In the late ’50s, I inherited a Grit newspaper route from one of my cousins, and for three days every week, I’d ride all over town on my bike, selling the papers. I earned 5¢ for every paper and I managed to earn enough to buy a transistor radio from the Western Auto Store on 5th Street in Monett, MO. It was right next to a bakery had the best cookies and cakes. I can still recall that smell.

Anyway, I’d listen to KRMO playing sappy ‘50s music on that transistor. Doris Day, “How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?” Pat Boone and Andy Williams and Brenda Lee and Perry Como. The Monett radio station wasn’t known for progressive music. Occasionally, though something would come on that was fun: “The Purple People Eater” or “Little Nash Rambler” or “Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.”

Some of my musical tastes were influenced by my mother, who was a fan of Big Band Music. I grew up listening to Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey and Woody Hermann and His Thundering Herd. That was reinforced by playing in the jazz band at school. I’m not sure how it started, but I also began playing Dixieland Jazz with some of my friends from concert band. We formed an ensemble call The Dixieland Group and made a name for ourselves playing for the American Legion, VFW, and summer church picnics, and once, we even traveled all the way to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, to play in the bandstand down there. Another time, we were hired by a candidate for some local office to play on the back of flat-bed truck as he campaigned around the county. That was memorable. I think he paid us $5 each. Big money in 1964.

I wasn’t paying too much attention to rock and roll until my senior year in high school and then I discovered the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Young Rascals, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and Gary Lewis and the Playboys. That’s when I started playing in a band, the Approximate Thots, and left Dixieland firmly behind.

Rock and roll from the late ‘60s is still my favorite. The Byrds, Hendrix, CSN (but not Y), Chad and Jeremy, The Buckinghams, The Animals; those are my go-tos when I want to listen to something from that period. Oh, and Jefferson Airplane, The Blues Project, and Dylan, of course. Steve Miller. Love. Spirit. The Electric Prunes. The Blues Magoos. Moby Grape.

In the early ‘60s, I started buying classical music albums. There was, incredibly, a bin of cheap vinyl records at one of the local supermarkets. I bought the 1812 Overture and Rhapsody in Blue and Ravel’s Bolero for 99¢. I’ve still got those albums. I discovered about that time that the library had some records which could be checked out and one of my favorites was a two-record set of George Gershwin’s music, recorded by Percy Faith and His Orchestra. Whenever I had a paper due for one of my classes, I’d put those on as I wrote. I remember writing a paper about George Orwell as I listened to George Gershwin.

During the ‘70s, I listened to Billy Joel and Steely Dan. Marc Jordan is still a favorite. James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt and Stephen Bishop. I passed on disco and Country/Western during that period. Still not a fan of C/W, though I do like “Texas Swing” and Bluegrass. There’s a local group called “Three Trails West” that I like a lot. You can find them on YouTube.

For the life of me, I don’t think I can name a single band or artist from the ‘80s, ‘90s, or ‘00s. Well, the Bangles. I was listening mostly to jazz during that time. Pat Metheny, Bob James, The Rippingtons, The Manhattan Transfer, Spyro Gyra, David Benoit. There was a terrific magazine called Jazziz that included a CD with each issue. It was a good way to get a survey of who was playing what then. It’s still being published and it comes with a physical CD eight times a year, but I haven’t subscribed for a while. Maybe I’ll give it a go again. I still play Big Band music on the turntable.

A few years ago, I was listening to the local classical station and they played “Short Ride in a Fast Car,” by John Adams. I got intrigued by minimalist music and since then, I’ve been listening to Steve Reich and Philip Glass and Terry Riley and La Monte Young. John Cage, of course. And Brian Eno and Arvo Pärt and Meredith Monk. I occasionally listen to something akin to minimalist music called “trance.” It’s good for writing to. In fact, I’m listening to a trance station right now.

Gilbert and Sullivan are favorites for vocal music and for something that doesn’t fall into any of the categories I’ve talked about exactly, listen to Appalachian Journey, recorded by Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O’Connor. Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. How about the Chieftains? Connie Dover. Scartaglen. Enya. Clannad. El Sueño de Morfeo.

Finally, if I had to pick one song that I could listen to over and over and never tire of, it would be Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin. Although the version by Tatiana Eva-Marie and the Avalon Jazz Band comes close. How about that?