domainator2010 said:

MickyDolenz said:

When you were a teen, did you spend all of your time staring at a phone, laptop, or tablet? Music is more solitary now than decades ago. Back then more people had stereos or boomboxes where music was kind of shared. More people listened to the radio too and so they all heard the same songs/artists. Now most people listen to music with earbuds or Beats headphones. They choose what they want to hear rather than what a radio DJ plays. They don't have to wait for a particular song to be played. The average person today does not even own a stereo or buy CDs, records, or tapes. Stereo stores such as Radio Shack are rare to be found in many cities. They don't even put CD players as a default in new cars anymore. There was also less competition for entertainment than there is today.

As far as the previous generation of artists, Nelly's, P!nk's & Eminem's debut albums came out over 20 years ago. Destiny's Child first album came out in 1997. Rihanna's 1st came out in 2005. Usher in 1994. James Brown is like today's audience great-grandparents era music. Chris Brown is more the previous generation music, although he's still popular.

I thought parents would have talked about James Brown, Prince, The Beatles etc. as basic general education.

[Edited 3/16/21 21:06pm]

Margot said:

I thought parents would have talked about James Brown, Prince, The Beatles etc. as basic general education.

My mom didn't listen to The Beatles or Prince. So she wouldn't have brought them up. Prince is not even from her generation of music and she didn't listen to rock or Top 40 pop music, so no Beatles. Maybe she listened to Chubby Checker/Fats Domino style oldies rock n roll, but not post Beatles rock. My male cousins & guys in the neighborhood were generally into sports, not music really other than listening to it on the radio. So sports is what they talked about more, basketball & football (NFL not soccer) in particular. I was never really interested in sports. I used to watch wrestling sometimes though or Battle Of The Network Stars.

I don't think a lot of people are even into music like that. Many people I was around would just listen to the radio. They didn't buy records or tapes or care about reading about the performers. As far as parents talking about James, Beatles, or Prince. Wouldn't that depend on the generation? There's probably 2 generations that haven't lived in a world where hip hop has not existed. The first official rap records came out in 1979, 42 years ago. The hip hop generation are not as likely to care about The Beatles or Prince. A lot of 1980s rap songs did sample James Brown music, Funky Drummer especially. The hip hop parents might talk about Run-DMC or Tupac. Maybe they'll also talk about the big boomin' speaker systems in their cars that made the 808 beats rattle the car. Like that Beastie Boys cassette with Paul Revere on it.

MickyDolenz said:

Margot said:

I thought parents would have talked about James Brown, Prince, The Beatles etc. as basic general education.

My mom didn't listen to The Beatles or Prince. So she wouldn't have brought them up. Prince is not even from her generation of music and she didn't listen to rock or Top 40 pop music, so no Beatles. Maybe she listened to Chubby Checker/Fats Domino style oldies rock n roll, but not post Beatles rock. My male cousins & guys in the neighborhood were generally into sports, not music really other than listening to it on the radio. So sports is what they talked about more, basketball & football (NFL not soccer) in particular. I was never really interested in sports. I used to watch wrestling sometimes though or Battle Of The Network Stars.

I don't think a lot of people are even into music like that. Many people I was around would just listen to the radio. They didn't buy records or tapes or care about reading about the performers. As far as parents talking about James, Beatles, or Prince. Wouldn't that depend on the generation? There's probably 2 generations that haven't lived in a world where hip hop has not existed. The first official rap records came out in 1979, 42 years ago. The hip hop generation are not as likely to care about The Beatles or Prince. A lot of 1980s rap songs did sample James Brown music, Funky Drummer especially. The hip hop parents might talk about Run-DMC or Tupac. Maybe they'll also talk about the big boomin' speaker systems in their cars that made the 808 beats rattle the car. Like that Beastie Boys cassette with Paul Revere on it.

My daughter is in her mid-twenties and knows who Prince and the Beatles are. Not sure about James Brown. (I'll have to ask)

She grew up in Berkeley, though, where kids are exposed to quite a bit.

Margot said:

My daughter is in her mid-twenties and knows who Prince and the Beatles are. Not sure about James Brown. (I'll have to ask)

She grew up in Berkeley, though, where kids are exposed to quite a bit.

Knowing who someone is and actually hearing their music are 2 different things. I know who Mozart is, but wouldn't know his music if I heard it. I don't know one classical guy's music from another. Because I didn't know anybody who listened to classical music. Actually I first heard of him because of Rock Me Amedeus by Falco. Never heard of Mozart before that. I didn't hear classical on TV on the shows I watched like Solid Gold, Hee Haw, & Soul Train. In elementary school during music class they played stuff like the Mary Poppins soundtrack or children's songs like London Bridge Is Falling Down. The bands in middle & high school generally played whatever hits were popular at the time, well R&B & rap hits since all the the schools I went to were 98% black until 11th grade, when my folks moved to a more white neighborhood.

You also have to look at the background and/or culture people grow up in. People who only listen to country music (or heartland rock like Bob Seger) are unlikely to talk about The Beatles or Prince, even if they have heard of them. Afrocentric people are less likely to listen to The Beatles. I also have older relatives that did not listen to secular music at all and didn't want it played in their house. They called it "the blues", no matter what it was, or "the devil's music". Some would cut off everything like TV or radios or the stove when it was raining or a thunderstorm. They would say you're not supposed to be doing anything white the Lord is doing his work. Couldn't play with toys either, just had to sit down or go to bed. I knew people who did not like anything that was popular and only likes singers/bands who sold 200 copies of their album. If the act happened to get mainstream success, they would stop listening to them and said they sold out. I also know some people who think anything not heavy metal is not "real music".

MickyDolenz said:

You also have to look at the background and/or culture people grow up in. People who only listen to country music (or heartland rock like Bob Seger) are unlikely to talk about The Beatles or Prince, even if they have heard of them. Afrocentric people are less likely to listen to The Beatles. I also have older relatives that did not listen to secular music at all and didn't want it played in their house. They called it "the blues", no matter what it was, or "the devil's music". Some would cut off everything like TV or radios or the stove when it was raining or a thunderstorm. They would say you're not supposed to be doing anything white the Lord is doing his work. Couldn't play with toys either, just had to sit down or go to bed. I knew people who did not like anything that was popular and only likes singers/bands who sold 200 copies of their album. If the act happened to get mainstream success, they would stop listening to them and said they sold out. I also know some people who think anything not heavy metal is not "real music".

All I was addressing was their never having heard OF Prince, Beatles et al...not in depth knowledge

That's enough preaching.

Good day.