delia Rios Chariker 12 DJ: Those are only dreams now. DRK: Mm-hmm. I know! Yeah, so, Colorado, I went back there and went and got my master's and music therapy led me into playing Native American flute, because that's where I got introduced to that. Culturally, my great-grandmother was Mexican Indian is Indian, and which when I was growing up, Indian culture was not encouraged, because if you were Indian, that meant you were too dark. If you were too dark, that was frowned upon. And I looked at my great-grandmother's picture, who I never met, and I said, wow, she looks really, you know, Native American. And when I had gone to college, I had taken women's history and, you know, all the different classes that you had to have, and I remember studying about Native culture and I connected to the Native American spirituality more than Catholicism. And but then I saw her picture and I thought, wow, maybe that's where I get this feeling, I guess, I can't describe when I play the flute. It gives me a really strong connection to Native culture and spirituality. So, it's been a very healing instrument to learn, and it's opened up a lot of doors for a lot of different settings, especially therapeutically, working with relaxation therapy, working with veterans just to kind of connect. I should have brought my flute. I thought about that when I got here. (laughs) Yeah. So, from Colorado, music scene, had a little band there, just a lot of different introductions to how music can help people heal, can help people get in touch with feelings that they didn't know they had, because it really disarms people in a way that talking therapy doesn't. You know, people have to think really hard about what you're going to say mentally. So, you have these filters. And when you're with music, there's no �Delia Rios Chariker 13 filters, because the mind is not thinking about how it's going to say things, you know, so you don't have this guardedness, which is pretty cool. So, music disarms you in a way you're not expecting. And there's a lot of memories associated with music, favorite songs, you know, and memories associated with that, because part of my internship in the program was I worked in an Alzheimer's unit, working with a nursing home, and I don't know if you all. DJ: I've been there, as well. DRK: You've been there with that? DJ: My grandmother had Alzheimer's for, oh, eight years. So. DRK: So, did you ever see them, I mean, did you ever see her with music? DJ: What I would do — I was younger. She passed away when I was twelve. My dad and I, every weekend, we'd go down. She lived in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. We would hop in our car. We lived an hour away. We'd drive down Saturday mornings at 5:30. We'd stop, get haircuts. We'd pick her up and we'd take her out for a fish sandwich at the local café, which was her favorite. And they would always play old-fashioned music. And it would bring her memory back. DRK: Oh, yeah. DJ: And it was fun to watch her eyes light up and she would just start talking about all this and it was crazy how she could retain that information. DRK: It is amazing. And, actually, music is like the first sound that a person develops developmentally. Sound, not music, but sound. And so, it's the last sense to go when you pass. So, there is a long-term memory piece that they call, people with Alzheimer's, that they can recall those songs. But I witnessed, playing sometimes, people �Delia Rios Chariker 14 that were catatonic, you know, drooling, not even lift - heads picked up, and you'd play “You Are My Sunshine”, and, boom! They're like, whoa, back to life! I just think it's the most miraculous thing I've ever seen. So, I just love music for that, you know. DJ: Now, I'm going to get a little off-topic. Have you done any a cappella work? DRK: Yes. Yes. A lot. Some of my stuff is a cappella, yeah. A lot of it is, actually. Chanting. I do a lot of Native American chanting, but I do, you know, if I play for a service, as sometimes I play for services in town, and I'll do some a cappella songs. DJ: Now, do you play for like Catholic services or just... DRK: No, just different. Circular Church. I don't know if you know it. It's a nondenominational church, Unity Church. I'm a music director at Unity Church right now, and it's the smaller one in Mount Pleasant. There's a bigger one here in Charleston, but I do the one. DJ: Okay. I'm going to pass the mic off over to Ray. DRK: All right. LB: So, I'm going to be covering kind of your middle life up to career kind of area, just so you can get ready for those kinds of questions. So, tell me a little bit about your family life now and, you know, are you married, have any children? What do they do? DRK: Okay. I am gay, so I'm in a marriage we're not married yet — thirty years we've been partners. LB: Oh, wow! DRK: Yeah, we've been together a long time. (laughs) And we might as well be married. And we have a daughter, and her name is Delaney. And so, she's nineteen, so �Delia Rios Chariker 15 I'm trying to get her to college. (laughs) And so, She plays an instrument, so she likes that. So, we have that connection to play. LB: I was about to ask you if she was like followed in your footsteps and was musical in any way. So, she plays an instrument? DRK: She plays an instrument, but she's more into sports, so she really digs that a lot. But she has played in, I don't know if you've heard Girls Rock Camp, Girls Rock, the nonprofit. Are you familiar with them? LB: I've heard of them, yeah. DRK: Yeah. So, she's been in that, and that's been really — that helped her really develop. It really made her grow up and get more empowered as a woman or a young girl and it's been neat to do that. I've played some music with them. So, yeah. So, that's kind of — and my partner works at the Roper Hospital, cardiac ultrasound technician, so she does that. LB: That's neat. DRK: Yeah. And she's in California. We met in California, and I made her come back to this side. (laughs) And she's never forgiven me. "It's so hot here!" LB: So, kind of just to go off of that, how is that challenging for you, you know, before, because I feel like now, people are more accepting of different cultures and different, you know, sexualities. How was that a challenge for you early on when you, you know, were in California and in Colorado and in coming back here? DRK: Out there, there was not any challenge. People are very open and accepting. When you come in Charleston, and, you know, I don't tell my clients I'm gay. I work at the Charleston Vet Center, which is on Montague, and there might be two clients I know �Delia Rios Chariker 16 that know that about me, because I do groups a lot and one-on-ones and things like that. But I haven't shared that, and, you know, it's kind of weird, because I've been with them three years now and they get very personal with you and you get very personal with them. It's like you become a family, you know. And I think it might be a matter of time before that does happen. But, yeah, I'm kind of cautious about it, because I'm not sure. Some of the guys are very old-school... LB: Old-school, yeah. DRK: And they're very religious, to the hyper-religious. (laughs) I can respect — you know, I respect that, obviously. So, I'm not sure how they'd be. But I'm hoping that they'll be accepting if it happens, when I do come out, I guess. (laughs) But my coworkers are great. There's no issues there. I've been blessed that way. My family has, too. I mean, I remember coming back to Charleston wondering if my daughter was going to be ostracized or whatever, but the daycare we put her in was very loving for us. And I remember one little boy said, "I wish I had two moms," (laughs) and told her that. So, yeah, we've been blessed that way. Yeah. LB: Was there any challenges that you faced, you know, being, you know, Mexican-American, Native American, kind of just that blend? Was there any, you know, challenges in that kind of arena? DRK: Yeah, there has been, actually probably more than being gay At one point, when I was taking a break from music, I was a traffic-control officer in California at the airport. And I remember people thinking, oh, you got your job because you're Mexican, where they have quotas. �Delia Rios Chariker 17 And then I remember I worked as a park ranger when I was in Tennessee. I worked as a park ranger in the Smoky Mountains and loved that and I probably would have done that, but it was seasonal work. But, anyway, that was probably my favorite job. (laughs) And I remember a guy. I worked at the World's Fair in 1992, I think it was, the World's Fair was—was it '92 or '88? Anyway. One of those years. And I was at the booth in Knoxville and a man almost jumped over the counter and points his fingers and says, "I know how you got your job!" And it was the freakiest feeling in the world. I'm like, whoa! Where did that come from? So, I don't know if it was because he thought I was Indian, Mexican, woman. I mean, it could have been all of that, you know. LB: Any of them. DRK: Any of them, you know, but I remember having that. And even now, I mean, I mean, now it's better, but I remember growing up through life, just lots of feelings of like, do I have this job because I'm really good, or do I have this job because—so, there was like kind of a little insecurity about that. But now I know I have my job because I'm, you know, I've earned it... LB: Good at it. DRK: ... and I'm good at it, yeah. Yeah. LB: So, I know you talked about pursuing the music and kind of going back and forth with if you wanted to do career music-wise or career, you know, your musictherapy-wise. What made you decide, what was that kind of deciding moment that was like, you know, this is the path I'm going to take? Or if you even had one. DRK: I just guess when that door opened that you could blend both, and I �Delia Rios Chariker 18 remember being with somebody talking and he said, "Well, you know, there's music therapy." And I, I don't know, something just said, well, yeah, that resonated. And as I went through the program, it was a very healing thing for me, too. It was very cathartic to see how music can be used on so many levels that we don't even experience in this world here. I mean, everyday life. Yeah, and I just saw so many good things done with it. And being able to do the therapy piece to it and put it together really helped kind of do a whole-person, I guess, treatment, therapy, yeah. LB: So, you mentioned that you work at the VA Center on Montague. I read a little bit about it. You help teach guitar lessons. What other kind of stuff do you do for the therapy part? DRK: I worked at the VA for six years, five years in the drug-and-alcohol program, and when I was there, drug addicts, alcoholics need something to do, or their mind goes to the dark side. So, when I was there, somehow, I got introduced—I don't know, somebody told me. He said, "Have you ever heard of the Guitar for Vets program?" I said, "No." So, I looked it up on the Internet and it was a nonprofit and I became one of the chapter coordinators for it here. LB: Oh, wow! DRK: Here, yeah. So, I started that there. So, what that is, that program, twelve weeks of lessons and you get a free guitar. LB: Oh, wow! DRK: Yeah. It's a really good program. So, I got a lot of guys into that program, a couple women, mostly men were in that program. So, I started it there, and while I was there at the VA, I started a band, a veteran band. Veteran in Arms it was called. (laughs) �Delia Rios Chariker 19 And it was great, but it was the funniest experience, because, yeah, I'd get all these drug addicts, alcoholics that were great musicians, and I would see them in groups. And I'm thinking, man, you're so good. And we would do performances. I'd get them on stage, and we would do Christmas programs, Memorial Day programs, anything, you know, that could keep them going and inspire them. And a lot of them, it really helped feed their soul and their therapy. So, it was part of their therapy, whether they knew it or not. And that was pretty fun to do that group. And then from there, when I worked at the Vet Center, carried over that music for guitar—Guitar for Vets. But because I'm a counselor there at the Vet Center, they said they thought that would be a—I don't know. You know how the rules are with the military (laughs) and the government. So, it was like I can't do it officially. LB: Right, right, right. DRK: So, but they — thankfully, my supervisor did bring in the other volunteers that had become instructors. So, they teach. They do the Guitar for Vets program there at our center, which is great, and we've had a lot of people take on and do it. My veterans now that I work with are a lot of Vietnam veteran survivors of PTSD, OIF/OEF survivors with PTSD. And so, what they did let me do, instead of doing music therapy, I get to do a music activity group. So, again, finding it's such a creative outlet for them and it just relaxes them, distracts them. I mean, I have guys tell me, "I'd be an alcoholic if I didn't have this group," you know, or, "I'd be miserable right now if I didn't have this group." You know, so there's a lot of validation for them doing it. And they just light up, you know. So, I