Sara & John's Music PageI enjoy many different types of music, since my tastes have changed a lot throughout the years. When I was in elementary school, I loved the Bee Gees. In junior high, I loved Rick Springfield and the Fixx. In high school, I was a metal-head. In college, I was introduced to the great sounds of classic rock, bands like Pink Floyd and The Eagles. While working at Borders, I learned so much more about music. Due to the generous employee discount, I was free to indulge my expanding tastes.
John is quite the bluesman. He took group guitar classes for years, and plays blues guitar, as well as some classic rock. He plays pretty well - I often look over to him as he practices to say, "Hey, I recognize that song!"
On that note [ha!], John played a "flamenco" song on the stereo and asked if I could tell who it was - I listened for a minute and said - YNGWIE! I was right! Did you know that metal-man Yngwie Malmsteen was heavily influenced by flamenco and classical music?
In the past few years, John took beginning and Blues guitar classes from Dave Payne (currently in 2 bands: The Dog Party Band and Smokin' Mirrors) and Flamenco guitar classes from Lalo de Pilar, through Leisure Learning Unlimited. He's not currently taking any classes. . .
We have quite a large collection of music now, ranging from rock, to country, to Celtic, to blues. I'm still waiting for John to give me a list of his favorite Blues artists/albums. . .
Below are links to the sites of some of my favorite types of music:
- Acid Jazz
- Bluegrass
- Blues
- Celtic
- Christmas
- Country & Western
- Italian Pop / Opera
- Latin / Spanish
- Metal
- Pop
Acid Jazz
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Jazz: Acid Jazz - links to the Acid Jazz genre.
Jamiroquai - I love this band - their music is a mix of funk, disco and jazz, and Jay Kay sounds a lot like Stevie Wonder.
Jamiroquai/Jay Kay's Official Web site
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Bluegrass
We both absolutely loved the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" It really turned us on to bluegrass and old-style folk music.
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Country: Bluegrass - links to the Bluegrass genre.
Alison Krauss & Union Station - great singer/great band; the song "Whiskey Lullaby" that she sings with Brad Paisley just gives me the chills every time I hear it
Alison Krauss & Union Station - the official website - tour info, discography. . .
The Cox Family - father, daughters, son - beautiful harmonies - from Louisiana
No official site, bits and pieces of info here and there - one site I found:
Louisiana Folklife Program: Resources: Louisiana's Legendary Musicians
Several country artists have recorded bluegrass albums. My current favorite is Patty Loveless' "Bluegrass & White Snow: a Mountain Christmas".
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Blues
John has a ton of blues cds, a lot of which are by very obscure people I'd never before heard of. Since he still hasn't given me a list of his faves, I'll pick out some artists I do know and like. . .
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Blues - tons of links to the Blues genre.
Chris Duarte Group - very bluesy guitar group
Chris Duarte Group's Fan Club Website - photos, tour info, interviews. . .
Indigenous - Native American blues-rock - 4 members of the Nakota Nation of South South Dakota
Indigenous Rocks - tour info, biographies, etc.
B. B. King - the undisputed king of the blues. B. B. is over 75 years old and he still plays about 300 concerts a year!
B. B. King - the official website
Jonny Lang - young blues master, great guitarist!
Jonny Lang - the official website - tour info, photos, sound clips, etc.
Stevie Ray Vaughan - absolutely the BEST Texas blues-rocker that ever lived! Stevie Ray died in a freak accident in 1990. He is beloved by so many fans and is still a best-selling artist.
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - the official website
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Celtic
Celtic music calls to my Scottish blood! I really enjoy traditional Celtic music, like harp and bagpipes. Modern Celtic music can be really enjoyable as well - it just depends on who is playing.
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Folk and Traditional: Celtic - tons of links to the Celtic genre.
Ceolas.org - "the home of celtic music on the internet since 1994"
The Chieftains - one of the best known Celtic bands, they've been around for over 30 years! My favorite three albums, all collaborative:
- "The Long Black Veil" (1995) - mostly traditional songs featuring the vocals of Sting, Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Ry Cooder, Marianne Faithfull, and the fabulous Tom Jones.
- "Santiago" (1996) - Galician (Spanish) Celtic songs featuring the piping of Carlos Nunez; one song, "Guadalupe", features the vocals of Linda Ronstadt and Los Lobos.
- "Tears of Stone" (1999) - mostly Irish love songs featuring the vocals of Brenda Fricker with Anuna, Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, the Rankins, the Corrs, Sinead O'Connor, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Loreena McKennitt, Akiko Yano, Joan Osborne, Sissel, Eileen Ivers, Natalie MacMaster, Maire Breatnach, Annbjorg Lien, and Diana Krall.
RCA - The Chieftains - label web site - discography, biography, samples. . .
Loreena McKennitt - a fantastic harpist/vocalist! My two favorite of her albums are:
- "The Visit" (1991) - hauntingly beautiful songs, especially: "Greensleeves", "The Lady of Shalott" (Tennyson poem), and "Bonny Portmore" (used in the movie "Highlander III" and in several episodes of the "Highlander" television series).
- "The Mask and the Mirror" (1994) - mixes Celtic, Spanish and Moroccan influences; one song is "Prospero's Speech" (Shakespeare).
The Official Website of Loreena McKennitt and her label Quinlan Road - features her biography, a discography, and the lyrics to the songs.
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Christmas
Although I'm not a very religious person, not even what you could call a "holiday Christian", I absolutely love Christmas music, especially religious carols. I have a good collection, over 40 CDs, of Christmas music.
My collection is eclectic, including CDs from Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Jimmy Buffett, Tony Bennett, James Galway and Chicago. I also have compilations like "New Wave Christmas" [one song is from the Pretenders], "Celtic Christmas" [as many as I can find], "Merry Axemas" [3 now I think - got these for John, the axeman], and "Very Special Christmas" [5 or 6 now - my favorite song on 1 of them is from Extreme].
