GETTING BACK ON THE DANCE FLOOR
When his friend stopped coming to shows, area musician raised funds for his new hearing aids
At age 90, Richard Moseley is looking forward to going out dancing again.
The longtime Crete resident spent the last year away from bars and other music venues for a variety of reasons but mostly because his old hearing aids stopped working and he had a hard time hearing the music.
One of his favorite musicians is Frank Paul, a Beecher resident who took a liking to Moseley when the two first met.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Richard years ago when I stopped in to support a live senior music event at the McDonald’s in Olympia Fields,” Paul said. “He has been like family ever since.”
But Moseley stopped coming to the shows and Paul discovered his friend needed new hearing aids so he stepped in to help, starting a gofundme.com page in January.
The page generated more than $2,000 and earlier this month Moseley took an afternoon drive with Paul’s wife, Sue, to Steger to have his new hearing aids put in by Dr. Peter Sotiropoulos at the Hearing Rehabilitation Center.
Moseley was touched that so many people helped. He thanked the Pauls and their son, Jackson, and the friends who donated.
“I thank God for these people,” Moseley said.
He said he is not sure when he will return to the dance floor, but said “I used to wiggle a little bit,” and showed off a few dance moves before leaving the hearing center.
“He is always the hit of the place wherever he goes,” Sue said. “He is 90 years old and dances with all of the cute girls. He shows them his dance moves.”
Moseley has been on the other side of the mic as well, as a singer who plays the guitar, piano, organ and mandolin. He prefers gospel music but one of his favorite songs to croon is the old country tune “Your Old Love Letters,” and he sang a few bars of it before getting fit for the hearing aids.
So his friendship is a natural fit with Paul, the leader of the Frank Paul Band who sings, writes and plays guitar. Some of his original songs have titles such as “Country
With An Attitude,” “It Ain’t You” and “Win in the End.”
Paul said he was happy to help Moseley out.
“Richard is a great guy and fellow singer/musician. I wanted to help him financially and improve his quality of hearing,” Paul said. “I knew my friends, family and fan base would help donate too. He’s always the life of any party and gets everybody dancing at my live performances.
“It feels great to help somebody who truly deserves it.”
Moseley is one of 14 children who grew up in the hills of Kentucky. While some consider the term “hillbilly” offensive, he embraces it.
“I lived so far in the hills that they had to pipe in the sunshine,” he said. “I was born a hillbilly and I’ll stay a hillbilly.”
He generally has a sunny disposition but death and sickness in his family plus not being able to hear and understand family members on the phone made life hard for him in 2022.
“He was depressed and not himself,” Sue Paul said.
According to information supplied by the Hearing Rehabilitation Center, hearing aids can improve people’s quality of life and lead to better physical and mental health.
Sotiropoulos, who called Moseley a “perfect patient,” said studies indicate certain hearing improvements can equal nearly seven years of aging on cognitive scores in older adults.
By that rationale, Moseley could be dancing into his late 90s.
But first things first. Moseley showed some concerns while trying on the new aids and will have to get used to them and will. have to return to the Steger office to ensure he’s receiving the correct frequencies.
Moseley took to social media for an emotional thank-you to those who donated to the cause for the aids.
“God bless every one of them in Jesus’s name,” he said as his voice cracked.