do a group on Mondays, a music-activity jam, really, and I'm not technically supposed to be teaching them, but I teach. �Delia Rios Chariker 20 LB: But you do. (laughs) DRK: Yeah. Yeah, and we share a lot of memories around it. So, it's been great. So, I'm happy I've been able to keep that going. So, we bring in the guys from Guitars for Vets. They're welcome to come in and join the activity group, as well. And there is a band that's still going. That started another band that one of my vets, he actually took over being a band leader. And then they go to the Veteran's Victory House and play and they play a lot of events that they don't get paid for. It's all volunteer, and there's like four or five of them. Yeah, I'm proud of them. They've kept it going, even though I can't be in the group. Sometimes I want to be. On the down-low, I might go once in a while. (Laughter) DRK: But don't tell my supervisor. LB: I just got to go check up on them. DRK: Yeah, go check up on them. LB: Well, yeah, this sounds like kind of like the work that my mom does. My mom works at an assisted living facility back in Georgia. And so, she's the activities coordinator there. And so, talking with her, and, you know, she says the same thing about music. She's not very musically inclined, but the people that she like brings in, you know, plays all the older music, some of the people there are just kind of out of it and don't really know where they are and kind of just are all over the place. Once they hear, like you said, “You Are My Sunshine” or an older song, they just, you know, come out of their shell a little bit. And she said that's been really rewarding for her, as I'm sure it's been for you. DRK: Yeah, it is. It kind of keeps you hooked, you know. I love performing. I �Delia Rios Chariker 21 love doing that, too, but the other part of it is if I don't feel a connection, I mean, I'm not one of these people that has to play in clubs kind of thing. I'm done with the club scene pretty good, because it's just so people get drunk. They want to do weird things, you know, like get on stage with you or hand you a bite of a steak, you know, just kind of wacky stuff, and you're like, what? You know, so, I like coffeehouse, low-key, church places, you know, concerts. I've played for the Spoleto Festival and Piccolo Festival. I've still got a lot of events I've done like that over the years. So, yeah. LB: So, you mentioned the Piccolo and you mentioned the Native American flute, was it? DRK: Mm-hmm. LB: How did you decide that that's kind of what you wanted your sound to be for your CD? Like, what made you decide like, you know, this is the kind of message that I want to put out there for everyone? DRK: Well, for that CD, it was I didn't have a lot of money. I'll be honest. (laughs) Didn't have a lot of money, so I had to do something quick and simple. And I knew with just the flute and the guitar and whatever vocal things I wanted to do, it wouldn't cost me that much. I mean, it was still expensive, but it was quick and quicker to get done. It was more practical. So, yeah, and actually, it's been great, because it's a good business card, because people say, "What do you sound like," or, "What do you do?" You know, and I can say, well, now you can go on CD Baby, and at the time, I just gave them CD. But you can go, I don't know, type my name in, and you can see my CD clips and things like that. So, that's a good way to market yourself, and that's kind of what I've done with that. �Delia Rios Chariker 22 But it, really, you know, I didn't it got, what's the word? The flute, I think, you know, things don't happen accidentally. Things happen for a reason. Somehow my friend who I was in the music therapy program and a great sax player, he was the one who started wanting to make flutes and playing, because he knew, he met Carlos Nakai, who is a Native American performer that does Native flutes. And he met the guy that made his flutes. So, I got him to make me a flute. And from then on, it's just been this great world of Native music and culture and experiences, you know, I never would have thought would have taken me such on a spiritual journey, you know. So, yeah. I don't know if that answers your question. LB: No, yeah, yeah, yeah. What was your kind of message, I guess you could say, that you wanted to send out and kind of your staple for this is me as an artist? What did you want kind of that to be? DRK: Message? I think that's just an ongoing thing for me. I don't know that I put it in a box like that, because I don't know that I define that. You know, it's a different experience every time that I perform, and people will take away from it what they want. They'll want to put you in this, oh, you do this kind of music or you do that. Well, I do a lot of different kind of music, but I try to put some of all of it together in some way when I perform. But mostly, it's just being positive. The music I want to do is about positive messages, you know. And validations and storytelling. There's a lot of different songs. Like John Prine does a lot of story stuff, and Leonard Cohen, his stuff. I like that music a lot. So, things that give you just that heart, heart connection, heart strings. LB: No, that makes sense. A lot, well, that is it for my questions. I want to go �Delia Rios Chariker 23 ahead and pass it on. CM: All right, well, I think we've pretty much covered everything that's I've really wanted to ask. I was curious what your inspiration was for your Animas album. DRK: Oh, for the Animas album? CM: Animas. DRK: That means "souls," souls, animas. My ancestry. I wanted to kind of honor my ancestry, and that's where that came from, you know. So, in the moment of playing the music and just feeling it, vocables are what Native Americans use instead of words. And because there's so many tribes in the world or here, they use vocables to help bring in lots of inner tribes together to be able to sing and connect. If you've ever been to a powwow or anything like that, you'll hear a lot of "Ay, ay, ay, ay, yai, ay, ay," which is all in the neck stuff. And it's easy to pick up. It's easy to follow. So, that brings people together. And then the drumming, which is another part of the Native music, is also a very cathartic, powerful feeling, because the drums are very — the deep mother drum has a real strong vibration. Music is vibration. You know, the sound is vibration. So, we all are connected through vibrations. So, when you hear something that resonates with you, whatever tone that might be, whatever pitch that might be, something in you is going to feel that. And it'll pull