Yahoo! Society and Culture: Holidays and Observances: Christmas: Carols and Songs - links to Christmas Carol lyric pages.
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Country & Western
I'm not a *huge* country fan - I hate the "dog died, truck broke down, girlfriend ran off" stuff - but I do enjoy a few artists.
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Country - tons of links to the Country & Western genre.
Billy Ray Cyrus - I know, some of you guys are saying - "Not that Achy-Breaky Heart Guy (groan)!" Yes, that guy. That overplayed song was only 1 of 9 on the his 1st album (1992) - the other songs are better! Since then, Billy Ray has released several albums. "The Other Side" is a fantastic collection of gospel songs.
Billy Ray Cyrus - The Spirit - official fan club web site
George Strait - my all-time country favorite - the undisputed King of Texas Swing. He just celebrated his 50th #1 hit.
George Strait Online - the official web site.
I like a lot of other artists as well including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack. . .
My "little" brother and I went to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in March 2002 and saw Lee Ann Womack and Willie Nelson - very enjoyable. Unfortunately, George Strait's concert [hyped as the "last rodeo concert to ever be performed in the Astrodome"] had been sold out since August 2001 - and I was not about to pay $200 or more to some scalper to see George!
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Italian Pop / Opera
Italian music. . . I can barely understand every third word, and that only because of my small knowledge of Spanish (very similar language), but the language just flows so beautifully that it lifts my spirits and makes me try to sing along.
Tiziano Ferro - smooth R & B influenced singer, some songs are dance pop, others are bluesy, all are fantastic! I saw him on the MTV European Music Awards broadcast from Rome in November 2004 and was just awed by him. His two albums have been released in Italian (expensive imports) and Spanish (cheaper, but I can understand more of the lyrics).
Tiziano Ferro - the official web site.
Andrea Bocelli - what a beautiful voice this man has! He is a tenor, most of his songs are from operas, but he has a few that are more pop. He sings in Italian and English.
Andrea Bocelli - the official web site.
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Latin / Spanish
Latin and Spanish music is just as varied as English language music. I enjoy a little salsa, a little merengue, a little Tejano, a little flamenco . . .
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Folk and Traditional: Flamenco - links to flamenco sites.
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Latin: Merengue - links to merengue sites.
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Latin: Salsa - links to salsa sites.
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Latin: Tejano - links to Tejano sites.
Enrique Iglesias - high-energy, smooth Spanish pop.
Enrique - biography, photos, lyrics.
Gipsy Kings - Spanish/French Flamenco/Rumba Gypsy music. I have seen this group in concert. They are just as fabulous live as they are recorded!
The Gipsy Kings Fan Network - fan site sanctioned by the band; you have to register to enter, but you have the opportunity to enter contests, etc.
GipsyKings.Net - "An Internet Community of Fans" - features include a Gipsy Kings FAQ.
Ottmar Liebert y la Luna Negra - great flamenco guitarist and his band.
Ottmar Liebert + Luna Negra - the official web site.
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Metal
I'm still into 80's metal - I not really familiar with the 90's stuff.
Yahoo! Entertainment: Music: Genres: Rock and Pop: Metal - links to metal sites.
Def Leppard - my favorite all-time metal band.
Def Leppard Official Store - concert t-shirts, cds, tapes, videos, etc.
Yngwie Malmsteen - big hair, Swedish, guitar virtuoso.
Yngwie Malmsteen Official Website & Fan Club - interviews, photos, discography. . .
TNT - Norwegian metal - great guitars and incredible vocal harmony.
Fan page for Ronnie Le Tekro & Morty Skaget - includes TNT biography, discography, latest news.
Joe Lynn Turner - great vocalist, sang in Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's band, and Deep Purple, and has done a ton of solo stuff. If you've heard Rainbow's "Stone Cold", "Street of Dreams", or "I Surrender", that's Joe Lynn singing.
Joe Lynn Turner Official Homepage
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Pop
Ambrosia - 70's ballad band, best known for the songs "Biggest Part of Me", "Holdin' On To Yesterday", and "How Much I Feel." I remembered this band from my childhood. They released an anthology while I was pregnant, which I listened to all the time, and truly enjoyed during my labor!
Ambrosia Web - an authorized, unofficial web site
The International David Pack Site - the former singer for Ambrosia, he has since gone solo and also produces a lot of other groups.
Bee Gees - fantastic harmony of Barry, Maurice, and Robin. One of my all-time favorite bands. [Rest in peace, Mo, you'll be missed tremendously by all your fans.]
The Bee Gees performed on A & E (Arts & Entertainment Channel) in April 2001. The program was titled "This Is Where I Came In - Live By Request." I had the opportunity to send them a message at the A & E site AND my message was used on the show!!! If you have the tape/DVD, look for my message just before the performance of "I Started A Joke".
The Official Bee Gees Web Site - information about tours, merchandise, biographies...
Gibb Service International - tons of information and links to other sites
Andy Gibb - younger brother to the Bee Gees, great singer, tragic death.
The Official Andy Gibb Home Page - links to his albums, song lyrics, fan pictures, etc.
[this URL has not worked for at least 2 years, but Internic lists the domain as registered until 2009, so maybe it will be up again someday?]
Journey - essential 80's pop/rock! The new singer, Steve Augeri, sounds so much like Steve Perry that it was hard to believe they weren't one and the same!
The Official Journey Web Site - news, fan club and chat room information, and merchandise.
Steve Perry - once in Journey, now solo - hasn't implemented his own site yet
All Things Steve Perry - good site for links to other sites.
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