1. From 1951 to the early 1960s. My parents had a stand-alone radio/record player in a medium-sized cabinet. I listened to radio shows and listened to AM music stations during that time. I also played my parents’ and aunt’s 78 rpms and 45 rpms on that machine. My first 33 1/3 rpm album Live at the Peppermint Lounge with Joey Dee and the Starliters was played on that machine.
2. In 1960 when I was 10, in grade 5, I bought myself a small hand-held portable transistor radio which exposed me to top 40 music and I carried it everywhere with me up to 1966, grade 11. I would carry it with me as I delivered newspapers 12 months a year up to grade 9. I would also take it with me when going to friends’ houses. This showed me that music could go everywhere and be heard everywhere. All that was needed was money for a 9-volt battery.
3. In 1963 when I was in grade 9, my parents bought a nice Electrophone cabinet, again with radio and record player. But this one had an FM selector which introduced me to the Hootenany era and folk artists such as The Kingston Trio, The Brothers Four, and Peter, Paul and Mary. I first heard The Beatles in grade 9 and later the epic Doors’ “When the Music’s Over” on the same machine. At that point, my parents bought me a banjo which I never learned to play well. I followed that up with buying an introductory acoustic guitar and, in grade 10-11, I taught myself to play, eventually buying myself a Gibson acoustic which propelled me into live performances beginning in 1968, second-year university.
The Electrohome also had stereo which was a major revelation and expanded my notions about the possibilities of sound, its nuances and choices. I really enjoyed the stereo records my Dad bought through the Columbia record club. My intro to depth.
Music has been central to my life from the get-go and I still listen to a wide range of music (classical, jazz, and the old folk and rock) today. I became a performer by listening to it, singing, and playing along with recordings. I also spun records at school dances and, with more confidence, could easily have morphed into a dj about 1971-2.
I stopped performing live in 2003 though I did one gig outdoors for my daughter’s workplace in 2017. Over the years, I sang and played as a single, in duos and groups, and played live mostly plugged-in. I also wrote some 20 songs which were marketed to artists like Glen Campbell and others.