Reading some of the comments on here regarding music and especially what Countryboy said about music and I quote, “You really had to experience the arrival of the Beatles (and the other groups) to really appreciate their impact on the music scene, which had become very bland at the start of the '60’s. I saw the arrival of Rock 'n Roll in the '50’s and by the end of the decade it was dying”.
So was there one or more musical points in your life that made a big impact, say like Punks in the 70’s or the New Romantics in the 80’s, it could be a video or hearing a song for the first time, I’ll start the ball rolling.
I have two older sisters who loved The Beatles so I was subjected to them and that sort of music when I was quite young, but it was their covers of Rock ‘N’ Roll songs that had a big impression on me regarding upbeat guitar based music, then one of my sisters came home with Down the dust pipe by Quo and Let’s work together by Canned Heat and it was, wow what’s this. I then turned to more mundane stuff (Chicory Chip, sorry 
) until Inside Looking out by Grand Funk Railroad , again by one of my sisters, then Paper plane by Quo put me back on track and that led me to see them nine times live. There were other’s like hearing On the Boards by Taste and seeing Dr Feelgood on Whistle Test that have burned themselves into my memory and had the greatest impact on how my taste in music has formed and the joy I get remembering miming to those Beatles tunes with my sisters and their friends all those years ago.
Interesting thread you have started here…
I love strong guitar music and electronic music in particular (although I just like good tunes to be fair) - lyrics have always been second in a song to me.
My guitar love came from listening to Dire Straits - the fact that you can have a really long song, with loads of tune and such fantastic guitars (eg Telegraph road), got me off on that route, which leads you to so many other variations on a common theme.
As far as electronic music, when I was 12 I had 3 cassettes, one was Exit by Tangerine Dream - and that got me started on electronic music, which led to following many many other proponents of that particular art.
In the last couple of decades I have got into Pink Floyd, as there are many tracks that bring these two things together - Richard Wright on keyboards and Dave Gilmour/Roger Waters on Guitars are amazing and many tracks go on for ever - which is great - you get so immersed you do not want the music to stop!
I think that the music that influences most is that of which is around between being 12-18 years of age… One of my first memories is seeing Queen on TOTP doing Seven Seas of Rye when I was 12… T Rex, David Bowie, Slade, The Sweet, Suzy Quatro, Wizzard all made an impact too, as glam was in full flow when I began my teenage years.
I have recently been getting albums that were around before my first interest in music arrived, Beatles Sergeant Pepper , Abbey Road and The White Album (is a bit too much on this one!), Hawkwind In Search of Space, some Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Beach Boys (Pet Sounds). So me being born in '62 is enjoying music from mid-late 60’s into the 70’s…
Really impressed by this topic! Thanks for thinking of it
Music’s always been a huge part of my life- Mum was in amateur dramatics when she was younger, Dad was a drummer & a DJ- his dad, who I only first met when I was a teenager, was a concert organist. My Gran was a singer and could play piano a bit. So music was always in the house and I grew up on a mixture of The Carpenters, Buddy Holly, Phil Collins, Mike Oldfield, Glenn Miller, Queen, Deacon Blue, Scottish Folk, 90s Dance & assorted musicals!
But it wasn’t until I started listening to James Horner’s movie scores when I was about 11 or 12 that I learned what actually feeling music was like. Then everything changed.
I started learning to play (trombone, drums, piano & whistles) and throughout my teenage years played in a number of different orchestras/bands, started experimenting with different styles. Now, I really love almost all music (except rap). I’m a major metal head, but still love my classical music, Ella Fitzgerald, various movie composers, lots of 70s, 80s & 90s although I’ve got no idea what’s been in the charts the last few years- it all sounds samey & rubbish, tbh 
But yeah, all thanks to James Horner and I shed more than a tear or two when he tragically died a few years ago.
Side note- a few weeks ago, I actually got a sneaky shot on a Harpsichord that Mozart himself once played! I was in 7th heaven!!
Talking Mozart… I really like his Clarinet Concerto 
I started listening to classical music about 5 years ago - Some great music to be had, especially on Deutsche Grammophon
Oh, I bet that was something special! 
