analog baritone home

my earliest music interests (that is, when i started actually being aware of a specific music interest) started when i was in about 7th grade with motown. i’m not exactly sure what got me into motown (and r&b in general) but i’m sure it was in part due to my best friend at the time, whose mother listened to that style music. i certainly didn’t grow up in a household that listened to much motown, r&b, or any kind of soulful music really.

somewhere along the way i was exposed to hip hop music and got heavily into that as well (a whole story unto itself). but my main music interest always remained r&b of the 60’s and 70’s (as well as a lot of the then current r&b) all through high school. some of my all time favorites at that time: marvin gaye, aretha franklin, smokey robinson, the temptations, al green, james brown, and especially stevie wonder.

it wasn’t until after high school that i started venturing into the world of pre 60’s music, and it all started with frank sinatra. my mothers then boyfriend was a big motown fan just like i was and he once suggested that since i loved great singers i should check out frank. he lent me a 4 disc box set of the reprise collection, which i copied onto cassette so that i could listen to them in my car (a crappy 89 dodge minivan). i absolutely fell in love with those songs, and would drive around town by myself at night, for sometimes 2 hours, just listening to frank. through listening to a lot of sinatra i started becoming aware of and researching more and more vocalists from that time.

because i was devouring any and all music from the early half of the 20th century, i can’t exactly trace the lineage of what artists i happened upon or at what point, but it was during this very important time of discovery (and in part due to the coaxing of an acquaintance) that i learned of my desire to become a singer of the standards. it would take a few years for me to get where i am now (mentally and stylistically) with music but along the way i’ve always kept discovering. not only more great jazz and blues but also what it is i’m trying to accomplish with my style and music in general.