A Brief History of Music (as it applies to Ovid9) part 1

Growing up, there was always music around our house.  My parents both loved music.  My mom played piano and sang, and my dad just loved music for music's sake.

We listened to tons of oldies.  Though my parents came of age in the late 60s early 70s, they were heavily steeped in the music of the 50s and early 60s.

Part of this came from my dad being a lifeguard and the pool playing music of that era.  Part of it came from him being the youngest in his family by 7 years and hearing the music his older siblings listened to.

But we listened to lots of oldies.

We also listened to lots of late 70s, early 80s Christian music.   I know what most of you are thinking, and you're partially right, some of it did suck.  Other's not so much.

Keith Green was a hell of a musician and songwriter.  The 2nd Chapter of Acts, mixed in with lots of cheese put out Roar of Love in 1980 which was played a TON in my house when I was young.  Its pretty much The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe put to music.   While its certainly dated at this point, I still vividly recall many of the songs on it.

Rich Mullins, whose life was tragically cut short after getting hi by a car, was also a factor around my house.

My dad also had a deep love of classical music.  Handel, Bach, Tchaikovsky, and Mozart among others.

This lead me to miss most of the wave of 80s music.  I don't consider this a bad thing as I can now appreciate some 80s music, that decade was pretty terrible for music as a whole.  A lot of virtuosity that was supposed to cover up terrible songwriting and stuck in the era studio tricks.   (I feel that the best of the 80s is some of the greatest music ever made while the bulk of 80s music should be forgotten or at least put up as a warning to future generations.)

So, music was a big part of my life.

Sadly, I fought piano lessons.  Something I regret to this day.  I hated practicing, so I didn't, so I didn't get any better.   Its unfortunate as I'd give anything to have that skill now.

Because it was "safe" much of my introduction to popular music was in the Christian realm.  I started listening to contemporary top 40 pop around 1991.  Like any other 6th grader I'd tape the radio and had a collection of all sorts of (terrible) pop hits.

When it came to actually buying music, my parents let me join BMG and I quickly accumulated a collection of greatest hits of the likes of Steppenwolf (my metal roots), CCR, ZZ Top (I had no idea what most of the songs were about).  Unlike many of my classmates I didn't get dozens of albums that I regret now.  (Crash Test Dummies anyone?)

I did get more than a few that still sit on my shelf and I look at and laugh, but there is a connection to them.  A connection to a time of innocence when everything was simple and clear and black and white.  I'm not saying it was a better time as I was not the most empathetic kid to those who I felt had brought their issues upon them.  But there is something about simplicity.

It was around my 7th grade when I started expanding my musical horizons.  That year I discovered both Meatloaf and Audio Adrenaline.  Both would figure heavily in my musical expansion in the future.