My early music memories....how about yours????

[Tom Adams]

Last night I was watching the DVD Standing in the Shadows of Motown and it made my mind hearken back to some of my earliest memories of music. So, with your permission, Id like to: a) share those memories with you and ask you to share yours with us.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I think my first recollection was around 1962 or so and hearing some 45s my oldest sister (shes almost 10 years older than I) was playing while her and her friends danced in her room. I remember sitting in the hall outside her door and listening to Elvis and Beach music and such.

And then in 1963 she brought home some different music by a group called The Beatles. Oh man was I hooked. Shortly thereafter The Beatles are on The Ed Sullivan Show and I wanted to play drums so bad I couldnt stand it. One of the kids in our neighborhood was a couple of years older than the rest of us and his parents let him wear his hair in a Beatles cut. We thought he and his parents were the coolest. The other parents thought differently saying things like bad influence. I begged for drums even those awful toy drums - for Christmas, but didnt get them. So I found a tree branch, whittled a pair of drum sticks based on a picture I saw of what drum sticks looked like and then found cardboard boxes of different sizes that I could tune to sound like a bass and different tom-toms. My snare drum box contained popcorn and my cymbals were the lids from metal trash cans or moms pot lids. Drove my parents crazy. LOL.

In 1964 Santa gave me a crystal radio kit. With Dads help I put the radio together and for the first time was able to dial in the local AM station that played The Motown Sound. Well, as long as the antenna I had outside was strung between the two Mimosa trees just right. LOL..

In 1966 Santa once again did me right and left for me my very own AM transistor radio. We were living on the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />MississippiGulfCoast and my 9 volt radio was tuned to the only station I ever needed WTIX out of New Orleans. Again it was Motown, early rock, Dr John, and something new called funk. I remember hiding the radio under my pillow and plugging in the single ear bud speaker so I could fall asleep to the OJays, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, etc. And waking up in the middle of the night with my ear killing me because I laid on that side of my head that the ear bud was in and it had pressed in so hard.

In 1968 I got my first stereo a Sound Design unit with 8-track and a separate turntable! Gone was the ear bud which was replaced by a pair of headphones. Yeah.there was still the Elvis and Beatles and Frankie Avalon and Motown records I inherited from the oldest sister, but now Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Nazareth and others were invading the house.

I hate to say this for I know how it might come off sounding, but I kinda feel sad for kids nowadays in that I feel the music theyre being exposed to wont necessarily lead them to an overall appreciation of all types of music. I mean, I recall hearing Classical and Big Band and Motown and Beach music and early rock, and blues; all of which pretty much laid the foundation for everything since. I dunno I just think I have a better appreciation for most music genres having heard where it came from. And Standing in the Shadows of Motown brought back priceless memories.

Thanks for listening. Have an awesome week!!! []

Tom

[Bill H.]

Memories...from the early 60's.....ahhhhhhhhhh Listening to many different Unique 45's on my dads Juke Box........ "the lion sleeps tonight", was just one of many ..........

Watching the Beatles in Shea Stadium- on our 10" Philco TV ! Ed Sullivan also! Frankie, and the gang on the the Old stereo console! boy those were the days........

[Ray Garrison]

When I was about 7 I got a Sears record player for Easter. This was one of those big things that folded up like a suitcase when you weren't using it, with a turntable, arm, electronics and a speaker built into it. The music *I* was listening to then (1962) was Turkey In The Straw, Jimmy Crack Corn, The Arkansas Traveler, Jesus Loves the LIttle Children, I've Been Working on the Railroad, The Legend of Wyatt Earp and similar 45s. I didn't hear "real music" until much later.

[Amy]

I was probably 6....dancing around the living room with my mom and big brother to Runaround Sue (crouching at the aaaaaaWWWWW part and jumping in the air) and Rockin Robin (attemping to whistle along) on 45s. No clue what the stereo system was.

[]

[dtel's wife]

Last night I was watching the DVD Standing in the Shadows of Motown and it made my mind hearken back to some of my earliest memories of music. So, with your permission, Id like to: a) share those memories with you and ask you to share yours with us.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Tom, thank you for asking us to share with you. "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" has a way of bringing back "memories. I also grew up listening to Motown, Elvis and the Beatles.

