So here's that 'story for another time' that you knew was coming. When you were a kid growing up, was there music in your house and what kind was it?

Ours was a pretty poor selection, for some reason, do not ask me why, it's like the Grinch and Christmas (sans Jim Carrey movie), my father hates music, apparently always has, he doesn't want music, doesn't want noise, just wants the house quiet, if nobody speaks that's even better for him. So that in itself had probably much to do with the lack of music. What we had in the way of our own music library was about 4 CDs of golden oldie 50s/60s classic rock hits, and that was it. And for a kid, most of the music wasn't even worth listening to, leaving "Wild Thing", "I get Around", "Doo Wah Diddy", "Bus Stop" "California Dreamin'", "Stop in the Name of Love", and "Gimme Some Lovin" to hear over and over and over and over. There was also whatever came on the oldies rock station which was the ONLY station we ever listened to on the radio.

Needless to say, once my mother let me use her tape recorder to make my own tapes with and listen to, I took advantage of it, I'd record any music I could get off of TV, which was probably why I was a big fan of the Alvin and the Chipmunk cartoons from the 80s because it meant different music.

Finally when I was about 9 we got 2 new CDs from the Rhino collection, and was introduced to stuff like "Rock this Town", "Respect", "YMCA", "Another one Bites the Dust", "Devil in a Blue Dress" "Day-O", "Centerfold", "Surfing USA", "Heart of Rock and Roll", "Whip It", "Love Shack", etc., which was a big shock and relief to get some different music to listen to.

But boy, I was SO happy when we got Napster back when it was free and legal because I could download all the music I wanted, which included 60s songs my mother didn't like, the 80s music she didn't have a clue about, some current stuff from the early 2000s, but especially Michael Jackson because that was the absolute top of the list of music my father hated and previously banned from the house.

All kinds. Soul music mostly.

Since I had a lot of older siblings and my parents as well, I grew up listening to music from practically every decade from the 40-s to the 60-s and the 70-s the next decades I listened to on my own. By the time I was 5 I know all about Boogie Woogie Bugle boy up to Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Motown was always my favorite as a little tyke.

My parents didn't play music in the house, so I developed that passion on my own with the help of my sister-in-law who played in the car radio. About age 6 I discovered American Bandstand and loved the early rock 'n' roll and doo-wop stuff. I was about 11 when I started to listen to the radio on my own. In order, I grew up on: early rock 'n' roll, doo-wop, Top 40, Beach Boys to Beatles, psychedelic rock, Motown, blues, some classical, a little folk but not much. My mother screamed to High Hell whenever I blasted James Brown or Janis Joplin on the stereo.

My parents liked older country and had 8 tracks of Statler Brothers and Alabama. I can't recall any others.

When I was old enough to enjoy my own music, I it was a lot of Madonna and Janet Jackson.

My mother listened to a lot of country, some rock like stevie nicks and such... also she had a grip of records from the Motown era.

My dad (from what I remember) listened to a lot of Phil Collins and Tracy Chapman... I still to this day can't stand to hear either cause it reminds me of him.

R&B and Hip hop influences I got from my older relatives, and that's what I gravitated towards.