at you. I mean, have you all had experiences like that with music, certain songs that kind of just like — CM: Oh, certainly. DRK: Yeah. You know, “Amazing Grace”, you can bring that song up, or even in the “Star-Spangled Banner”, you know, and it'll just, whoa. �Delia Rios Chariker 24 DJ: Hallelujah. DRK: Hallelujah, Leonard, oh, yeah. DJ: That was my junior song for choir. DRK: Was it? DJ: I did the solo on it. DRK: Did you really? DJ: Yeah, a cappella. DRK: Oh, well, let me hear it. (laughs) DJ: Maybe afterwards. DRK: Okay. That's a beautiful song, yeah. DJ: It really is. It's one of my favorites. DRK: That one and Suzanne. Those are the two I like to do, Suzanne. Yeah, but Leonard Cohen. CM: Yeah, excuse me. I'm very sick. DRK: I know. I know you are. Bless your heart. You're good, though. CM: We've really covered just about everything that I wanted to ask. DRK: Are you going to ask me what I want to be when I grow up? (Laughter) LB: What do you think your future is going to be in music or in therapy or both? What's your next step, do you think? DRK: Well, while I was raising my daughter, I kind of took a break from performing. So, in the last year, I guess, I've been doing some musical opportunities, because I'm with the church. And, mind you, I was never expecting to ever be a music �Delia Rios Chariker 25 director for a church, because I didn't go to church all the time. I'll be honest. And somehow that opportunity opened up and I ended up liking the church and the message, because it's all positive messages, you know, and it's a very open and affirming of all different kinds of diversities. And that's led to me saying, okay, now it's time to just call a friend who plays percussion who I've known over the years, and he and I had done some music way back when. And he said, "Yeah, let's get together." So, we've kind of done something together now. There's a program, World Café, which is done once a month. Anyway, that guy that coordinates that, he called me up and he heard about me through other musicians. So, I did a program, a performance with him. And that's led to a couple other ones. So, on May the 5th, Cinco de Mayo, I'll be at the Eclectic Café on Spring Street, if you all want to have nothing to do. And June the second, I'm doing another World Café and May the twenty-seventh, the Charleston Music Hall, I'm going to be part of a program there of women in music. So, all these doors are opening. It's weird, and I'm just kind of watching it going, okay, whatever, universe. Thank you. Spirit, whatever. Just take me there. And so, it's wide open right now where it's going to lead. I don't know. I'm just kind of not trying to get too rigid about it. Do I wish I was retired so I could just do it full-time? Yes. (laughs) I would love that. DJ: If you don't mind, I'm just going to ask. What do you want to be when you grow up? That's a question I always ask my dad. My dad is sixty-one years old, and I always say, "What do you want to be when you grow up," because, I mean, he's going to retire here in about four years, and he's not going to sit there and do nothing. DRK: Yes, yes. Right, and that's me, too. I'm not going to sit there and do �Delia Rios Chariker 26 nothing, either. I'm hoping, because I have three and a half, maybe four more years to retire, I know music is going to be a part of that. So, my hope is to be able to maybe even travel and perform, you know, in different countries, but to always have music in my life, doing something like that on some level. So, when I grow up, I'm just going to be a happier musician, I think. (laughs) DJ: A happier musician! DRK: And then I don't have to worry about where I'm going to get my next paycheck, you know, because I'll have retirement money. You know, and that's kind of a trade-off for musicians, because you want to be healthy and you want to have insurance and you want to be able to put food on the table and when you're a musician, it's hit-andmiss, I mean, what you're going to get paid. Sometimes people don't want to pay you or they'll forget. "Oh, we said six hundred? Oh, we meant two hundred." You know, that kind of stuff. So, now I won't have to worry about that. Now I can do music just for fun, and people pay me, great. You know, I'm going to do another CD. I'm getting ready to start on a vocal CD. DJ: Just vocal? DRK: Vocal, yeah, well, you know, guitar and vocal. DJ: Oh, okay. DRK: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so, I'm going to do that next. That's my next project. DJ: What guitar do you use? DRK: I have a couple of acoustic guitars. I just got lucky and got a Baby Taylor guitar, which I love. It's a Mini Taylor. And I have a Takamine Santa Fe, which was my �Delia Rios Chariker 27 other guitar, which I love that one. And I haven't gone to an electric to perform. I'm fooling around on electric. I like it, but it's heavier. (laughs) Yeah. DJ: That's one thing I was never able to pick up. I play a little bit of piano. I tried to learn guitar over a summer, and I just couldn't do it. It drove me insane. I took lessons and I was there playing the guitar and my instructor is like, "Oh, play Ode to Joy." I'm like. DRK: Oh, no! DJ: Yeah. So, I'm there strumming, and I'm just like, okay, I'm done. DRK: I'm done, yeah. Piano is great. I would like to do more piano stuff. DJ: Yeah, I did. There's some song that I did on the piano and I recorded it. DRK: Oh, good! So, well, yeah, do you all play music? Any of you all play instruments or anything? LB: I was very musical when I was younger. I did. I play the piano a little bit. I also play the flute. And I did the violin. And I also sang a lot when I was younger, but then, you know, it got to a point where I was doing kind of the artistic side and the sports side, my dad was driving me back and forth all across town. He was like, "You got to pick." So, eventually I picked soccer, I play soccer here now. So, I haven't really done much of it then, but I still like to sing. And I sing, I used to sing with my church and stuff like that. But I haven't really been that much into it lately. But I did when I was younger a lot. DRK: You'll be surprised. I think it will come back to you, because you do miss it. I mean, it's more than just a performing for fun and attention. It's really a need. You know, when I'm not playing music, I'm very miserable. So, it's my drug, I guess. (laughs) �Delia Rios Chariker 28 LB: That's what my mom would always say. She's like, "Soccer is not going to last you forever. You can't play forever." I was like "But you can sing forever." I was like, "Man, forever?" DRK: You could sing forever. Yeah, you