My Music Culture

I kind of find it hard to define my music culture. Music today is not really linked to anything other than relationships and things of that nature. As far as I can remember, I have been surrounded by blues music. Such musicians as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Albert King have been in my life for quite a while. It first started with my dad, who has always been a fan of the blues, and we always listened to it when I was growing up. Then, my brother started playing guitar when he was in 5th grade, and all he would play was blues. Even now, as a musicians himself, my brother is in a blues trio band. Being around my brother and dad as much as I was, I couldn't help but becoming interested in blues music. My mom, on the other hand, has always been into jazz and classical. Even Jazz could be included in my music culture. Now, it is not always straight jazz, but that is definitely a large part of it. Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane were always being played at my house and in my moms car. These styles have really shapped my music taste today as well. Even though I listen to many other genres, like rock, fusion, and bluegrass, I still have many of these blues and jazz artists on my ipod and playlists. Also, other musicians from today that have blues or jazz influences I tend to be attracted to. John Mayer is one of those people. Everytime I listen to him, I hear the heavy influence of Stevie Ray Vaughn, and some Buddy Guy influence as well. I don't always like his lyrics or every one of his songs, but I like to listen to his guitar playing because it reminds me of the music I grew up listening to. Other Artists, such as Derek Trucks, have blues influences as well as funk and jazz. His music is a unique blend of artists ranging from Duane Allman and Elmore James, to Jimmy Herring and B.B. King. All in All, I feel like the heavy influence of Blues on my life has led me to enjoy other artists with similar styles. Even though Derek Trucks is much more of an original sound than John Mayer, the influences behind the music are like those that I believe make up my musical culture.