David Burrow has always enjoyed popular music. In his early childhood he listened to folk groups like Peter, Paul, & Mary and Simon & Garfunkel, as well as hard rock bands like Jefferson Airplane/Starship, the Grateful Dead, and Grand Funk.
Much of his childhood was accompanied by the bubblegum beat of bands like the Bay City Rollers, ABBA, and Paper Lace. Some of his fondest childhood memories are of listening to songs like "Beach Baby", "Seasons in the Sun", and "Billy,Don't Be a Hero" on WLS-AM radio while swimming at the Mount Pleasant pool or on New Year's Eve during the annual 'Top 89 Countdown'. A few years ago he visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he was amused to see a display saluting DJ John Records Landecker ("'Records' really is my middle name."), the king of Chicago radio in the '70s.
As he grew older, Mr. Burrow's tastes modified a bit. His favorite musical artists were among the top musicians of the '70s and '80s, and many of them remain highly popular today. They include female soloists like Olivia Newton-John, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton; male vocalists like Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, John Denver, and Meatloaf; and groups like Queen, Heart, Blondie, REO Speedwagon, Styx (who he remembers as a group of Chicago kids who played a dance in his hometown when he was in elementary school), and the Eagles. While he is slightly embarrassed that many of these are now found on the 'oldies' rack, they remain his favorites even today.
Among the more recent arrivals on the music scene, Mr. Burrow likes country artists Garth Brooks, George Strait, and the Dixie Chicks, the a cappella sound of Tonic Sol Fa (whose lead singer, Shaun Johnson, is one of his former students), as well as popular artists such as Green Day. While he doesn't care a lot for the rap influence in much of today's music, he does enjoy the funny (if often vulgar) songs of groups like the Bloodhound Gang.
Mr. Burrow's tastes extend beyond popular music. He has long liked traditional hymns and other religious music. This probably goes back to overhearing his parents listening to scratchy old George Beverly Shea records in the '60s and 70s. He also enjoys the songs of Broadway musicals, particularly the outstanding work of Rodgers & Hammerstein. For the most part, though, he doesn't care much for classical music.
It was only in the late '90s that Mr. Burrow joined the "modern" age and acquired a compact disc player. He still sees no significant difference in the quality of sound in CD over other music formats. Between growing up with AM radio and living with a partial hearing loss, the digital "perfection" of CD sound escapes him. Unfortunately the CD--complete wih its absurd packaging--has become virtually the only option for buying music today. In spite of this, Mr. Burrow's favorite music format remains the vinyl LP, complete with poster-sized graphics and legible album notes.
Mr. Burrow has also never been a fan of headphones, which he finds uncomfortable and annoying. This is the main reason he doesn't own an .mp3 player. He likes using his computer for music, though, and wishes the complete library of recorded music would be available for legal download inexpensively.
David Burrow listening to his Uncle Dale play guitar
Links to other sites on the Web
NEXT (The Printed Word)
The Virtual Jukebox
WLS in the '70s -- (WLS Time Capsule)
Peter, Paul, & Mary
Grand Funk
Bay City Rollers
ABBA
Elton John
Olivia Newton-John
Queen
Heart
Blondie (Debbie Harry)
Styx
Bruce Springsteen
The Eagles
Linda Ronstadt
Dolly Parton
Garth Brooks
The Cyber Hymnal
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© 2009 davidmburrow@yahoo.com
The background music on this page is "Old Time Rock and Roll," which was probably made most famous when Tom Cruise danced to it in the film Risky Business.
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