#MemoryLane Mondays- #Musically Inclined #childhood #music

I've always been musically inclined. Even as a child, my love of music has defined moments in my life. I can hear a song and be transported back to when I was 5, 10, 15, 20, etc. I think its in my blood—

My grandmothers on both sides of my family were truly musically inclined. My dad's mother played piano, my mom's mom played the organ, guitar and French harp (otherwise known as a harmonica.) My grandma on my mom's side taught me a little about the organ, but I never really took it up more than to pick at the keys and play a little tune by ear.

What I remember though is begging her to sing Tom Dooley and How Far is Heaven and play the guitar. I dragged a small radio with me everywhere, an old metal clothes hanger for an antenna, crying over The Devil Went Down to Georgia. I listened to Sha-Na-Na on 8-track and borrowed 8-tracks and records from my uncle of Juice Newton, Blondie, Barry Manilow and Anne Murray.

Many times my mom could be found washing dishes or cooking a meal and singing along to the radio or records of Alabama, Air Supply, Charlie Rich and John Conlee. My dad, working on some woodcraft project in the basement, usually listened to Garrison Keillor on public radio or Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band or James Taylor.

Because of the eclectic variety of music I grew up on and the birth of Mtv and music videos when I was 6, my taste in music runs wild and deep. I remember sitting in front of my mom's record player listening to music that pre-dated me- Herman's Hermits, Paul Revere & the Raiders, The Lovin' Spoonful, Lou Christie, the Beatles.

As soon as I got a cassette recording boombox with a radio, I'd stay up on the weekends recording The Crystals, Bobby Darin, Little Eva, The Supremes, The Jackson 5 on the oldies stations as well as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Expose, New Kids on the Block and Debbie Gibson on the Weekly Top 40.

I wore out my Olivia Newton-John Greatest Hits Vol. 2 on 33 1/3 and the Thriller album. I danced all over my room to She's So Unusual record of Cyndi Lauper and loved Rick Springfield's Hard to Hold soundtrack.

The 1st CD I bought was actually Eddie Money's The Sound of Money, which I still have and love.

Even now, I find my tastes vary and one day I can be totally immersed in A Perfect Circle or chillin' to Ben Taylor's gentle folksy vocals that remind me so much of his father- James Taylor.

My most current musical inclinations-
Payphone- Maroon 5
Call Me Maybe- Carly Rae Jepsen
Beekeeper's Daughter- The All-American Rejects
Brokenhearted- Karmin
Not Over You- Gavin DeGraw
Drive By- Train

Does music tie you to your memories- what are some of your favorites?