It was 1982. I was seven. We were living in a small rental home on the outskirts of North Little Rock, Arkansas. Up until this point, my experience with music, in general, was Chop Sticks (I had just started taking piano), Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, and Michael W. Smith. As the kids say... IYKYK. For those unfamiliar, I'll spare you.
But one day, my dad came home with a 45 of Tony Basil's Mickey single. This wasn't a regular occurrence as I don't recall any "secular" music entering the home (via my parents at least) at any other point throughout childhood. Regardless, I had a small record player in my room and the only thing I remember playing on this player was Mickey over and over and over again. This is one of my earliest memories.
That same year, Michael Jackson releases Thriller. And as much as I can recall, I wasn't even aware of the album until one day... I'm at a friend's house and their parents were watching a tribute show on television called Motown 25. When I sat down to watch, I didn't realize I was about to watch one of the most iconic moments in music television... Michael Jackson performing Billy Jean. Not only was this the first time Jackson performed one of the greatest pop songs ever written live on television, it was also the first time he would do the moonwalk in front of a live audience. In the following weeks, I joined thousands of other kids across the country attempting to effortlessly slide across their hardwood floors backwards. And within the month, Thriller would become the first album I would purchase (on tape, of course) on my own.
About a year later (1984), I was sneaking to a TV when my parents weren't around to watch this new station called "MTV" — one of the many influences that would soon lead to my first (musical) identity crisis. But I wasn't alone...1984 is often considered one of the greatest years in music history. This was, in part, a result of the notable albums that were released this year, but even more so due to the diverse type of music that was being released and embraced. Prince's Purple Rain, Van Halen's 1984, Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., Run DMC's Run DMC, Metallica's Ride the Lightning, Madonna's Like a Virgin, U2's Unforgettable Fire.. to name a few).
It was somewhere within this musical vortex that I became a "mix-tape kid".