When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, my parents and the grownups I knew HATED the pop/rock music of the time. They mostly listened to “easy listening” (aka “elevator music”), crooners like Sinatra and classical. Did your parents or other adults in your life like or hate the music you liked?
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I was also a kid in the 70s/80s. My folks mostly listened to rock music from the 50s-70s, but kept listening to 80s music. (Steely Dan, Steve Miller, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Seger, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, etc. etc.) I did not love 80s music at the time, especially pop; I still don’t like pop music. My mom hated Madonna but loved Michael Jackson; she’s picky about music. My dad had broader tastes then and later introduced me to Frank Zappa. Now he just goes along with mom; they mostly watch tv and listen to talk radio (sigh).
Mom’s parents would listen to rock in the car. Dad’s mom listened to the 1940s channel we had in town back then. It has the same call letters now, has not changed hands, and plays 80s music. Sigh.
Larwrence Welk. Always at dinner time! OMG, chew your food fast and get out the house.
My single Mom just ignored my music – she was far, far too busy earning a living for us!
My parents ROCKED! They listened to the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Jim Croce, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, and Elton John.
Music was a huge part of my childhood!
My parents had a real mix of stuff they liked, they literally owned 1000 vinyl’s; anything from musicals, to Motown, rock, folk, some pop stuff (like Annie Lennox, Kate Bush) – I’m very much the same, will give anything a listen once
My parents, both born in 1920 absolutely loved the new music of the ‘50s & ‘60s.
Old Grandpa did too, he wore out his Beatles and Beach Boys albums. He’d dress up, pull on his western boots and sing Nancy Sinatra, “These boots are made walking, that’s just what they do, one of these days boots are going to walk all over you!”
My parents were pretty cool actually. Dad had a nice stereo and bought a lot of music and he played it all the time which influenced my tastes. He was into mostly rock music- British bands like the stones, the who, the Beatles, southern rock like Allman Bros, songer-songwriter, country and folk rock like the Byrds, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan. Plus a little more Acid Rock and prog like Steppenwolf, Jimi Hendrix, Golden Earring and Focus. And they listened to the radio a lot which in the 70s could actually expand your horizons rather than paint you into a little corner like today’s radio.
I remember an album at home by Frankie Layne or something and one by the Kingston Trio. Particularly the MTA song. Used to crack me up. Also the JFK spoof album. My grandparents loved singing along to Mitch Miller and singing on road trips. Even short ones. I remember singing Oh Susanna in the back seat at the top of my lungs
Tamla motown, northern soul, rock, pop.
My dad listened to Lawrence welk and Floyd Cramer.
Born 1962 in Australia. All the adult parties (I.e. families getting together) it was always Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night or Simon and Garfunkel.
Motown, the Traveling Wilburys,
My parents stopped listening to rock when the British invaded. They liked early rock, Chubby Checker, Elvis, Everly Brothers but they still always listened to country. After The Beatles were introduced the listened to country full time.
Classical, folk, opera, big band, jazz, show tunes—I credit my parents for my lifelong appreciation for all kinds of music. The only thing they weren’t into was rock, which I always found surprising since they were still quite young in the 50s when I was born and rock was becoming a thing. They never quite got my love for it.
Mostly country. George Strait, Tammy Wynette, Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty. That kind of stuff. They hated it when I discovered rock and roll, lol.
My father was into Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Kingston Trio, Glen Campbell . Mother liked Vicki Carr and Shirley Bassey. My aunt got me into music though. She loved Elvis, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and the Beatles
Rock, country, bluegrass and gospel.
Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass
Classical music, opera, Frank Sinatra, Perry como
I grew up in the 60s-70s. My mom introduced us to the Beatles, Cream, Iron Butterfly, and other bands of the era. She also loved opera, Frank Sinatra and classical music. In addition, she brought Monty Python into my life, for which I am eternally grateful. My dad would listen to almost anything.
3 albums I remember my mom playing were by Three Dog Night, Ike and Tina Turner, and Johnny Cash.
I grew up in the 50s and 60s. My parents only listened to classical music. So did I in general as I also got a music education. But they didnt mind too much when I started to listen to late 60s rock.
My parents listened to lots of jazz. From ragtime to big band to bebop, they were very musically curious. They also listened to some classical music and show tunes. I’d say there was music playing at least two hours a day. I feel very lucky to have been raised on such amazing music.
My situation might be a little different. My dad was a huge opera buff, so that’s really the only music my parents ever listened to.
Classical
My dad loved Shirley Bassey and Jerry Vale.
I just saw the musical Jersey Boys and realized that was the entire soundtrack of my childhood. I had no idea all of those songs were Franki Valli, the music spanned different genres and decades so I never realized it was all the same person. So my family was heavy into Franki Valli and the Four Seasons.
George Jones , Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, the Statler Brothers, Don Williams
I was a kid in the 1950s and 60s. My parents were from the mid-West and loved country music.
My parents were never cool. 1980s: Acker Bilk, Foster & Allen, Nana Mouskouri, Perry Como …
My dad liked jazz. Stan Kenton (A Merry Christmas is hands down the best Christmas album ever), Dave Brubeck and maybe some early Hugh Masekela. My mom was more into classic vocalists like Dion Warwick, Lena Horne and harmonizing groups. But there were three of us kids spaced ten years apart, so deafening silence while they read their favorite book was a favorite also.
My mother loved opera, particularly Carmen. She used to play that while making dinner and sing along. My dad had zero interest in that. In hindsight he should have indulged her and taken her to the opera a few times, it would have made her insanely happy.