Do you remember listening to music at a young age? I sometimes think back to how my music preferences have evolved over the years and what I’ve found is nothing short of expected. They haven’t dramatically changed.
At a young age I had a strong love for country music. My brother and sister would oftentimes get mad about this because it meant that Dad would have an excuse to play country music in the car. It was there I formed my first attractions to music.
The first live concert I was old enough to remember was at the Freeborn County fair. We went and saw Billy Ray Cyrus. I don’t remember much other than the fact that I really enjoyed the music. My most vivid memory was the ride home. At the end of the concert it was announced that all of the songs played that night would play on a specific radio station. I couldn’t wait until we got to the car after I heard that.
Can you remember your first favorite musician or band? I do. I don’t know how old I was when the song was released, but my first favorite song, and incidentally my first favorite artist, was Wave on Wave by Phil Vassar. The song was a hit and I remember I couldn’t get it out of my head. I went as far as to beg my father to help fix the problem. That was when I got my first CD. I’m pretty sure Dad used some program on his computer, because I remember sitting there helping him pick out all the songs. He even let me pick the order the songs would play in!
To this day country music still has a strong place in my heart. To say I haven’t listened to my fair share of other genres, however, would be an understatement. My dad was a great father in respect to music. He made me listen to all the great musicians of his day. The Boss, John Krueger Mellencamp, Tom Petty, and so many more I can’t even begin to name them all.
My senior year I remember sitting in class one day, and we were playing a game on the smartboard to review for an upcoming exam. Mr. Churchill had us put down our favorite band as our names. I wrote down Ryan Adams. I can still remember what he said, “Oh yeah!! Ryan Adams.” This was not the only story regarding music that involved Churchill.
One other occasion he mentioned Bruce Springsteen and followed it with, “And none of you are probably old enough to know who he is.”
I responded, “I’ve seen him in concert.”
“WHAT!” was all Churchill could respond with. He seemed a little surprised. Afterall, that was only the second concert I ever attended, after Cyrus.
Music is something I owe my father a debt of gratitude for. Without him I would never have found my taste in music. Thought for the day: Do you remember your first favorite genre of music? Don’t forget to stop and look around and appreciate the little things.