never know. DJ: You might sound bad, but you can sing. (Laughter) DRK: But who cares? It's so cute. Yeah, last time they had one of my music activity groups, and this is probably the most powerful thing, to see these guys come in, never been talking about Vietnam for forty years, never have talked about any traumas they've experienced for forty years, and they come in and they're—won't look you in the eye, you know, because their pain is so deep, tremble when they talk to you, hands sweating. So, to see these guys go from that to playing music with each other and just, "Hey, you know, how did—" and helping each other out and saying, "Oh, man, you're going to be good, you know. Just hang in there." And it's just great to watch them start to be able to be comfortable, outside their comfort zone. You know, for instance, I've got this one guy. He would always just drink in his van and smoke pot. That's what he did. And he had his business, but that's how he coped. So, he comes in last night for his first time to meet the group, because he had just finished the Guitars for Vets class, and he comes in there, and all the guys are, "Atta boy! You're doing great!" You know, he's, "Well, I only got" I said, "Just stay on that one chord. It's okay. Don't worry about changing chords. Just keep in time and play it." And he just lit up. It was the best feeling. I said, "This is why I do this work," you know? This is what's - �Delia Rios Chariker 29 . DJ: What was the greatest impact you had on someone, or what would you say was the biggest change you had on someone's life? If you can remember some individual. DRK: Well, recently, I mean, I got a real cool compliment, I guess. I have a guy who is six years' sober now, and not knowing that he had PTSD and that's what he was doing to cope was to drink. And, yeah, six years of sobriety, he called me and his wife, too, because I worked with both of them, and he just said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," you know, because I'm part of his journey. You know, he did the work, but I'm part of the team that helped him to get together, but he really was appreciative that I didn't give up on him, and he was real appreciative that I've been able to see his strengths versus his weaknesses. And, yeah, that's probably the most rewarding thing, seeing that. And seeing the band play, it's pretty rewarding, yeah. CM: How much longer do you think you'll work with music therapy and the Guitars for Vets? DRK: Well, I guess at least four more years until I retire. And the Guitars for Vets, I'll probably try to hang in with them afterwards as volunteering. There's also a program in Nashville I just saw called Operation Song and working with veterans and helping them write lyrics and songs about their experiences. And I wanted to work with them, but I can't. There's just too much on my plate right now for that. I'm on their Facebook page, and they seem to be doing a whole lot of stuff with people writing songs about their military combat experience. And with women and sexual trauma, that's a real deep, and men and sexual trauma. There's a lot of sexual trauma in the military for men and women. And so, a lot of �Delia Rios Chariker 30 them have written songs about that. You know, it's heartbreaking stuff, but it's very, again, cathartic to get it out. So, any of them think, "Oh, I just got to hold on to it. I've got to be the man, you know, can't be". You know how you guys get trained. You know, I was like. LB: I don't know anybody like that. DRK: Wait, wait, wait. Can't laugh! Don't show your emotions, or you're a wuss or whatever. So, we have to change your attitudes or their attitudes from that to say it's okay to talk. It's okay to cry. "Oh, I can't cry." You know. But as — the mind can only hold on to that tightness for so long. But as you age and get older, it softens up, and it has to, because that takes a lot of energy to keep it like that. But as we get older, our bodies change. Our minds change. The chemicals in our brains change. So, we have to talk and get it out. Yeah. So, it's a good experience. Yeah, hard. It's weird. Then you get some funny people that are — you meet interesting military people. (laughs) DJ: I'm sure. DRK: Interesting vets. I'm sure you've met them. Yeah. Vets are interesting. That's for sure. Civilians have no clue. And I'm a civilian. I had no clue. My partner is a vet, Army veteran, and I didn't have a clue until — I said, "That's why you do these weird things." (laughs) DJ: Why do you gravitate towards the veterans? Is there like a backstory behind that, or was it with your stepfather, because didn't you mention he was a veteran? DRK: He's a veteran. You know, again, I mean, I think your higher power leads you where you're supposed to be. I really believe that. And I don't think there's any accidents. So, before the VA, I worked in Charleston Mental Health, County, for the �Delia Rios Chariker 31 State of South Carolina, worked in that for many years, working with all different populations, kids, all different mental issues from schizophrenia to everything. And I was doing that for the state, and when you work for the state, you only get paid to a certain level and then there's no raises. There's no promotions. It's just you're stuck at a certain level. And, again, divine intervention came about, and my coworker, who is a nurse, got a job at the VA. Well, she said, "Delia, you ought to apply to the VA." And I said, "Well, I never thought about that. I thought you had to be military to apply." I didn't know it was just civilians. I just didn't know. So, I applied and got in. And what's so funny is I slid in under the door, because the door got closed after I got in, because I don't have a license in counseling, but I have my master's in counseling. But I didn't get my license. I got my certification in music therapy, but I didn't have to have a license to get a job as a counselor at the VA, a substance-abuse counselor. I said, "Well, that's great. I've got all these years of experience," and blah, blah, blah. But that door closed. Now you have to be a social worker to be at the VA. So, I was kind of the last person (laughs) that got hired in mental health that way. Even the LPC counselor, even licensed ones aren't hired at the VA, which they don't hire LPCs. I think that's changing, which is good, Licensed Professional Counselors. I don't know — are you all in that program, anybody? No? Okay. So, after that door I slid in under there, that's how I started working with the veterans. And it, again, divine intervention. It's been great. I'm happy that I've been able