A Baby Boomer's Life Through Music

I would go to bed hearing my Dad's music playing, still jazz but also Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand. Sinatra and Streisand are indelibly marked inside of me. As I grew older, Beatlemania hit and I loved Paul, as did most of the girls my age. My cousin, Patrick, who was a teenager, introduced me to the Supremes, the Righteous Brothers, and the Dave Clark Five.

The 80's were like a blur to me. I was married in 1982 and had babies in 1986, 1988, and 1991. In the early 1980's I loved listening to Jane Oliver and my husband and I danced to her song "You" at our wedding. My husband introduced me to singer/songwriter Chris de Burgh, and he is still one of our favorites. During the late 80's, our home and car were filled with children's music.

Not much from this decade really stands out to me. I remember MIchael Jackson was huge, and also Madonna and Whitney Houston. Rap was starting to take off. I think as we get older we often retreat to the music of our growing up years. One singer that did have a big impact on me was Sarah McLachlan, who now seems to be semi-retired. I miss her!

Now that my kids are older, I am influenced by what they listen to and I also make some discoveries on my own. Lately I love listening to Michael Buble, John Legend and Beyonce. I am crazy about Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and am still listening to Santana after all these years. This decade I went to see in concert Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, the Eagles and Bruce Springsteen, all of whom are still rockin' strong.



I'm also a big American Idol fan, a show that has dominated this decade.