Why do you like the music you like?

I  guess  for  me  its  blues because   all  the  music  I  enjoyed  in the  60s/70s was derived  from the  blues   and  the  more  I  researched  the  deeper  my  interest  became although  a  lot  of  my  own stuff  that  I  write  now  comes  out  a bit   folky  and  countrified  I  still  feel  its  mostly  rooted  in the  blues .

In the 60's I primarily listened to early rock music with its simple lyrics and uncomplicated musical patterns, although I was a drummer playing mostly jazz and big-band music. When I was attending college some older friends took me to a bluegrass festival and it was a life changing experience.  I guess something about that style music spoke to my Appalachian heritage and its history of storytelling  - I sold my drums and never played them again, taking up the guitar years later. I still enjoy listening to Bluegrass groups and singer/songwriters that write simple songs about everyday life and what its like to live in small towns and rural areas. The poignancy of direct, well-written lyrics combined with simple musical accompaniment has been my biggest musical influence.  Kind of like applying the KISS principle to music.

Some of my earliest musical memories are of listening to my brother's 45s. Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" stands out in my mind as a memorable song that drew me in by telling the story of a miner who sacrifices his life so that others can live. I also loved  Booker T and the M.G.s' "Green Onions." Maybe because of those recordings, I'm drawn to the sound of blues guitar, and to songs that have compelling, emotive lyrics.

I started out in the early/mid 70's with heavy stuff; Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, Montrose, Grand Funk Railroad, etc. The louder the better. I went to my first concert with my uncle in, I believe '71. Three Dog Night played at a minor league baseball stadium that was 4 blocks down the street from us. I was not impressed. It wasn't heavy enough for me at the time.

As high school was coming to a close, I found my tastes began to change. I found bands like CCR, Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker. I liked the clean sound they had with just a touch of heavy. 

Then came the progressive type bands and also a lot of concerts. Bands like Pink Floyd, ELP, Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Moody Blues, etc. I think being there and hearing it live was a major turning point in what I enjoyed. The music was smooth and melodic and still had a good strong beat to it. This was also the time when I decided I wanted to learn to play guitar and make some of that music.

In '79 I was introduced to The Grateful Dead. They seemed to wrap a lot of my musical tastes into one package, with some Blues thrown in for good measure. That was something I had never been exposed to. In '82 I started following them up and down the East Coast so I completely missed the 80's Metal era.

So to wrap up, I guess musical taste is always changing and evolving. Give me music that shows off real musical talent and ability. The 3  "power chords" songs don't do it for me anymore.  I'll take something that will get me swaying and not just foot stomping. Although I do enjoy going to a Bluegrass show now and then. That's part of the reason I decided to pick up the mandolin.

CBGB('S)  OMFUG  BUDDY!    (OMFUG =Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers". Although a gormandizer is usually a ravenous eater of food, what (Hilly)Kristal meant is "a voracious eater of ... music".  (For them of you who dont know   )

Since most of the readers of this thread are the regulars, you guys know me. I love a story, from the 70s till now.  I love the harmony and do wop of the 50s.  I guess I’m rooted in the blues based styles.  I appreciate the complexity of classical, I like to hear it for a short time, but what I still get off on is some good heavy angst ridden music.  I gotta have a voice that can hit the notes and not scream all the time (screamo) but yet be able to carry a melody.  I still love "Real County" not the pop crapola they try to push now.  Not to say I don’t like modern artist.  Jamie Johnson still is one of my favorite current artists (but wish he would trim that scraggly duck dynasty beard! -oh an most everyone else with them, ZZ can keep theirs because they are not following a fad LOLOL)

For what ever reason Ima rocker. Most my acoustic stuff is slow, dark and moody but I try to evoke an image (thank Judas priest and Morrison for that) but I like a few bright major chord songs too LOLOL.

Don’t know if that answers the question or not.  CHEERS

i've got this story that i must impart; sometime in the 70's i was playing in a cabaret band (i cant believe i revealed that fact) still, one of the guys sat up and recorded a radio show late at night, next day when he played a song to me that blew my mind and his, but he didn't know who the band was....sometime later i bought an album by a band called supertramp crime of the century and the track was on it! i said we have to do it, they said no! so i left...that's fair?

anyway saw them on their quietest moments tour in swansea, must be one of the best concerts i've ever seen.

I don't mind admitting I like to show off and scream that's what attracted me to rock and the babes

hmmm... I like a lot of folk music, probably because that's what I was raised on, it's what Dad played on his guitar and what I learned to sing when I was introduced to music as a kid.  Yuppers, "Tom Dooley", "Rock Island Line", "If I had a hammer": all songs I was singing at 5 years old (and I'd like to note, I know these songs the way my Dad did them, not the way they were recorded.  When I hear recordings, I'm all "ewwwww, that's not right!"  So as a side, I'd like to say, MAKE IT YOUR OWN is a BIGGIE with me).  As time went on, there was Grandma playing Elvis on her already outdated 8 Tracks and Dad introduced me to "the longest song in history" (at the time, unless he was mistaken) - American Pie - and I won't ever forget the day we sat in his truck in the garage listening until the song was over.  As time went on I became a teen and listened to some of the more popular pop music while enjoying a bit of the dark side of lighter metal (insert Metallica, Poison, etc. 80's-90's hair bands and some earlier stuff I had missed before I learned how to stand RIGHT IN FRONT OF A SPEAKER and leave unable to hear).  I also did a lot of singing in school, so there was the whole "misc. musicals" time frame and even Italian Arias.  I can honestly say that I like a very VERY diverse amount of music!  I have introduced my kids to Phantom of the Opera sound tracks, Grease sound tracks AND "Tom Dooley" while I tend to let Daddy teach them about Metal and they choose all of this as well as current Pop on the radio. 

My go to music is folk, and a lot of Country because when it comes down to it, that's the stuff that I enjoy singing and other people enjoy hearing (if people liked hearing Italian Arias more, I might figure out how to play more classical style guitar, but no one wants to hear it and I'm happy strumming).  I still sing and enjoy it all though.... just some more privately than the rest! 

NO RAP... minimal amounts of hip-hop I can do though.  Oh, and when we are stressed... the littlest one and I like a little classical to relax us (along the lines of Beethoven), or "wedding music" as she calls it.

I would have hired ugly fat roadies

As I am getting a little more mature,I seem to gravitate more to the singer-songwriter type of music. It can be simple or complex,soulful or airy,fast or slow but always from the heart. Some very good artists reside right here in Chordie in fact.
                                           
                                                                                                                                                         Dave

Footnote to my last post: oops sorry I forgot, their are two L's in Phill.