Did you say that the girl who played clarinet wore your lips out?
Who in your family influenced your love of music?
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Indirectly, it was my dad. He had several music publishers and small record companies as clients. Emitt Rhodes ("Live", "You're a Very Lovely Woman") was a client because of his publisher Eddie Shaw and Eddie's son Russ. We had lots of music in the house because of that. Everything from Bonnie Guitar to The Tijuana Brass. Russ worked for WEA along with managing Emitt for awhile. One day Russ walked into my dad's office, where I was working part time (child labor) and threw down the WEA catalog. "Let me know which ones you want". This was the early 70s. I picked out about 20 or so albums: Van Morrison, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Grateful Dead. It jump started my record collection. Russ, by the way, was name checked by Cameron Crow when they did a podcast celebrating "Almost Famous". His passion for music was one of the inspirations to the movie. Russ wasn't perfect though. He didn't understand why I wanted to see some unknown band called Genesis at the Roxy in LA. I couldn't find anyone to go with me and was too young to go by myself.
My parents had a console player and a handful of 78’s that they rarely ever played. They were, however, very fond of “The Late Show” by Dakota Staton and Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Dakota Staton brother Fred was a jazz musician and a member of my parents’s church so that probably explains explains how they got turned onto her.
My older sister Edith, however, was my biggest musical influence. She had small but excellent record collection, plus a bunch of Motown 45’s that she brought to house parties. Back in those days people would write their names on the 45’s labels in ink so that they could gather up their records at the end of the night.
She also turned me on to Laura Nyro after which my music life was never the same. A natural teacher, she taught me the alphabet and how to write my name. Everything since then has been baby steps. My sister died in 2014 and I miss her everyday.
My older sister Edith, however, was my biggest musical influence. She had small but excellent record collection, plus a bunch of Motown 45’s that she brought to house parties. Back in those days people would write their names on the 45’s labels in ink so that they could gather up their records at the end of the night.
She also turned me on to Laura Nyro after which my music life was never the same. A natural teacher, she taught me the alphabet and how to write my name. Everything since then has been baby steps. My sister died in 2014 and I miss her everyday.
One of my earliest memories is with a kid's phonograph (mono of course, and I used it to do weird things, like use the rotation to wind a sewing thread to pull things - move over, Calvin). "The Bear Goes Over the Mountain" was on repeat, by hand, of course.
Must have driven my parents crazy, but hey, they bought it for me.
Later, my parents had a small stereo that I would wake up early in elementary to listen to their RCA Collection of Greatest Music (Wagner waltzes, Beethoven, and pop hits like "Moon River" and "Yellow Bird"). But it was at an aunt's house, who had a piano, that I would "play" by making sounds like wind or a rain storm without any training at all, that made my parents realize I might benefit from piano lessons. I was a slow study, since I was a little older than most (12, I think, and my teacher would "tch tch" that I started too late). Not having a piano hurt; how could I practice? So they got one for me, and a guitar for my brother. He later abandoned the guitar and so I got it and a simple chord book and taught myself (I still play the guitar "like a piano").
By high school I had gotten good enough to do recitals on piano, but by that time the local radio and the greatest hits of the 60s and 70s had everyone wanting to be in a band. Not for me, I would use my cassette recorder and make up stuff. Now retired -- and still doing it! Piano lessons gave me a love of classical, the Beatles gave me a love of pop, and King Crimson sent me on the way to the obvious prog / jazz. I never developed a deep love of the blues, though, surprisingly, since the Delta wasn't that far away, but it was a bit too simplistic a formula for me, not that I couldn't rock to it at times! You had to do so until prog came along, though, as most of rock was blues-based.
Must have driven my parents crazy, but hey, they bought it for me.
Later, my parents had a small stereo that I would wake up early in elementary to listen to their RCA Collection of Greatest Music (Wagner waltzes, Beethoven, and pop hits like "Moon River" and "Yellow Bird"). But it was at an aunt's house, who had a piano, that I would "play" by making sounds like wind or a rain storm without any training at all, that made my parents realize I might benefit from piano lessons. I was a slow study, since I was a little older than most (12, I think, and my teacher would "tch tch" that I started too late). Not having a piano hurt; how could I practice? So they got one for me, and a guitar for my brother. He later abandoned the guitar and so I got it and a simple chord book and taught myself (I still play the guitar "like a piano").
By high school I had gotten good enough to do recitals on piano, but by that time the local radio and the greatest hits of the 60s and 70s had everyone wanting to be in a band. Not for me, I would use my cassette recorder and make up stuff. Now retired -- and still doing it! Piano lessons gave me a love of classical, the Beatles gave me a love of pop, and King Crimson sent me on the way to the obvious prog / jazz. I never developed a deep love of the blues, though, surprisingly, since the Delta wasn't that far away, but it was a bit too simplistic a formula for me, not that I couldn't rock to it at times! You had to do so until prog came along, though, as most of rock was blues-based.
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