If you like gramophones, I’ve got a 1925 HMV portable. Have a decent wee collection of 78s as well. No Mozart, I’m afraid, but a few Chopin (my favourite, to be fair). The oldest one I’ve got is a Marie Lloyd one, dated 1898 
I still go back to early 60’s to the 70’s stuff. Even less interested now are the prolonged tracks, rock tracks. No the early stuff was done some in 3 mins and under, can’t be doing with something that goes on and on. Can liken it to as mentioned in another thread, Meatloaf or maybe Dire Straits tracks, some last 5, 6, 7 mins long.
The very early Quo, Beatles, Hollies, Manfred Mann, the Mersey sound and too many to mention from that era I still play. Missus says get up to date, well I try but just can’t, not much interests apart from Gerry Rafferty, Van Morrison and a little AC/DC and Metallic from time to time but that’s my son’s fault.
I just love most kinds of music (not rap or related). The earliest stuff I remember was the songs/music I heard on the “wireless” and what Mum sang, and that developed into my love of “Swing”, Goodman, Shaw, Dorsey, Basie and the Great Glenn Miller, especially the USAAF Orchestra recordings. Then just after I’d started senior school Rock 'n Roll arrived - “Rock around the Clock”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Singing the Blues”, “Why do Fools fall in Love” are the ones that come immediately to mind. Then came the rush of “Greats”, too many to name all, but a few - Presley, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Crickets etc., etc, and all the vocals groups, another enduring love of mine (now called “Doo-Wop”, it wasn’t at the time!) Coasters, Drifters, Penguins, Spaniels, Flamingos, etc., etc… Then after the decline came the “British” group explosion with the Beatles et al. My love of classical music goes back to the “Swing” period, most of the bands adapted music by composers like Bach, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Mozart into their repertoire, so I grew to love orchestral music, and this was reinforced in the late '60’s by non other than Keith Emerson (The Nice) so today my classic collection goes from Albinoni to Zipoli with a couple of definite “no, no’s”, Mahler and Wagner who to me are the classical equivalent of the “Prog Rock” groups that I’ve said I can’t stand. But that’s enough from me.
There was me thinking you were going to give us some of the country greats 
I’m very impressed with all those instruments you play. I played the side drum in the Boys Brigade band but that’s about it, my wife the Obergruppenfuhrer played classical guitar up to grade three and then took up blues, me on the other hand tried to learn but I couldn’t put the effort in, so hats off to anyone who learns to play an instrument. 
You have a wide variety of musical tastes there as well, where mine I will admit is quite limited but I just love the sound of a guitar. If it ain’t got a guitar it ain’t Rock ‘N’ Roll. 
A NAD 3020A and a Linn turntable in the eighties switched me on to how to appreciate music
Haha, I love a good guitar riff as much as the next (in)sane person 
Stairway to Heaven springs to mind!
Aye, music’s one of these things you need to stick with to reap the rewards. Not gonna lie, I struggled with my motivation at times, especially when I was younger, and I could’ve taken it way further than I did if I’d put the work in. These days, it’s a hobby when the mood takes me, but like anything, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
Never too late to learn, though! subtle hint hint 
How about The Carter Family, Bob Wills, Don Gibson etc., and the GREAT Hank Williams! I can add Blues, Cajun, Kwela, Mariachi, Paraguayan, HebCelt etc, if you like as they’re all “Country” music of one sort or another! It’s all great stuff though isn’t it as you well know by your experiences and choice 
!
You missed out Glen Campbell
As we are due to retire in a 101 days 4 hours and 32 minutes, the Obergruppenfuhrer has suggested we take the guitar up again as we still have our acoustic’s and she has her Fender Stratocaster and amp, we have a large garage so we can practise in there and not annoy the next door, we could start a garage band. Watch this space. 
Do we get advanced notification on the first single??
Blast! 
Do Gordon Lightfoot and Tim Buckley count? Or are the folk? 
I have some of the ladies too, but we won’t go into that! 
Is your good lady a Rory Gallagher or Joe Bonamassa fan by any chance? 
Haha, in a slightly more up-to-date addition, I went to see Lady Antebellum a few years ago, that was a phenomenal night! Also a Dolly fan, Dierks Bentley and the music from the TV show Nashville was first class- some great singers on that
You MIGHT just like the “Trio” albums, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, three great artists together!