What is your first memory of "getting" music?

[veteranof1000psychicwars]

Mine, is at age 3 in 1967. I have a distinct memory of listening to The Beatles' "Do You Want To Know A Secret" with my 5 1/2 year old brother, with him instructing me to mime along with him as we played brooms.
I distinctly remember my dad coming home with the White Album, and Tommy. My first record purchase was toddling up the street to Woolworth's in Haddonfield NJ to buy the picture sleeve single of Overture b/w See Me, Feel Me in 1969. I wanted my own Who record.
A few years ago in my deceased aunt's things l found a letter to her from my (deceased) mom from 1966. She said "Geoffy is driving us crazy, he runs around with no diaper singing Got My Mojo Workin. It is so funny, we don't stop him. And he's in tune". No memory of that.

What are your first memories of "getting" music?

[Dana5140]

Jefferson Airplane, Somebody to Love, Jack Casady. Say no more.

[BobM]

I was 7 years old and riding my bicycle around the neighborhood when I saw a sign on a front lawn that read "piano, singing, accordion lessons". I walked to the front door and rang the bell and asked "am I too young to take accordion lessons?". Not sure I fully knew what an accordion was, but I was intrigued. The rest is history!

[SteveSly]

Interesting question.

I started piano lessons at a pretty young age which made me appreciate music, but the first real memory that stands out for me was sometime in elementary school (I don’t remember exactly what age). I had a music teacher who played “Dance Macabre” by St. Seans for the class. She described how the music told a story of ghosts in a cemetery who only came alive once a year and had to go back to their graves when the sun came up. I remember listening to this piece of music in the class and I “got it.” I could visualize the story that the music was telling. The unique thing about this was that I seemed to be the only other kid in this class that heard the music in the same way. I am sure there were probably others, but it seemed as though no one else understood. I still have a very distinct memory of all of this and I think it led directly to my appreciation of classical music and eventually prog rock.

[markwoll]

There was always music around the house, jazz and crooner stuff primarily. The kids in the neighborhood would gather around the portable record player in someones driveway and dance around to 60's pop stuff.
Mostly Beatles, Monkey's, Archies, that sort of thing but I do remember Shocking Blue's Venus as a big hit. The parents organized several block parties that had bands.
So I would say that I 'got music' pretty young and just kept at it. The cello lessons got left behind in 4th grade, I hated to practice and the thought of performing in front of the school filled me with terror.

[Lopez]

There was always music on the radio around our house growing up, but it was background sound with the occasional weather report and news segment. Even when I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan's show, I was intrigued but not more than "that's nice." In grade school, there was a roving teacher, Mrs. Bonanno, who would come around every month or so to teach a music appreciation class. Everyone groaned when we saw Mrs. Bonanno come in the door of the class room. One day in 1964 or so, however, she gave a class on "computer music." She played various records of electronic sounds and rhythms and, I can't remember the name of it or of the style of music, a German record of people making song without words but sounds with their voices, sort of like scat but more gutteral. That was the day I finally "got" music. I was so excited that when I went home I told my parents about it.

[nosebone]

Alice Cooper, School's Out on my AM transistor radio age 10, summer of 1972

[Dave (in MA)]

"Geoffy is driving us crazy, he runs around with no diaper singing Got My Mojo Workin.

Well, who doesn't?

[Sputnik]

I have some vague memories of watching Hullabaloo on TV. My mom confirmed that I was addicted to this show in the mid-1960s when I was about three years old.

The first album I really connected with was the soundtrack of the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. My dad got if for me because I liked "Raindrops," but I played the holy hell out of that record and can still hum much of it from memory. In 1972, my dad brought home Beatles Alpha Omega for some strange reason (I hadn't requested it), and I was addicted to that. I was Beatles crazy when we visited England in 1973... right in the middle of Prog Rock, of which I had no clue or interest in at the time (hey, I was nine years old).

I wish I kept that Beatles Alpha Omega in better condition. It's worth a lot these days, but my copy was trashed, and I think I gave it away.

Bill

[mozo-pg]

Does anyone remember the portable radio you attached to your bike? It was circular in shape and you attached it to your handlebars. I don't remember my age but I was young. The song playing on the radio was Deamer by Supertramp and I remember loving it instantly.

[veteranof1000psychicwars]

I envy all of you who also 'got' music by learning to play it. I took guitar lessons for 2 years (11-12) but clearly had no facility for it. I became a passable singer doing bar gigs with an acoustic guitarist but that was the far reach of my ability. I think that fostered my interest and fascination with music. It was always sorcery to me.

[progmatist]

When Pilot's Magic was in constant rotation on AM pop radio. That was my introduction to the guitar solo. I find it particularly disturbing how the song was bastardized to sell a type 2 diabetes/weight loss drug.

[veteranof1000psychicwars]

There was always music on the radio around our house growing up, but it was background sound with the occasional weather report and news segment. Even when I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan's show, I was intrigued but not more than "that's nice." In grade school, there was a roving teacher, Mrs. Bonanno, who would come around every month or so to teach a music appreciation class. Everyone groaned when we saw Mrs. Bonanno come in the door of the class room. One day in 1964 or so, however, she gave a class on "computer music." She played various records of electronic sounds and rhythms and, I can't remember the name of it or of the style of music, a German record of people making song without words but sounds with their voices, sort of like scat but more gutteral. That was the day I finally "got" music. I was so excited that when I went home I told my parents about it.