to do it. I've learned a lot about military culture, which is so great. DJ: Now, you're still working for the VA? �Delia Rios Chariker 32 DRK: Well, the Vet Center is under the VA. The umbrella is the VA, and we're underneath it. We're a branch of it, the Vet Centers. The way that we're different is that we are free counseling for veterans and their families. And they have to be combat veterans or sexual-trauma veterans. We can do some humanitarian stuff for three or four visits for different serious situations. So, we help the vets readjust to civilian life. We help vets navigate the VA system, because there's a lot of—and you need to know this, too. If you're in the military, make sure you go, if you stay in the military, to keep all your medical records, to make sure if you go and sneeze and have to go to the infirmary for that, that is documented, because as you age and get older, those things can be used to help you. And especially all this stuff that vets get exposed to in combat, you know. Who knows how that's going to play out for all my guys, all you guys. You can get compensated for it medically and financially, if it's in your record. So, that's a thing to always know. So, I always tell the vets that. (laughs) So, we do a lot of outreach events, too. So, I like working for the Vet Center a little bit better than the VA, because I don't have to just work with alcoholics. I can work with like everybody, you know. I mean, I love my drug addicts and alcoholics, but after a while, it's just one thing you're working on. DJ: Have you seen any changes in the VA in recent years? I know there was a lot of controversy in like 2010, 2012 about the VA backing up people and all that. Have you seen any changes? DRK: I do. I mean, the public doesn't get to see a lot, and I know there's still a lot of work to go, but they are making changes to try to better customer service. More and �Delia Rios Chariker 33 more, we're always getting these, you know, emails or trainings that, you know, about customer service and all these things that they're trying to provide. But there's a lot of red tape. I think that creates a lot of obstacles. Customer service still is a problem, I think. But I've heard, some guy, he came from, was it New York or Massachusetts? He said he loved the VA. And we'll still hear guys here, "We love the VA. It's always helped us." And I'll hear people complain, "Well, they're such assholes. They never do this and never do that." But sometimes that's their personality, because, you know. LB: Right. That's everywhere, too. DRK: You know, it's everywhere. DJ: Well, I've heard very good things about the Charleston VA. DRK: It's one of the best in the country, yeah. DJ: I've never heard any complaints about it. DRK: Good. Yeah. That's good to know, because it works hard at trying to keep, to change and meet the veterans' needs. But there's so many veterans that are coming back right now. I don't know that they're hiring. They can't keep up with enough staff. The VA now is hiring tele-mental-health people, which means people that are out in the rural areas or whatever being able to be counseled through television, tele-mental-health kind of thing. DJ: Oh, wow. Okay. DRK: Yeah. And they're hiring more people for that, more clinicians for that one. And it actually, you wouldn't think, well, gosh, you know, I'd rather talk to somebody one-on-one, but in some ways, it works better for them, so you never know. DJ: They don't want that interaction. �Delia Rios Chariker 34 DRK: Yeah. In a way, there's this nice, I think, safety from it, maybe. And I just recently started in McClellanville doing an outreach clinic there trying to get veterans that are living way out that way, though, because a lot of them still don't want to come to the VA. They don't trust the VA. They don't want the traffic to Charleston, whatever they got. And slowly starting to, I hope, open doors that way. Yeah. LB: So, this is just a personal question that I wanted to know. What kind of work did your partner do in the Army? DRK: Where they have that specialty clearance. She did radio communications stuff. DJ: Oh, Signal Corps. DRK: I guess that's what it was, yeah. DJ: Signal Corps. DRK: Yeah, she had top clearance or some kind of secret clearance, whatever. Yeah, so, she did that. Yeah. She really liked it, yeah. You know, and not to put her business out there, but I think her sexuality got in the way, and so she left, had to leave early. It's sad, because she really wanted to make it a career. And so, yeah, that's been tough. But I finally got her back into the VA to get service. I said, "You're eligible. I mean, you did more than 90 days, you know." My brother, couldn't get him to go. Finally, he went in, you know. A lot of people don't know they can get services, and they'll say, "Well, they already said I make too much money." I said, "Well, yeah, but now you lost your job and you don't make." And so, people can, if they have a change in income or things like that. Yeah. The military is something. I'm meeting a lot of veterans, �Delia Rios Chariker 35 too. It's like it blows my mind. (laughs) They're everywhere! (laughs) In a good way, though, I think, and I feel bad for younger ones that don't know that they can get more help, you know. So. Oh, moving this way? Okay. Oh! (laughs) LB: So, I guess just what kind of work does she do now? Is she kind of in with the veteran program, or does she just kind of do her own thing? DRK: She's at Roper Hospital. LB: Okay, you did mention that. Yeah. DRK: She's a cardiac ultrasound, sonographer I guess they call it. Yeah, so, that's what she does. Yep. She's been doing that for thirty-something years, I guess. LB: Oh, wow. She likes it there? DRK: She likes it there a lot, yeah. So, she's been doing that, and she's good. (laughs) Yeah. DJ: Now, when will your next CD be coming out? I'm just curious. DRK: When will it be out? I'm hoping by the end of the year. DJ: By the end of the year? DRK: Yeah. It's a — recording studio cost is — DJ: Is it going through the same CD company? DRK: I wanted it to, but my guy that I recorded the first one with, his studio is getting rebuilt. So, I'm going to try another studio. But I just met the guy recently. But sixty-five bucks an hour to record, so I have to kind of do it maybe a little bit at a time kind of thing, yeah, because, you know, recording a song, you could record a song, but then you listen to it and go, oh, I should add this instrument, or I don't like the way I did �Delia Rios Chariker 36 this, you know. It can get tedious that way, second-guessing yourself. DJ: Or if your voice