music and family

I'd heavily attribute my diverse music taste to my family. My dad grew up listening to bluegrass/country and 80s pop, while my mom grew up listening to rock n roll and metal. I thought some fun people to interview would be my grandparents, since they've all had such different musical experiences!

(For less confusion for whose on my moms/dads side, I will call my dad's dad PD and my moms parents PM and GM)

What type of music did you grow up listening to? Any specific songs or artists you remember?

PD: I only listened to Bluegrass, one song I remember went "When I Got To Heaven, I Didn't See Anybody I Knew"

PM: I had to listen to Earl Scruggs, Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones.... I HAD to listen to it, I didn't want to.

GM: Bluegrass, my mother loved listening to Floyd Cramer, a ragtime pianist at the time, and her favorite song was Begin the Beguine.

Has your music taste changed over the years? How and why? Any favorite artists you remember? How did people around you react to these changes?

PD: Sometimes I listen to Country now, but I prefer Bluegrass.

PM: When I got old enough to get a job and buy my first transitional radio, I listened to the only FM station that would play Rock n Roll. My daddy didn't like it but my mother did and he blamed some of her problems on what I listened to. I hung around people that I didn't care whether they liked my music or not.

GM: When we first got married, I had to learn to listen to groups like Led Zeppelin, and Cream, and Grand Funk Railroad, and I didn't like it at first but the more I listened the more I really loved it. Everyone was shocked.

Did you ever make music? Sing or play an instrument?

PD: I played the guitar. My daddy played and he taught me how to play until his fingers got cut off. My favorite songs to play were God on the Mountain and Wildwood Flower, everyone knew how to play that song.

(if anyone's wondering, my great grandpa worked in a factory, and a machine caught his hand)

PM: I played Saxophone in 9th and 10th grade and I liked playing Hey Jude.

GM: I sang in the choir, second soprano, at my church, for probably 15 years. Holy, Holy, Holy, was my favorite to perform.

Are there any impactful moments/memories that relate to music that you remember?

PD: That's how I met my wife. I went over to my brother-in law's house and my wife was there with her (ex)boyfriend and we sung a bunch of songs and the boyfriend had to leave and then after he left, she come over and sat on the couch. Then I sat down on the couch with her and it was love at first sight. We were married for 51 years.

PM: Me and my brother would load up to a carp-fishing lake and I would get would get little cigars and would put Grand Funk Railroad and Steppenwolf in the 8-track tape player, and we would smoke and fish all night.

GM: When I was in the 6th grade, we had music appreciation day every Friday. My teacher loved classical music, and I learned to love classical music through the albums she brought to school.

(although she can't listen to classical often because my grandpa hates it, she told me her favorite piece is Ravel's "Bolero")

Have you ever been to any concerts in your life? Who? How was the experience?

PD: I've been to some Merle Haggard concerts. One was in Greenville and to be honest, the experience wasn't great. When he came out, he was drunk and could barely sing. They had to drag him back, and I paid a lot of money to be there.

PM: 1997, Steppenwolf, Myrtle Beach at the Pyramid (Hard Rock Cafe). I got in the front, right at the band, and I did not leave until they stopped playing and I got there early.

GM: We went to Death Valley in Clemson and had a live concert, Pink Floyd. We didn't leave until about 3am and I had to be at work at 7. As soon as the first beat, it lit up in there. At another concert there was a motorcycle magazine there called Easy Rider and we found me and him in it!

(yes, my grandparents really did and still ride motorcycles)

Favorite songs and artists? Why do you like the music you listen to today?

PD: Merle Haggard was one of them and Waylon Jennings, and several quartets that sung Bluegrass. Favorite Gospel songs are It Is Well with My Soul and This World Is Not My Home. I like that one Merle Haggard song with that one place, Muskogee (Okie from Muskogee) and Waylon Jennings "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys". I enjoy it because I've sung it and played guitar all my life.

PM: Mine's Iron Butterfly "In A Gadda Da Vida", I want that song played at my funeral. It's supposed to be In The Garden of Eden, it makes sense. He just happened to get drunk. Today I listened to Iron Butterfly, Soil "Halo", Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden.... it was an Era, everything about it is the reason why I like it, they were experimenting with sounds back then.

GM: My favorite song of all time is Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, the live 1979 version in Atlanta, Georgia. Now, I listen to Christian Contemporary, Zach Williams and Crowder. I love it because it praises God, I don't think the beat matters as long as the song talks about Jesus. Now, me and your papa's all time favorite band would be Pink Floyd!

(I sadly can't find the version of Free Bird she was talking about)

What music/artists do you not like? Why?

PD: Hard Rock, it just don't suit me. I don't like the whole thing with throwing guitars around and bustin' them.

PM: I tolerate some rap, I just don't like all the cussing. I'm not into Bluegrass and I hate Opera. I don't like Britney Spears and I hate Bruce Springsteen, I don't like his voice.

GM: I hate Reggae and I don't like the group Rush, I don't care for Bruce Springsteen.

It's so interesting to me how even though they all kind of started with the same kind of musical background, they all diverged as they got older! They all had and still have such a passion for the music they like and it felt amazing to just listen and learn about their lives. From crazy experiences, to cherished memories, to intriguing history, I've never wanted to learn more! I can really see their influence on not only my parents, but also me. Thanks to them, I've been exposed to so many different genres and I believe that has made me open to even more, which I'm very grateful for!