In 1966 Santa once again did me right and left for me my very own AM transistor radio. We were living on the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />MississippiGulfCoast and my 9 volt radio was tuned to the only station I ever needed WTIX out of New Orleans.

Tix was the best of the best back then. I believe "Skinny Tommy Chaney", Scoot and the rest were really tuned into life in the South. As of ten years ago "Scoot in the Morning" had "gone country".

I hate to say this for I know how it might come off sounding, but I kinda feel sad for kids nowadays in that I feel the music theyre being exposed to wont necessarily lead them to an overall appreciation of all types of music. I mean, I recall hearing Classical and Big Band and Motown and Beach music and early rock, and blues; all of which pretty much laid the foundation for everything since. I dunno I just think I have a better appreciation for most music genres having heard where it came from. And Standing in the Shadows of Motown brought back priceless memories.

Our three daughters grew up listening to all kinds of music. Jazz, classical, country, rock, Motown. All of them still enjoy listening to all types of music. They are fans of everything from classical to hip-hop(which I don't understand).

My oldest daughter had a rap song playing and I really didn't appreciate the sounds coming from the stero. I asked her to please play the "rap crap" when I wasn't around. Her response...You and dad raised us to appreciate ALL kinds of music. My response...You are correct, but we didn't raise you to listen to that crap.

Technically, she was right and I told her so, but still insisted you listen to the rap at another time.

My youngest daughter enjoys listening to classical music and has found classical music useful in calming her very active four year old. She also enjoys all other types of music.

We just installed a very inexpensive "rack" unit in our 5 year old grandson's room. He has of course "grown up" listening to everything from "Baby Mozart" to Clapton, including those you mention above.

Anyway, last night we showed him how to operate the CD player, radio, etc. While tuning in the radio stations we came across Christian Rock, Country, Classical, Oldies and of course The Rock of New Orleans WRNO. Everytime I tuned a station in, he said, "I like that music".

It was rewarding to once again see the enthusiam children can develop for all types of music. I believe children should be exposed to all types of music, this allows them the freedom to expand their horizons.

Thanks for listening. Have an awesome week!!! []

Same to you.

You have a pm.

Tom

[kaiser SET say]

Nice thread Tom[]

My first musical memories come from my Mom's parents owning a Country & Western Dancehall in a little town in Central Texas called Canyon Lake (Twas called the Wagon Wheel Inn) and I got to meet a lot of famous C&W stars as a young man (Ernest Tubb, Loretta Lynne, Hank Thompson, Hank Williams and I could go on and on) but I ended up being a Rocker go figure!

My other recollection from my early days were (you may find this hard to believe LOL) often tunes from my chair in the corner where I was serving time for innapropriate behavior[6] To this day every time I hear the "Theme from a summer place by Percy Faith I think of my mother[] GRHS

Now when things really took of for me in this hobby is when my older step brother sent me his old system after upgrading his, I was 11 years old and had the good fortune to have an enthusiast brother in the Army in Germany. He sent me his old valve Grundig Shortwave Stereo which had 2 matching speakers (10" Woofs and 3/4" tweets) and the rest is History as they say. I cut lawns for the summer of '69 and my dad took me to a local Hi-Fi store and I bought myself a nice Dual table (possibly had the original or proto run Shure V15 on it) which we had to take to a local Hi-Fi repair shop so they could cut the RCA's off to put a DIN plug on that baby and I was in rocking Heaven for a young man[]

So here we are 39 years later and I'm on my 5th system and loving it[]

[oldtimer]

My early memories were of my mom playing rachmaninoff on the upright piano, sometimes the hound dog would sing along.

[WMcD]

Good thread subject. Thanks.

It was not my first exposure but one of the best. Santa brought a small mono unit which would play 33 rpm. He also brought the record, "How to Conduct Your Own Orchestra." It was excerpts of classical pieces which had a hook. I think this appreciation lay dormant for a while until I discovered more classical in college.

Gil

[Mighty Favog]

Cardboard cut-out records on the backs of cereal boxes.......The Archies probably.[]

[Ray Garrison]

Cardboard cut-out records on the backs of cereal boxes.......The Archies probably.[]

WOW!!! I remember those!

[Ray Garrison]

can't do *THAT* with a CD...

