Since retiring and starting to learn guitar, 78-year-old Dong Yunrong has been playing and singing for nearly 15 years. More than 200 songs have been circulated on the video website, on the China Got Talent Show, CCTV Avenue of Stars, and when singing "Because of Love", Faye Wong once commented: "Singing is trembling!" Last year, a song "Meow Meow" made Li Mingqi, the actor of Grandma Yung, excitedly say: "The tears are going to come out." ”
Dong Yunrong is the captain of Hangzhou Rock Grandma and the guitarist in the team, and is affectionately known as "Grandma Dong". Their band, with an average age of over 70 and the oldest being 86, only started learning to play an instrument after retirement and got together because they loved music.
"I want to keep up with this era, even if it's a little slower." Recently, the band has a new song, the lyrics have made many people cry, "Hangzhou 78-year-old rock grandmother out of the new song" topic once also appeared on Weibo in the same city hot search.
The lover who had been together for 37 years suddenly passed away
Learn guitar specifically to write a song for him
Grandma Dong was a teacher when she was young, and her wife was a teacher at the former Hangzhou University before she was born, and although the couple was introduced to each other, their feelings have always been very good. "After he graduated from Wuhan University, he became a teacher at Hangzhou University, and I looked at him with a very good image, and people were also very reliable together."
Flipping through the old photos at home, Grandma Dong smiled, "This is the photo we took when we got married, we didn't wear a wedding dress at that time, it was still black and white." Then she flipped out another photo, "On the 30th wedding anniversary, we also took a re-wedding photo." ”
Just did not expect that in 2005, Grandma Dong's wife died of illness, and the lover who had known each other for 37 years suddenly left, and Grandma Dong has been immersed in pain and thoughts, "Stuffy at home, not even the door is out, the mood is very low." ”
Until one day two years later, I saw an admission brochure for an elderly guitar class in the newspaper, and there happened to be a guitar for my daughter who was idle at home, and my son advised her to try it. "I didn't expect to have an indissoluble relationship with the guitar."
"My lover played erhu when he was young, I played the harmonica, and we both loved music." Grandma Dong said that now that she wants to come, there is a fate in the dark, and she seems to have found a way to transfer her thoughts at once.
At that time, there were 35 people in the guitar class together, and only Grandma Dong insisted. "The elderly learn guitar, it is difficult to be very slow, buy vegetables and cook, walk on the road are keeping scores, as soon as they have time to start playing." Grandma Dong said.
"The lotus flowers bloom by the broken bridge, and I sit alone by the lake." Because Mr. Dong always liked to give her a blue scarf before, Grandma Dong wrote a song after learning guitar, called "Blue Scarf" to commemorate her lover. "Before, the two of us would go to the West Lake as soon as we had time, and we often went to the broken bridge. When I think about him now, I can also play and sing, and sometimes I will go to the broken bridge and play a bullet. ”
He only began to learn musical instruments after retirement
The average age of the band is over 70 years old
In 2009, Grandma Dong and a group of friends who like to play guitar formed the "Hangzhou Fenghe Guitar Band", because everyone often gathered at the Quyuan Fenghe practice by the West Lake, which got its name.
"In 2011, I sang Fei Wong's 'Because of Love' on China's Got Talent." After this song, TV stations from all over the country came to look for it, "Shandong TV, Yellow River TV, Hunan TV, etc. have all sung it." Later, Once, Faye Wong also forwarded Grandma Dong's cover of "Because of Love", saying: "Singing made my liver tremble", Grandma Dong once exploded on the Internet, and was also called "Vibrato Grandma".
Over the years, Grandma Dong and the band's partners often have some popular songs, they go to learn, learn to play and record videos and then upload them to video websites, unconsciously there have been more than 200 songs, "Teenager", "Meow Meow", "Rainbow", "Treading Waves", "West Lake on Earth", etc.
When I went to major TV stations to record programs, Grandma Dong took photos with many stars and was also a celebrity among her friends. "I've been on the same stage with Sabine, Yi Nengjing, Lin Youjia, etc." Grandma Dong said that last year, CCTV's "Avenue of Stars" special program for the elderly was broadcast, and Li Mingqi, who played Grandma Rong in the TV series "Huan Zhuge Ge", watched the performance and said: "The tears of excitement will come out." ”
"Music can remove some of the troubles, can bring joy to everyone, we play the guitar together, play by the West Lake, very happy." 」 Over the years, playing music has become Grandma Dong's "career", playing guitar, forming a band, singing rock, three times on the Walk of Fame, and the Wind Lotus Guitar Band has also changed its name to Rock Grandma Band.
At present, the members of the band are a group of old friends who have only begun to learn musical instruments after retirement, not only rock grandma, but also rock grandfather. There are also people in the middle who stop playing because they want to bring grandchildren, and some people fall ill and die. "Over the years, the personnel have also changed several stubbles, and there are already one, second, third, and fourth generations of members." However, Grandma Dong is still there.
Grandma Dong calculated that the average age of the team is now more than 70 years old, the largest accordionist Grandpa Tian is 86 years old, the youngest is also 56 years old, everyone gets together to practice songs as soon as they have time, and usually participates in various public welfare performances, using music to convey their feelings about life and life: youth will eventually pass away, and the soul is still not old.
The blue vest sings the voice of the elderly
Participate in volunteering to contribute to the power of role models
During the Future Life Festival last year, at the launch of the Blue Vest Digital Wisdom Help for the Elderly Public Welfare Action Plan, Grandma Dong and her rock band made an opening performance. After the event, in front of the blue vest two-dimensional shuttle, Grandma Dong and her partners played happily, and for the first time, they met the blue vest volunteers who taught the elderly how to use smart phones.
"I don't dare to use the problem that the mobile phone will not be used, I have a deep understanding, this public welfare activity is quite good." After Listening to the Blue Vest's class on smart phone fraud prevention, Grandma Dong and her partners also took action, and from time to time she would participate in some anti-fraud science activities in the community.
"One day I suddenly felt, why not use our strengths, write a song, and influence more seniors in the way we are better at." 」 Grandma Dong said that such an idea was immediately agreed upon by everyone, and the lyrics came naturally.
In this way, everyone you sentence me, the first draft of the lyrics will be there, "find a friend who understands music to change, and compose the music." Grandma Dong said, but after all, she is older, it is good for one person to sing, and a group of people to sing well, it is inevitable to practice more. So, there was a time when they went to Daguan Street as soon as they had time. Home Party Group Service Center Practice.
This "Blue Vest Song" was also filmed as a MV, and Grandma Dong and the old guys of the band are the protagonists.
"I hope that more elderly people can see the diversity of the good life and be a little bit of the power of example." Grandma Dong said, just like the lyrics sing, "I want to live out my youth again, and we elderly people must also help the elderly, and everyone will keep up with this era together, even if the pace will be slower." “
Reporter/Liu Yongli
(City Letters)