That is a great story! Little did you know that morning you would come home a changed little man.

[arturs]

Age 6/7. A friend's older sister had the Smoke on the Water 7" single. I thought it was so great when I got some Christmas money a few months later I ran out to the record store to buy Machine Head. The clerk convinced me to buy Made in Japan instead "its only a dollar more and you get two records". I'm not sure that was great advice for a 7 year old. I loved SotW and Highway Star but I really didn't get Child in Time or the side-long Space Truckin' until a few years later. I used to listen to the first five minutes of Space Truckin' and then lift the needle when it goes all Bolero.

Then again I still listen to Made in Japan several times a year so the clerk may have been thinking long term...

[SteveSly]

Does anyone remember the portable radio you attached to your bike? It was circular in shape and you attached it to your handlebars. I don't remember my age but I was young. The song playing on the radio was Deamer by Supertramp and I remember loving it instantly.

I had one, although mine was square in shape.

[Poisoned Youth]

My grandmother had a player piano that fascinated me from early as I can remember. The moment my feet could touch those pedals, I was “playing” the player piano. I was probably 3.

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Honestly, my first musical memory is my grandmother singing me songs like "You Are My Sunshine," "Pony Boy," and others.

My first memory of professional/commercial music would have to be the Beatles on Ed Simi -- sorry, wrong show -- Ed Sullivan in February of 1964; I was in the latter half of my sixth year. Shortly thereafter I developed an incredible kid-crush on Diana Ross...

[pb2015]

Interested in music as long as I can remember. Went through my parents' records and heard 70's MOR pop, Simon and Garfunkel and then "Strawberry Fields Forever."

[Digital_Man]

Probably as a kid in the 70s listening to the Beatles. A family friend bought me Sgt. Peppers for my birthday when I was 8 (I think). I already liked the Beatles but really not much else. I would jump around and pretend to be in the lonely hearts club band. I also would listen to the white album on headphones. I wasn't really that much into music yet but the Beatles were the first band I knew I liked.

[Jacob]

Honestly, my first musical memory is my grandmother singing me songs like "You Are My Sunshine," "Pony Boy," and others.

My first memory of professional/commercial music would have to be the Beatles on Ed Simi -- sorry, wrong show -- Ed Sullivan in February of 1964; I was in the latter half of my sixth year. Shortly thereafter I developed an incredible kid-crush on Diana Ross...

At age 8 I had an incredible kid-crush on Florence Ballard. I saw the Supremes at Ed Hurst The Steel Pier in Atlantic City at age 10. When she died penniless in 76' ( I believe?), I was playing in Rock Clubs and I felt haunted by death.

[Jacob]

I cannot remember the first record I bought. At age 7 I was huge on British Invasion bands and Motown. I bought many 45rpm and LPs like many kids.

I also liked The Ventures and American Blues masters like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf etc. Both my parents were musicians. All my uncles on both sides of the family were outstanding musicians. Because of that household environment my sister and I had a lot of freedom to listen to whatever we liked

Mike Bloomfield, Ten Years After, Chicago, Frank Zappa, King Crimson and many others were appreciated by our parents. Our parents introduced us to the playing of Andrea Segovia, Johnny Smith, George Barns, Bucky Pizzarelli, and many others...and growing up in that environment meant simply that we generally focused on music and not other things in life. Our parents would go into a room and practice for hours while my sister and I listened to strange Psychedelic music.

[soundsweird]

The first songs I remember liking on the radio were at the age of 5 or 6, and they were novelty songs: "Beep Beep" by The Playmates (1958), "Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley (1958), and "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" by Brian Hyland (1960). When you think about it, the lyrics, arrangements and music for these songs were pretty clever...

[JKL2000]

I remember my mom singing to me a lot. Both my parents did, and I did for both my kids, at bedtime, mostly. It's funny, I never thought to give myself credit for anything musical, but I'm pretty good at that, actually. I just mean singing my kids to sleep, and messing around at home. I also remember hearing the Irish Rovers singing "The Unicorn Song," and some Burl Ives and Pete Seeger albums. Oh, and a Bobby Sherman record I cut out of the back of a cereal box! And...buying a 45 of The Bay City Rollers "Saturday Night!" What the hell!? There was a lot of Beatles before and after that though! Yellow Submarine was the first LP I bought.

[JKL2000]

"Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini" by Brian Hyland (1960).

We had to learn to sing that in French for a French class recital in 6th grade!

[Steve983]

Probably when my sister bought me the Elton John single of Daniel. It had a piano and orchestral version of Skyline Pidgeon on the B side which I loved and still remains a classic to this day. Someone above mentioned their introduction to the guitar solo, mine would have been the Carpenters Goodbye To Love. My Dad bought my Mum their singles album collection LP in 1973 which I still have - their ballads are to die for and that solo was just amazing to me. Then I started borrowing LP's from our local library and got Elton's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, when I heard Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding my mind was fully blown; I didn't know it at the time but that was my gateway to prog...