I Was Born Into the Best Time on Earth

 

Growing up, I never thought much about the era I was born into. Life simply was what it was. But now, as I look back across nearly seven decades, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude. I didn’t just grow up in a “good time.” I grew up in one of the best times in human history especially for someone who dreamed of living a life in music.

This is my attempt to explain why.

Canada Gave Me a Soft Landing Into Life

I was born on September 30th, 1957, into a Canada that was still finding its voice, quietly, steadily, without the explosive social fractures our neighbours to the south were going through. Prejudice existed here; of course it did. But it wasn’t the defining, daily-force reality it was in much of the United States. I grew up surrounded mostly by decency, stability, and a sense of possibility.

“Canada wasn’t perfect, but it gave me room to breathe and later, room to dream.”

For a future musician who would spend his life on stages, in tour vans, in clubs, and in theatres filled with strangers, this mattered more than I realized.

The Technological Sweet Spot of All Sweet Spots

Being born in 1957 placed me right in the centre of the most fascinating technological shift ever experienced by a human generation.

I saw the last chapter of the analog world:

• vinyl records
• rotary phones
• handwritten letters
• bicycles without helmets
• radios with glowing tubes

And I traveled seamlessly into the digital revolution:

• multitrack home studios
• digital keyboards
• computers
• the internet
• streaming
• instant global communication

“My generation knew life without technology and learned to master technology as it arrived.”

No generation before or after mine will ever fully experience both worlds this completely.

I Came of Age in the Golden Era of Live Music

When I left Sault Ste. Marie in January 1976 to chase music full-time, I stepped directly into the glory years of live performance.

Every town had:

• bars with live music
• lounges booking acts for a week at a time
• hotels with live entertainment
• dance floors that required a band

A musician could actually make a living. A real, honest-to-God living. Not a side hustle. Not an algorithm-dependent hobby. A career.

I didn’t know it then, but I had caught a once-in-history wave before digital disruption, before file-sharing, before live music shrank to weekend slots and tribute acts kept the lights on.

“I lived the dream at the exact moment in history when the dream was truly possible.”

A Lifetime Without War… A Rare, Underrated Gift

Sometimes I remind myself that most humans in history lived under the constant threat of war, famine, or violent instability. I didn’t.

I never had to fight in a war. I never saw bomb shelters or ration tickets. My future wasn’t determined by global conflict.

I grew up, lived, traveled, and created music in one of the most peaceful eras the world has ever known. That peace gave me the freedom to explore who I wanted to be.

Freedom Was the Currency of My Era

If I boil it down, the greatest blessing of being born in 1957 was that I had the freedom to choose my life. I could walk away from home at 18 and bet everything on a musical future. I could reinvent myself, fail, succeed, and try again. I could build a life in creativity without asking for permission. This wasn’t guaranteed in the decades before me and it isn’t guaranteed now.

“I lived in a time when possibility was the rule, not the exception.”

Why I Believe I Truly Lived in the Best Time on Earth

It’s not nostalgia speaking. It’s perspective.

When I look at the era I lived through, I see:

• rising equality and social progress
• unprecedented peace
• affordable living during my early adult years
• the explosion of popular music
• the golden era of live performance
• the birth of the modern recording industry
• the transition from analog to digital
• enormous medical advances
• global interconnectedness
• the freedom to build a creative career

I wasn’t wealthy. I wasn’t privileged. I didn’t have a roadmap. But the world I was born into gave me a chance and for the most part, it stayed out of my way.

I carved out a life in music that allowed me to express myself, travel the world, collaborate with incredible people, and build something I’m proud of.

Not everyone gets that. Not every generation gets that.

I do believe, sincerely, that I lived and am still living in the best time it was possible to be alive.

And I’m grateful every day that I was born when I was, where I was, and who I became.

About the Author:

Mick Dalla-Vee is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and lifelong touring musician. From performing across the country to producing records in his studio, he has spent nearly five decades immersed in the craft of music. Mick is a member of several acclaimed tribute productions, including “Simon & Garfunkel – A Musical Celebration,” “Lennon & McCartney On Their Own Words & Music,” “Billy & Elton – The Legacy” and more…

For 24 years he played and sang lead vocals with Canadian rock royalty Randy Bachman, Bachman & Turner and BTO. He also plays part time with Canadian superstar Tom Cochrane.

Mick also hosts the YouTube podcast SocialNRG Presents: Backstage Pass with Mick Dalla-Vee, where he interviews musicians, creators, and industry veterans. (Available on all podcasts platforms)

Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, he has dedicated his entire adult life to music and continues to perform, record, create, and tell stories from a life lived on (and off) the stage.