Ella Fitzgerald in 1962: From Judy’s Record Collection
What music would a young woman in Braddock, Pennsylvania, have played in May 1962?
That question is the starting point for From Judy’s Record Collection, a companion series to my historical novel, Everything Meant Something. Through records available during Judy Keller’s lifetime, I’m exploring the music she might have chosen and the everyday moments it could accompany.
The novel opens on May 27, 1962. Judy is twenty-one, working at Edgar Thomson Works, and hoping for an apartment of her own. For her imagined record collection, my first selection is Ella Fitzgerald’s Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!, released in 1961.
Ella Fitzgerald and the Music of 1962
Historical fiction involves more than getting dates right. I want to understand what my characters might hear through an open window, recognize on the radio, or save their money to bring home.
For Judy, I imagine Ella Fitzgerald’s appeal beginning with her warmth, wit, and confidence. Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! moves between swinging songs and intimate ballads, making it a record that could suit several different kinds of evenings.
“Jersey Bounce” makes me picture Judy getting ready to go out, pausing to listen when she should be finding her earrings. “‘Round Midnight” suggests a quieter evening, with work finished and time to sit beside the record player.
These are imagined connections I’m exploring as her author, rather than scenes quoted from the manuscript.
Historical Fiction Set in Braddock, Pennsylvania
In Everything Meant Something, Judy’s life unfolds in a Pennsylvania steel town where work and family shape her daily routines. Her job at Edgar Thomson Works matters to her, but so does the possibility of having something beyond those familiar expectations.
An apartment would mean rent and bills. It would also mean choosing what to play after work.
I wonder where Judy would keep her vinyl records, which album she would put on when Nancy visited, and whether Patty would object to hearing the same song again. Those small choices help me imagine the home Judy wants to make.
Mental Health in Fiction: Knowing the Whole Character
Judy’s experience of psychosis is central to the novel. Writing about mental health also means making room for her preferences, pleasures, and ambitions.
Music helps me consider those parts of her life. A favorite record can belong to an ordinary afternoon. It can prompt an argument between sisters or become something a person looks forward to hearing again.
As an LCSW, psychotherapist, and novelist, I’m interested in giving Judy that fullness on the page.
This series begins with records she could have heard by May 1962. Some selections may eventually enter the novel; others will remain part of my writing process.
What record makes a room feel like your own?