[dtel's wife]

Cardboard cut-out records on the backs of cereal boxes.......The Archies probably.[]

WOW!!! I remember those!

Hey I remember those too!!! Thanks.

[oldbuckster]

STAX RECORDS......Booker T. and the MG's, the house band...SAM and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Aretha "The Queen of Soul" Franklin...the late, the great OTIS REDDING..Nah, I don't remember..The Temptations. Four Tops, Supreme's Phil Sepctor, and his wall of sound, Soul Brother #1 Mr. James Brown.............Nah, I don't remember that music....SOUL MUSIC that's really what got me going on music..then I heard that fellow, Jimi Hendrix, I beleive, making those crazy sounds on his guitar.......Eric Clapton and a band named Cream...........and it's been down hill ever since..LONG LIVE ROCK........

STANDING IN THE SHADOW OF MOTOWN is a great DVD................................

[WS65711]

Tom (or anyone else who lived in the New Orleans area in the 60's) -

You might find this article interesting. Especially if you remember listening to WWOM and WRNO back in the early years. WWOM (my favorite) didn't last long unfortunately, but WRNO hung on until just last week. Undoubtedly another casualty of Katrina. [:'(]

Dave

http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/living-7/116392424876780.xml?LPLV&coll=1#continue

[kaiser SET say]

It is sad Dave how corporate (greed) America killed the radio that we all grew up on[]

Back in my high school years in San Antonio we had an underground FM station that was to die for. No top 10 or 100 anything it was almost obscure except that they dug up killer tracks from some of the finest artist of the times. DJ's all had that silky/smokey cool tone to their voices and they would only comes in every 6 or 7 tracks and give a little history to the previous tracks you heard[] Ah, those were the days[]

[PhilMays]

Gosh, my mother was a music teacher. A lot of clasical early on. My father turned me on to Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly.

My grandmother managed a record store so I would listen to all of her 50's rock on 45's.

But the first music that "moved me" was Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath & Deep Purple.

[markgod]

I am suprised not any mention of the British invasion stuff .I can remember in my younger days playing 45's ,The Beatles, Herman Hermits "Henry The 8th" , Gerry and the Pacemasters "Ferry across the Mersey" ,Peter and Gordon "I Go To Pieces" , "Lady Godiva", The Hollies "Bus Stop" Then some of the early american groups Dave Clark 5 ,Garry Lewis and the Playboys, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Byrds ,etc.. . All before the more serious stuff on the LP's. I can remember one of the earliest trips to buy a 45 ,Petula Clarks "Down Town".

[jacksonbart]

Beach Boys, Herb Albert and Neil Diamond, curtsey of my parents.

[oscarsear]

Grew up in West L.A. Early on the parents had a small collection of 45s they played on a mono portable player. Among those were Apache and Hard Headed Woman. Then when I was around 9 my parents got the real deal; a Fisher integrated tube amp with a Garrard turntable. They got a pair of JBL D-130 16ohm speakers and had my grandfather build cabinets per JBL specs. That was in '61 and I was done for. In the 3rd grade I went to my 1st classical concert. In L.A. I saw tons of live music in clubs and then I ushered at The Hollywood Bowl during summers from '67 to '70. The most poignant memory was watching Jimmy Hendrix and the Experience rehearse prior to an HB concert. Dead center15 feet from the group, in the Bowl, listening to VooDoo Chile and Burning of the Midnight Lamp and what all else they ripped out. Hard to top that. Sigh.

[kaiser SET say]

I love that story Oscar, when I was 11 I had very liberal parents and my best friend was 17 and he and I went to see Jimi and the E at the Summit in Houston and man what a show it was for an 11 year old. (I even remember what I wore because I was always looked at as some kind of wierdo as a kid because I wore blue jeans, black pointed toe ankle high Beatle boots and the real kicker for most people was the Red, White and Blue highschool band jacket that I wore as an outer jacket, guess I thought I was a Sgt. Peppers kind of guy!)

I remember my bedroom like it was yesterday back then I had three 8' black lights with all the coolest black light posters up on my walls and jammed on my Grundig system my older half brother had willed to me upon buying his first big rig[]

This really brings a smile to my face typing and reading your post because when someone ask me how old I am I always just say well "I did see Jimi Hendix in Concert" if that gives you any clues[]