The Backbeat: What Got You Started?

When did you first start paying attention to music? Who were your early musical influences? I was a music fan first, and didn't learn to play guitar until I was in my early 20's. I didn't pay much attention to music until I saw the Beatles in 1964 on the Ed Sullivan show. That was also the moment when I decided I had to be a guitar player.

After that first exposure to the Beatles, I began listening to the radio. The mid-1960's was a spectacular time for rock and roll and pop music. We had the British Invasion, American surf music, Motown, blues rock, folk and folk-rock, and just plain rock and roll.

Television was a great source of musical influences in the mid-1960's. I was fortunate that my parents helped to expose me to different performers; people who I might not have investigated or listened to on my own. I still listen to Glen Campbell and Roger Miller today.

The Monkees were a popular television show around that time. As a middle school student, I would not have admitted to my friends that I watched the show or listened to their music, as my buddies (who probably also watched the show in secret) considered it 'girl's music.' I no longer care what anyone thinks of my musical tastes, and I still appreciate the Monkees.

One of the first bands guys like me were not afraid to admit that we watched on television and listened to on the radio was Paul Revere and the Raiders. These guys inspired me to buy my first records – 45 rpm singles.

I was listening to the radio a lot in those days, and besides the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys, I was interested in bands like Cream (long before I discovered Eric Clapton's Yardbird's years, or his stint in John Mayall's Blues Breakers.) Sometime in those years, I won two tickets to a Steppenwolf/Three Dog Night concert by calling in to a radio station prompt and naming the group that performed this song.

Steppenwolf had a couple of huge hit songs with Magic Carpet Ride and Born To Be Wild. I remember going to middle school dances called Fun Nights, featuring local rock bands, who played the hits of the day, including this one.

I am not ashamed to admit that I liked some of the sugary pop music of those years. This song was a big hit in 1968-69 (it was Billboard Magazine's #1 song of 1969.) The song was recorded by a group of studio musicians, and was featured on the Saturday morning cartoon The Archie Show. It may be the goofiest song ever written, but it was a catchy tune, a fun song to listen to and to play on guitar, and I still have it on my music player.

In a more serious vein, I was also paying attention to Bob Dylan and his acoustic folk music. His lyrics were serious and 'deep' in the parlance of the era. This music was dramatically different than other songs I liked, but it struck me as significant.

Roger McGuinn took his influences from the Beatles and Bob Dylan, combining Bob's songs with a rock beat, and a Rickenbacker electric twelve string guitar that he had seen George Harrison use on several Beatles songs. His new band The Byrds featured multi-part vocal harmonies with McGuinn, David Crosby, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman, and had a big hit with their unique, jangly style.

Listening to the Grass Roots might at first make one think: sappy songs. Okay, so they were mostly about falling in or out of love, they didn't write their own songs (at least the hits), and they didn't play on the records. That would seem like negatives, but these guys could sing their assess off, the songs were well written, and they were great rocking songs. I still like this band.

The Doors were strange. Jim Morrison was strange. They didn't have a bass player, which was strange. Then again, the Doors were a damn good band. Morrison was a monumentally talented poet/songwriter and performer, and one of the most iconic front men in rock history. Their songs had a lot of darkness about them, but they were one stomping band. If you've never seen the film 'The Doors', starring Val Kilmer as Morrison, do yourself a favor. His portrayal of the 'Lizard King' is stunning.

Although I had enjoyed the Beatles for years, I had not bought any of their records. I don't remember why I waited until Hey Jude/Revolution was released as a single, but I remember anxiously waiting for it to appear in our local record store.

After several years of buying 45's, I acquired my first album. One would think that my first such 'major' musical purchase would be one of the bands I had been listening to for years, but it was a departure from those groups – The Ventures Hawaii Five-O had captured my attention from the popular TV show. The album was entirely instrumental, and I listened to it endlessly.

By 1970, I had a driver's license, a car, a job, and a paycheck. I wasted little time, and I bought a record featuring two hit songs – Badfinger's Straight Up, with Day After Day and Baby Blue. This record turned out to be an outstanding collection of songs by this early Apple Records group. This is one of the great rock/pop albums of all time, and years later, it also became my first CD purchase when my record player wore out.

My musical journey went on from there. To read more about it, order The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories, available in paperback and e-book from Amazon.com.