so i was a child of the midwest listening to motown(sibblings), jazz(mom...and at dad's house jazz & latin stuff was a musician) and classical stuff(me i wanted to do opera) then we moved west to berkeley, ca...during the mid 60's a great time to be there, i'd always liked that "weird" music (you have to remember this is a black household) and psychodelia was at it's height in the bay area. so i had my ears in a lot of different musical genre...i got introduced to a progressive sound i suppose thru a dance teacher (modern) this was gary macfarland jazz(america the beautiful). i really took to that sound as well as emerging artist of the time moody blues, very early pink(which played underground). but i wasn't much paying attention to any artist...my then stepfather called himself giving a gag prize of the beatles st. pepper 8-track to his girls at one point
he didn't think any of us would like it....one divorce and move back to the midwest later i'm back in chicago, missing CA like crazy, up late doing a mural on the attic wall and surfing the fm dial for musical inspiration....and low i hear greg lake, robert fripp & company playing "i talk to the wind" i was hypnotized the station then went off the air (1 or 2 am)...i looked for them the next day, only to find it played only in the evenings starting about 8, Triad radio with a dj named saul became my chief guru for the next few years. he played "freeform radio" especially and won me over the next week with Yes, ELP, Roxy Music (love ferry...and Eno took my breath away)
it was only then that i started to buy the music and pay attention to some of the individual artist...then i knew "oh i like this because that guy is on it , or producing it(todd rundgren)" etc etc. ...i still liked r&B&soul for dancing, but i bought mostly progressive stuff when i look at what i have...(some rock Chicago, Police, Allman brothers and I love Steely DAN) and i must agree with fellow moonbeam artboy on chris squire i wore out 2 lps and but still have the 3rd lp and bought a cd on fish out of water i so love that album (all that time i thought it was jon i loved, when it was really chris with the solo releases).
had a long period of time w/out music in the mid to late 80's, seattle proved to be a bit barren musically IMO. but with the internet i searched and have rekindled that which is prog in me...
poda..i think that explains me