Here are some of my favorite artists playing some of my favorite songs. This is the music I grew up with and it was a big influence on me.
Again, there's a lot here, so take your time and listen over time, as you get the time and you feel like it's something you want to do. I'll probably add even more as I remember things I've left out.
Some of my earliest music influences when I was growing up were artists like Ricky Nelson, The Everly Brothers, and Buddy Holly.
Ricky Nelson (There was a TV show he was on called The Adventures of Ozzie and Harrietthat I used to watch. The show was on from 1952-1966.)
The Everly Brothers
Buddy Holly
Next came the Beatles and the "British Invasion" including bands like The Animals, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Zombies and many more. This is the time when I got interested in playing music in bands. I didn't realize it at the time but these British groups were strongly influenced by American music, particularly black blues musicians, and also artists like Buddy Holly.
The Beatles
The Animals
The Rolling Stones
The Zombies
The Kinks
Procol Harum
It wasn't too long before American groups starting gaining popularity, especially a group called The Byrds. They had a different sound and they used folk music which they played with electric instruments and drums.
As I grew older I became more interested in singer/songwriters and folk artists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Tim Harding, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen. And I started writing my own songs.
Bob Dylan
Joni Mitchell
Leonard Cohen
Tim Hardin
Things sort of took off from there. Recording quality started getting a lot better and my interest started to expand more. There were a number of artists/groups that I followed as they began to grow as musicians and songwriters. Also I started to appreciate black soul music and blues music more.
Soul Music
Sam Cook
Otis Reading
Wilson Pickett
James Brown
So against the back ground of the influences I've already listed, here in no particular order, are more of my favorite artists and songs:
The Band
Crosby Stills & Nash
Allman Brothers
John Lennon (My favorite singer/songwriter)
John Lennon playing Johhy B. Goode with Chuck Berry
After his death the rest of the Beatles reunited to record an old John Lennon song
George Harrison
Joni Mitchell
Laura Nyro
Van Morrison
Jimi Hendrix (live performing the Bob Dylan song All Along the Watch Tower)
Jimi Hendrix performs a blues song with Stephen Stills and Johnny Winter
Stephen Stills
Stevie Winwood
John Mayall
Eric Clapton Performs with John Mayall
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder performing with Ray Charles
Steely Dan
Fleetwood Mac
James Taylor
Ziggy Marley (Reggae music)
Bonnie Raitt
Bruce Hornsby
Jeff Beck
Jack Bruce (The bass player from The Cream, the group that recorded the song Sunshine of Your Love)
The Spinners
Al Green
Aretha Franklin
Tina Turner
Credence Clearwater Revival
Beach Boys (I didn't like the Beach Boys much when they first came out in the 1960s but I grew to like the songs of Brian Wilson later.)
Jim Webb (another favorite songwriter of mine)
Todd Rundgrend with Daryl Hall & T-Bone Wolk
Lucinda Williams
I wanted you to know about my favorite music. It has taken me a lifetime to figure out what my favorite music is, so I don't expect you to take all this in in a week, a month or a year. I will take you many years to fully develop your musical tastes. But at least this list may help you grow and find your own way.
This is Part 1 - Classical. I plan to follow this up with other favorite music lists including Rock/Pop/R&B, Blues, Folk/World Music, and Jazz.
So on with the show! Take as long as you like; listen when you can. If something doesn't grab you now, check back as time goes by and have another listen.....
One of the most enjoyable things a person can do in this life is listen to great music! Hopefully you will be able to hear a lot of great music in person performed by great musicians.
Note: I tried to pick YouTube clips that were clear and performed by the artists I like best. Sometimes only a part of the work is included; at other times the entire work is performed.
Moussorgsky -from Pictures at an Exhibition (The Promenade)
Vivaldi - from The Four Seasons (Winter Part 1)
Frédéric Chopin - Prelude in E-Minor (op.28 no. 4)
George Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue
Ravel - Pavane pour une infante défunte
Ravel - Piano Concerto in G
Aaron Copeland Appalachian Spring
Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
Rachmaninoff - from Symphony No. 2
Scriabin - Etudes in C# Minor and D# Minor
Brahms - Piano Concerto No 1 (Complete)
Respighi - The Pines of Rome
Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor
Mozart - from Piano Concerto No. 2
Shostakovitch - from Symphony No. 5
Shostakovitch - from Piano Concerto No. 2 (Andante)
Vaughan Williams - from Symphony No. 5
Bach - The Little Fugue in G Minor
Dvorak - from the New World Symphony (First Movement)
Debussy - Reverie
Eric Satie - from The Gymnopédies
Holst - from the Planets (Jupiter)
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata (1st and 3rd movements)
Jean Sibelius - from Symphony No. 2
Elgar - from the Enigma Variations
William Walton - Crown Imperial
Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings
Prokofiev - from Piano Concerto No. 3 (1st Movement) Stravinsky - from The Rite of Spring