is a little off-pitch and you're like, I don't like how that DRK: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. DJ: You say the end of a word differently and you're just, okay, I have to redo the entire thing. DRK: I know! LB: The whole session. (laughs) DRK: The whole session. Yeah, it's crazy, because you can rehearse a song a certain way, and then you perform it, it's like, whoa, where did that come from, you know? So, I'm hoping by the end of the year. Thanks for asking, though. Yeah. It's exciting. Well, I hope you guys keep up creatively, keep something creative in your life: art, sports, whatever, music. Yeah. DJ: I'm stuck with music. DRK: Oh, good! Good. Stuck with music. I love that! Me, too, doggone it. (laughs) It's the best thing, though. It's good medicine. Do you do any? CM: I do visual arts, but I've always wanted to learn guitar, but I just haven't really put the time into it, though. But I — there's nothing I love more than seeing live music. DRK: Oh, yeah, yeah. CM: I can do a lot of music festivals. LB: And Charleston is such a cool place for that, too. DRK: Oh, yeah. There's a lot of good music around here. It's growing, too, because when I was first starting in the music scene, there wasn't that much, you know, �Delia Rios Chariker 37 and now it's like all over the place. And so, it's great to see. And that was the one thing in California when I went there. They don't pay you to play. Nashville doesn't pay you to play. You come to Charleston, they will pay you to play, which is nice. So, you can get some gigs and get paid for it. So, I like that about Charleston. DJ: What music do you like listening to? I mean, I know you like to sing folk and all that, but — . DRK: I actually, I like really good, soulful gospel stuff. I love The Neville Brothers. I don't know if you've ever heard of them. They're a good New Orleans band. I love them. Alicia Keys, I like her. I like anything with a little gutsy kind of thing. Etta James. Bonnie Raitt. I love Bonnie Raitt. And then I like stuff that have a really good message. I like John Prine a lot. I like the Eagles. I like a lot of different styles of music. Yeah. DJ: My dad loves the Eagles. DRK: Your dad? I love the Eagles, too. And my buddy, Neil Young. Yeah, yeah, I like Neil Young, yeah. Yeah, man. So, that's cool. LB: I always ask this question whenever an artist comes in here and I get a chance to. If you could do a collaboration song with any artist of your choice, who would you pick? DRK: That's a good question. That is a great question. Who would I do? I would like to sing with Bonnie Raitt. I'd like to do a harmony piece with her. And — oh, gosh, who was it, really, the other night? I said, "Man, that would be so cool to sing with her." It wasn't Adele. I like Adele stuff, too, but... Oh, man. I can't remember who it was now. Oh! Nina Simone. I'd like to do something with her. I like Nina Simone. Yeah. That's one �Delia Rios Chariker 38 collaboration. LB: Oh, it's that song, just to see what people say? DRK: Yeah, there's a lot of good musicians. Yeah. John Legend, I like him a lot, too. Yeah, he does — yeah, there's some great music, musicians out there now. I laugh now, because my mom... what was it? We were listening to a song the other day, and she said, "Oh, I like that song." It was a Maroon 5 song. I said, "You like Maroon 5?" (laughs) LB: (laughs) DRK: "Yeah, I really love that song." She was going like that. My mom and I, that's the one thing I got to say. My mom and I, we connect musically in a way that gives a way to talk to each other, versus saying, "Oh, how are you doing today?" She and I connect through our music. And she'll say to me, because it's hard for her to talk about feelings, she'll say, "This song reminds me of you," or, "This song is what I feel about you." There's that one, Bette Midler. I love Better Midler. I would love to sing with her. The one about (sings) "Did you ever know you were my hero?" (speaks) That song? Oh, gosh, what's the name of that song? Anyway, she'll tell me, "That song reminds me of you." LB: Wow. DRK: You know, and that's... I'm sorry. (laughs) But that's what, you know, that's what music does, you know. It really hits you in a part that, mm! DJ: So, does your family still live in South Carolina? DRK: Yeah. My mom still lives in Clover. My dad still lives in Clover. And then my brothers all over. So, yeah. (sighs) Yeah, it's that music thing. Mm, mm, mm. (laughs) �Delia Rios Chariker 39 DJ: So, does anyone have any other questions? CM: I don't think so. LB: I think I've got mine covered. DJ: I don't think so, either. DRK: How many have you all interviewed? How many musicians? LB: We've done. DJ: About one a week. LB: Yeah. We usually dedicated Thursdays to interviewing. It really just depends, and now that we're getting down to finals, this is actually part of our final project. So, we have to write a paper on you now. DRK: Oh! DJ: I have to go out. I have to go ask him how to teach me how to shut that off, so. DRK: Oh, okay. (laughs) LB: I'll go ahead and have you do this. Just I'll let you read it and look over it. It's just basically that we can make a copy of that and use it and write a paper on you, if it's okay. DRK: Sure, yeah. CM: Yeah, we must have done, I think, like five or six artists. LB: Yeah. DRK: Wow. Yeah. Yeah, all different experiences, I'm sure. Do you want me to put my... LB: Yeah, you'll be on the left. �40 Delia Rios Chariker DRK: Right here? Right here? Right here. LB: Yep. DRK: Yeah, and it's funny, because I... over the years, it's like, oh, yeah, I know that guy. Oh, yeah, I remember that guy. (laughs) So, right here, too, on top? LB: Yeah, just write your full name on the top, so we can — yeah. So, you're part of our final paper. DRK: Yay! Well, I hope you got something out of it. (laughs) And address too, or no? LB: Do we need that part? CM: I'm not sure. I don't think. LB: Put it down just in case, but I don't think we'll need that. DRK: So, what are you all going to be doing? What's your — LB: I'm also criminal justice. DRK: All right. End of recording. Edited ML 8/17/2018 � https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/e928cc636c596f696c4b699b44ba3e95.mp3?Expires=1781740800&Signature=d95fl8IjAIVAIjJ3ZvJx7Pckn91o0ateE8KqqP8fepG2i%7ETQLxO3dm44Nbug8TsPp6DOdfEOA5WhCT8GBO-EQUMWGR057EOA4fBH-XPgx1W7Wr-zMsxnwlF3upWx7HFTO3h9dB3Nfl-KYPVl7LpxuXLa4f6xcYyuz%7EjiPC6ya-EFoEa5-sF3IkYstuYV-h4vneaNpJDs6T12q6MYzjxz0RsTMgwWW-xbTVmdhBENo%7Ej3iKr2S1IiJIxCvPmmT8OLou0iN8dRz5PUm-BgKPRNb7dGl3x98e2b7UExUC54fskuaVhH%7ET924LB6LBgV5lbf3gcoM%7EiIFii5A6AHJQjHdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM