Who in your family influenced your love of music?

[GOS]

Most of us probably had some influences within our families in terms of music. For me, clearly was my dad. My mom didn't give 2 hoots about music, but my dad bought a LOT of vinyl back in the 50's-70's.

As a youngster not living in a city with access to music stores, etc, it was my dad's vinyl collection that I started listening to. At a real young age, my dad didn't listen to any radio stations and for that reason, I don't think I even knew they existed.

He had a Zenith console stereo that obviously had a turntable built in, speakers on each side. As a result, I would spend hours on end playing his records, trying to figure out what they were saying (those that were vocal). I fell in love with music this way around the age of 10 I guess. None of my siblings (all older) seemed to care about music like me. Certainly, they never were found in the stereo room like I was. Until I found sports, I'd say my dad's vinyl were my life back then.

Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Ventures, Glen Campbell, Fifth Dimension, Dionne Warwick, Cole Porter, Frank Sinatra on and on. These records influenced me greatly.

 

[jhw59]

My father as my mother was tone deaf so we never really had music in the house. I finally got my dad to put our mono set up in my room so I could listen to music but somehow it disappeared (in a move I guess) and when I bought a new system in college (much to my dear mother's disbelief) he bought a new system and then we had music but I wasn't at home that much at that point.

That said, my mother took me to classical music concerts and encouraged my attempt to play piano.

 

[Marplot]

Both of my parents played instruments so music was always around.
My first two shows required a parent due to my age. He took me so see Kiss and she to Stevie Wonder.
Then of course my older bro got into music, many bands which I also got into due to his collection.

 

[somethingcleveridunno]

My parents' listening habits had me hooked on Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Yes, the Eagles, Allman Brothers, Neil Young, etc by age 6. Always had WMMS or WNCX on in the car, and dad's vinyls on weekend mornings, plus we had HBO when I was really young and got to see some concert films that way. I very clearly remember dad syncing the cassette deck and VCR for the Atlantic Records celebration where Zeppelin reunited, as it was being simulcast on the radio in stereo but only mono on the TV. I genuinely detested the new music of the '80s (I've come to appreciate a lot of it since then, but also still think New Wave is overrated as hell by music critics). My cousins (about a decade older than me) introduced me to Metallica, REM and Nirvana a bit later, and then I was able to start connecting with music outside classic rock like early '90s socially conscious hip-hop that's stuck with me.

My school peers were into stuff like MC Hammer. I think the only band I really missed on that my young peers listened to was Van Halen, who I definitely started appreciating once I grew pubes, but Hagar was fronting the band by that point and I was listening to the earlier albums. High school was a fucking musical wasteland. Kids these days rehabilitating nu metal didn't have to live through that, bubblegum pop, and early bling-era rap being the ONLY things on ANY radio.

Didn't get jazz until I started growing my own weed decades later. Plants aren't people but I'm counting it.

 

[marpow]

Timothy Leary and LSD.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

my ‘9 volt heart’

 

[inspclouseau]

The entire family. And MANY friends too

 

[Fourplay]

My Dad loves classical but I never caught the bug. My older brother had many good records. He got me interested in George Carlin and the Grateful Dead. I took both of those interests way furthur than he ever did.

 

[ar surround]

Italian parents: You WILL take accordion lessons!

 

[mandrix]

My Dad didn't seem all that much interested.
My Mother had LP's which I played when my parents were at work, in one of those stylish but boxy old Turntable/Amp all built into one package. Mono only though.
I still had it until a few years ago and finally threw it out. I held onto the "Glenn Miller Story" LP's but finally relinquished them as well as the rest.

 

[mandrix]

Italian parents: You WILL take accordion lessons!

LOL. I started playing Trumpet in 5th grade, but my parents bought me a used Coronet so I stuck with it for years.
I was in the band class, along with about 15 other kids. By the time 6th grade rolled around it was just me and a girl that played clarinet. The band teacher, who also taught at the high school, would give us some long passages to play and by the end would wear my lips out. lol.

 

[cbmmm3]

my 2 older sisters. they had music going constantly oh and my parents whom had the radio going wherever we went. I still recall how my dad would mimic the bass guitar with his voice

 

[mandrix]

This thread made me recall going on trips with my parents.
We had a Pontiac Catalina, and my parents would let me listen to the radio from the backseat by only operating the rear speaker.
Somehow I still remember a trip to northern Alabama when we got an early start from a motel on up in Georgia somewhere just as the sun was coming up. On the radio was The Cyrkle - Red Rubber Ball, which had a line something like "the morning sun is shining like a red rubber ball".
Incidentally the song was co-written by Paul Simon.