By Christopher Stevenson
It's CUES' 50th year, and I can't help drawing comparisons between the movement's preeminent professional development provider and the bands that share our anniversary--1962. I wouldn't dare touch the Beatles (fortunately, they don't share 1962 with CUES), but there are others.
The Rolling Stones?
In 1962, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Keith Richards, and Mick Jagger came together as the Rolling Stones. Richards and Jagger shared a love for blues and R&B. Jones and Charlie Watts (who joined in early 1963) dug jazz. Their early music was rooted in tradition, which provided the foundation for innovative, groundbreaking music to come. They evolved to stay relevant, changing from an R&B cover band to create original music infused with blues, country, folk, and reggae.
The Beach Boys?
The same year the Stones formed, the Wilson brothers, their cousin Mike Love, and their buddy, Al Jardine, signed with Capitol Records as the Beach Boys. Their tight vocal harmonies played well as they sang about surfing, cars, and girls--light-hearted music that depicted the stereotypical Southern California lifestyle. Over the course of the next seven or eight years, Brian Wilson's songwriting and production pushed the band in more challenging directions and helped them deliver groundbreaking recordings like Pet Sounds that influenced the leading artists of the day, including Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Yeah, there are some solid parallels between CUES and the Stones and Beach Boys.
Like the Rolling Stones, CUES is rooted in a solid foundation. The Stones had the blues and jazz. CUES has its mission to educate and develop credit union CEOs, directors, and future leaders. And like the Beach Boys, CUES does not stand still.
Let's be clear here--the business world is evolving rapidly, the economy is never static, and technology is developing at breakneck pace. If CUES is going to continue to deliver on its promise to educate and develop credit union professionals and volunteers, we cannot expect to do things the way we've always done them--or the way others do it. You'll find no cruise conferences here. Instead, with CUES education you can expect to dig deep into focused content and receive tools that you can use to improve the credit union's performance as soon as you return to your office.
Do we rock the scene like these bands did? Yes, sometimes, but we're allowed to do it. Since CUES isn't a lobbying organization, we can show all sides of an issue. Whether we're discussing consolidation, charter changes, or even weaknesses in the credit union system, we don't have to toe the party line, so our members and attendees can make fully informed decisions. Who else does that?
Unfortunately, I'm afraid this is where the parallels with these two great bands will need to stop. While the Rolling Stones and Beach Boys are still active, both continue to perform on their reputation rather than ongoing innovation and creative momentum. The Stones' most recent recordings include missteps like Rough Justice and Streets of Love, while the Beach Boys continue to tour as a legacy act and haven't recorded anything worth listening to since the 60s. (Oh, come on, you know I can't count Kokomo).
In contrast, CUES continues to innovate and adapt to best serve our members. Simply put, CUES refuses to coast on reputation.
So if the parallels between the Stones and the Beach Boys can only go so far, is there a band formed in 1962 that may offer a better comparison? Consider the Chieftains.
Who?
The Chieftains, the Grammy- and Oscar award-winning Irish group credited with introducing Irish folk music to the masses. Paddy Moloney, the band's founder and leader, fell in love with traditional Irish music when he was six and his mother gave him a tin whistle. And he uses his unwavering committment to tradition to fuel innovation and collaboration. (Sound like CUES? Yeah, it does.)
Over the course of the band's 50-year career, the Chieftains have collaborated with and influenced the Rolling Stones, Ricky Skaggs, Roger Daltrey, and dozens of other rock, pop, country and reggae artists. These collaborations helped push their music in new and interesting directions, but always with an eye on traditional Irish music. Even when the Chieftains recorded with Chinese folk orchestras in 1983, they blended the sounds of Ireland with Chinese folk, breaking down boundaries and stretching musical connections.
In the same way, CUES continues to innovate through collaboration. Through alliances with the League of Southeastern Credit Union and the Carribean Confederation of Credit Unions, CUES is developing new facets of professional development and broadening its reach.
I can't wait to see what's next.
Christopher Stevenson is CUES' VP/professional development and marketing.