dd724a9df0cb7da25e123229352c575f https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/39779/archive/files/71b35ec15802c41ab3f84357c026ef6a.jpg?Expires=1781740800&Signature=NOy5LvN98XGsAm8vBzeeDkaYBP2om-SHvJDC8aj3lg-sVzEOBJoCmUhLEzt3QB3VnBDKXvXs%7EYfIeondJZeJZp9X%7Em0fcDBjvgAIUR-YYUQWHrqr0b9q1Bq6nnCaP7Ax8J1BOj2sHcK6T2EncoHCYwFbGjPVWBCQTSLtr8lnKZtu40q9rtLsvDy8IB8kMnEEJPm-p3-KX767RDqRy8181BahQ7LtqwnjNgiF4GzWzxWibAAvEyNf%7ED6g8Tt%7Ep%7EGoWW2e9ZbQZqZgE9XW5yGt6pppT0-xO0r5B1AdFuhBSml6%7E6H7mBwNOg8tcj1EO%7EajtY8y9rsZya1dWpa%7E7Gcq9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM af5267f4c52016481f32f34aa1c3a1d1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral Histories Description An account of the resource The oral histories in this collection were produced by The Charleston Oral History Program at the Citadel. Founded in 2008, The Charleston Oral History Program at the Citadel seeks to deepen understanding of the Lowcountry’s rich history and culture through the gathering and presentation of recorded memories from area residents.<br /><h3>Search Tips</h3> Interviews may be browsed by scrolling to the bottom of this page and selecting "View all items".<br /><br />When using the search bar, we recommend putting quotations around your search term, and selecting the Boolean search option, as illustrated here:<br /><p><img src="https://gdurl.com/aYPj" alt="aYPj" /><br /><br />To view interviews of a specific theme, please see the search tips in each series below.</p> <h3><strong>The Citadel in War and in Peace<br /></strong></h3> With generous support from the <a href="http://www.schumanities.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Humanities Council of South Carolina</a>, The Charleston Oral History Program at the Citadel collected thirty interviews with Citadel alumni regarding their experiences during WWII. Journalist and historian Jack Bass conducted the interviews during the Fall of 2008.They serve as a powerful testament to the veterans' experiences and their critical contributions to the war effort.<br /><br /><em>*To search interviews in this series, use the following terms utilizing the Boolean search option:</em><br /><ul><li>"The Citadel in War and in Peace"</li> <li>"The Citadel in War and in Peace -- World War II"</li> <li>"The Citadel in War and in Peace -- Korean War"</li> <li>"The Citadel in War and in Peace -- Vietnam War"</li> <li>"The Citadel in War and in Peace -- The Second Gulf War"</li> <li>"The Citadel in War and in Peace -- The War in Afghanistan"</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Working Charleston</strong></h3> Working Charleston documents the on and off job experiences of the longshoremen and lawyers, the bartenders and carriage drivers, hospital aides and high tech workers who make Charleston among the nation's prime tourist destinations and vital centers of global trade.<br /><br /><em>*To search interviews in this series, use the following terms utilizing the Boolean search option:</em><br /><ul><li>"Working Charleston"</li> <li>"Charleston City Workers"</li> <li>"Lowcountry Foodways"</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Charleston and the Long Civil Rights Movement</strong></h3> <span><span>These interviews explore how community activism continues to shape modern life in the South.<br /><br /><em>*To search interviews in this series, use the following terms utilizing the Boolean search option:</em><br /></span></span> <ul><li>"Charleston and the Long Civil Rights Movement</li> <li>"Civil rights movement--South Carolina"</li> <li>"African Americans--Civil Rights--South Carolina--Charleston"</li> </ul><a target="_blank" href="https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/193" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a> <h3><strong>Las Voces del Lowcountry</strong></h3> <span><span>This project is designed to raise the profile of the Hispanic/Latinos who call the Lowcountry home and to promote a rational and humane conversation regarding immigration, education, and employment policies.<br /><br /><em>*To search interviews in this series, use the following terms utilizing the Boolean search option:<br /></em></span></span> <ul><li>"Las Voces del Lowcountry"</li> <li>"Latin Americans--Southern States"</li> <li>"Hispanic Americans--Southern States"</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Women in World War II</strong></h3> <em>*To search this series, type "Women in World War II" into the search bar, using the Boolean search option.<br /></em> <ul><li>"Women in World War II"</li> <li>"Women--Employment History"</li> <li>"World War, 1939-1945--Participation, female"</li> </ul> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Laura R. Brown Dennis R. Joyner Cody C. Mahen Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Delia Chariker Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1 hour Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History of Delia Chariker, interviewed by Laura R. Brown, Dennis R. Joyner and Cody C. Mahen, 18 April, 2017 Subject The topic of the resource Women musicians--United States Music therapists Description An account of the resource Delia Chariker was born in Kingsville, Texas and she moved to Clover, South Carolina when she was two. Her earliest musical memories relate to her mother’s big playful and musical family. She learned to play guitar when she was in high school. She attended college in North Carolina and after that she moved around the country, playing in Nashville and California. However, making a living as a musician proved to be a struggle and she returned to school to obtain a Masters in music therapy. She reflects about being a working musician and states this is one of the most rewarding times of her career: She is able to make a living creating music with her veteran clients and plays around town with her musician friends. Animas, her solo album, reflects Chariker’s deep connection with her Native American spirituality roots. At the time of the interview, Chariker was employed at the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affair Medical Center and was the Music Director at Unitarian Church in Mt Pleasant. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Charleston Oral History Program at the Citadel Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Working Charleston Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Citadel Archives & Museum Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-18 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/625 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Charleston (S.C.)