Growing Up With Country Music In The Eighties – Looking Back

I grew up in the 80s with parents who loved the music they heard on the radio... especially country.

My mother was my main source for music, exposing me to the sounds of Kenny Rogers, Foreigner, Alabama, Joe Cocker, Laura Nyro and Bob Marley. Her mix of tunes was a lot like mine now, eclectic. She was, and still is, a little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll and even a tiny bit hippie.

My father on the other hand was mostly a country music fan. Maybe it comes from growing up in a small coalmining town in West Virginia where bluegrass and country seemed a right fit. I can recall riding around in my dad's van when I was a kid and listening to either of the two eight track tapes I remember him having. I think I memorized every word to Juice Newton's 'Juice' and Linda Ronstadt's 'Greatest Hits'!

I then moved on to find my own love for country music in artists like Ronnie Milsap, Eddie Rabbitt, Willie Nelson, Randy Travis, Charlie Daniels Band, and Johnny Cash. I think the soundtrack to Urban Cowboy (still one of my favorite movies) had a large impact on my current love for country.

Here is a short list of some of my favorites, growing up a child of the eighties!