Music and Family

Here is an interview that I conducted with my mom on Tuesday, January 18, 2011. My questions are bolded, and her answers are in regular font. Enjoy!

What kind of music did you listen to as a child?

I chose to listen to rock ‘n roll, which I guess would have been called “pop” in those days. I also listened to Motown. My dad listened to country music from his childhood, so I also grew up listening to that.

What kinds of artists did you listen to?

The Supremes, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Cat Stevens.

(Here is the music video for Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" from 1983. It's amazing.)

(Here are The Temptations singing "My Girl." I love their dance moves!)

What did your family think of the music you listened to?

My mom liked the same music that I did. My dad didn’t. When we went on road trips, the person who drove the car got to choose the music that we listened to. So we always listened to each other’s music then.

What about your music did your dad not like?

It was just different from what he was used to. He liked the country music from his time. He watched the Beatles and the Rolling Stones when they came on TV, and he liked them okay; but he never chose to listen to that music.

What technology did you use to listen to music?

Radio, cassette tapes, 8-Tracs, albums. CDs didn’t come around until much later.

When did you listen to music?

We listened to music when we traveled in the car. I also listened to records in my bedroom, but that's about it.

That’s all?

Yeah, because music wasn’t portable. Eventually headphones came around so you could listen to cassette tapes with them. Before that, we didn't move around a lot.

Were you ever exposed to music outside of your own culture?

Not really. They sang gospel music at church sometimes. My older brother listened to southern rock, like the Almond Brothers, which I had never heard until he brought it home.