What's that song/band that got you into playing your instrument of choice?

A lot of influences from a songwriting place Beatles, Dylan, Pink Floyd, Hendrix but what made me chase the Hammond was this dude and this song...no one...no one in the world can rock a hammond like this knuckle head too bad he can't sing ;) just him and his drummer Frosty ( Who is a bad ass in his own right.

 
I can remember being about 5 or 6 years old, laying on my parents family room floor watching He-Haw on TV and being amazed by both Roy Clarke and Buck Owens. I distinctly remember turning to my father saying "I want to play guitar like those guys". We didn't even like country music. Hell, outside of my parents listening to 40's and 50's music, classical or Greek music (I'm Greek) we never really heard much. Alas, I was too young and my fingers too small at that age to continue with lessons. Picked it up again in high school and with minor exception (well, one major exception) haven't given it up.

Couldn't tell you what song it was, though.
 
Was 11 in 1963 when we all gathered around a terrible black and white TV in the living room to watch the Beatles. Holy Crap!! My dad was a drummer and he liked what he saw. I was totally taken by the whole scene. My dad got me a really cheap acoustic from EJ Corvette's in downtown Hartford Ct. The action was about an inch high it seems. As with so many of us........I learned 3 or 4 chords and was on my way!!! Well...........sort of. Actually..........still on my way.
 
kcearl said:
i hate pink floyd, my music teacher at school used to play that album to us, I dont think I could ever equate it with anything but school :(

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Hendrix was big for me too...electric ladyland, what an album cover to a 12 year old :)
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You mean the version with all the naked chicks? FAP FAP FAP!

When I was 11, my older brother was in the army. He'd left a lot of his albums behind in our basement, and I pinched 'Meet The Beatles,' 'Revolver,' and 'Are You Experienced?' Pretty good beginning for an 11 year old. I was playing the organ at that point, didn't pick up the guitar until I was 14.

I still remember someone showing me how to play 'Purple Haze' in a park on an acoustic when I was 17. I was so proud I could play it. Even now, I discover I played something by Hendrix incorrectly, and it feels good to know I've finally gotten it right (thanks Youtube!).
 
So many youngsters here! :rolleyes: I was 7 when the Beatles took to the Ed Sullivan stage. My parents and grandparents were horrified. I thought to my young self 'that's what I want to do!' It would be 8 more years, though, before i got my first guitar, courtesy of my grandfather's birthday gift cash.
 
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Van Cliburn. Then ELP-- Keith Emerson was the bomb. Yes--Thought Wakeman was a genius. Liked Greg Giuffria (Angel) also. Started playing bass and got into Rush, early Judas Priest, Queensryche, Fates Warning, even Dream Theater. Other pop influences (like Who--loved John's wide open playing, Edgar Winter...) lots of stuff, but no real one "point at it" moment.
 
mjbphotos said:
So many youngsters here! :rolleyes: I was 7 when the Beatles took to the Ed SUllivan stage. My parents and grandparents were horrified. I thought to my young self 'that's what I want to do!' It would be 8 more years, htough, before i got my first guitar, courtesy of my grandfather's birthday gift cash.
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Given that my parents thought that everything went downhill after the Beatles hit (my brother immediately got a guitar, amp, band, girls, trouble at school, trouble at home, yada, yada, yada) they actively tried to discourage me from picking up the guitar. It was VERBOTEN! When I was 14, I bought my first guitar with money made from a paper route. Started off with a chord chart in circle of 5ths with relative minors neatly arranged within each key. My experience on the organ allowed me to get going, in some ways, fairly quickly. I figured out chord inversions the first couple of months of playing. I also learned early not to rely on song books. I remember the song book for the Stones' 'Hot Rocks' had a 'Vb' in 'Gimme Shelter. So, after learning the basic chords, I'd play along with the Beatles albums and then the Stones, and then Hendrix, and so on.
 
TAE said:
A lot of influences from a songwriting place Beatles, Dylan, Pink Floyd, Hendrix but what made me chase the Hammond was this dude and this song...no one...no one in the world can rock a hammond like this knuckle head too bad he can't sing ;) just him and his drummer Frosty ( Who is a bad ass in his own right.

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Loved his hit. Even though it didn't show any virtuosity, it was just a kickass tune.

And I have to disagree on who rocked a Hammond. Besides Emerson, Wakeman, Preston, and Winwood, THE rocker of the Hammond was Jon Lord.
 
BroKen_H said:
Van Cliburn. Then ELP-- Keith Emerson was the bomb. Yes--Thought Wakeman was a genius. Liked Greg Giuffria (Angel) also. Started playing bass and got into Rush, early Judas Priest, Queensryche, Fates Warning, even Dream Theater. Other pop influences (like Who--loved John's wide open playing, Edgar Winter...) lots of stuff, but no real one "point at it" moment.
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I thought I was almost the only person who'd ever even heard of Angel, let alone liked them! There was a local station that would play them at night, and anytime I was ever in the car and The Tower came on, the radio immediately had to go to full blast.
 
mjbphotos said:
So many youngsters here! :rolleyes: I was 7 when the Beatles took to the Ed SUllivan stage. My parents and grandparents were horrified. I thought to my young self 'that's what I want to do!' It would be 8 more years, htough, before i got my first guitar, courtesy of my grandfather's birthday gift cash.
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Separated at birth. And by an ocean.
 
notCardio said:
Loved his hit. Even though it didn't show any virtuosity, it was just a kickass tune.

And I have to disagree on who rocked a Hammond. Besides Emerson, Wakeman, Preston, and Winwood, THE rocker of the Hammond was Jon Lord.
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Yeah you're right Jon probably out rocks Lee overall... But Lee was my first Hammond inspiration ...I fell in love with the hammond screaming leslie sound and the rest was misery...The others are all amazing in their own right and all influences on me. Luck enough to meet Billy , Jon and Rick over the years....

Billy was a cool cat....
 
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Forgot about Jon. Deep Purple was always there. I never really liked Smoke, but other than that, most of their stuff (especially Come Taste the Band and Stormbringer) were staples of my listening library...
 
I love Deep Purple. Been listening to them since I can remember. He is probably the single most important reason I love the Hammond organ.
 
Farview said:
I found it. It is pretty embarrassing, but as an 11 year old in the 70's, this was huge and exciting stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvIqaCDOFCg
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Ha ha, I forgot about that one. Even though I was in a band that played Kiss at the time, I thought that was so cheesy it was signalling the beginning of the end of them as rockers. Also wondered why they chose that song. You'd think by now they of all people would have come up with a halloween-themed song.
 
BroKen_H said:
Forgot about Jon. Deep Purple was always there. I never really liked Smoke, but other than that, most of their stuff (especially Come Taste the Band and Stormbringer) were staples of my listening library...
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I was in a band that did some stuff off of Come Taste the Band. I sang one that had a great performance by Lord, Might Just Take Your Life. Simple, yet effective to-the-point rock and roll, like AC/DC.

I was awesome, btw, just in case you were wondering. :D

Kinda sound like Greg now, don't I? :laughings:
 
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