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This is a list that the great Swiss magazine "Finger" (check it out here on Myspace!) has asked Tish to compile. We thought you might be interested as well in finding out which songs influenced Tish's musical and personal development the most, so here they are:
1) "Estrellita" by Manuel Ponce (from around 1940)
In some of my earliest memories, my mom would sing this song to us acapella on our front porch sitting around with family and friends on hot summer nights in San Antonio. This would be my father's request. He would get tears in his eyes at this song.
2) "Penny Lane" by the Beatles
I really loved the Beatles most at this point. I was 10ish, and my cousin would drive my sisters and me around San Antonio in his VW the winter this song came out. I loved the playful melody and the visual impact of the lyrics.
3)"Bus Stop" by the Hollies
I fell in love with this 60's sound of jangly guitars, rich harmonies, and cool arrangement. And I could relate to this song because I rode the bus to and from school, and falling in love at a bus stop was such a romantic subject.
4) "Different Drum" by Michael Nesmith, sung by Linda Ronstadt
Again, I was 10ish and became an instant fan of Ronstadt at this point. I'd call the radio station to request this song. I loved singing along to this.
5) "Yo Soy Aquel" by Raphael from Spain
His passionate voice made me really feel the lyrics. Again, I would sing along, trying to copy his emotion.
6) "Lovesong To A Stranger" by Joan Baez
By now I was a teenager and was singing and playing guitar. This was one of my favorites. Such an intimate and sensual song! The lyrics were a little embarassing for me at that age, but I felt her emotion and the song really moved me.
7) "Maggie Mae" by Rod Stewart
This song recalls so many vivid memories of my late teen youth. The roughness in his voice, the acoustic drive of the mandolin, and the rocky edge of the beat went along with the times my friends and I were living. By now we were doing some drinking and a little pot smoking. This song made us feel cool and free.
8) "Gracias A La Vida" by Violeta Parra, a revolutionary Chilean songwriter/poet
This kind of music was not played on Spanish radio. On a trip to Mexico City some friends took me to a coffee house where South American musicians lived and played. I was introduced to this sound called "Nueva Cancion" – revolutionary new music of change. One of my friends gave me a Violeta Parra album. She had a funky voice and played a charango, singing very indigineous melodies with strong lyrics. Learning about this music also taught me that commercial radio has such a narrow perspective of music. We must keep our ears open to hear what and where real music is.
9) "Boulder To Birmingham" by Emmylou Harris
Emmylou's early records helped me fall in love with country music. This song brought me close also to Gram Parsons. Folk/rock/hippie country music then became an important part of my life through the 80's. Thank god, because commercial music in general pretty much sucked in the 80's.
10) "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" by Johnny Cash, sung by Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash recorded this song in the late 80's. Hearing this influenced me to write one of my first and still important songs " West Side Of Town", which got me signed to my first major record label, A&M Records, in 1989.
More general favorite and influential songs:
"Blame It On The Sun" by Stevie Wonder
"The Long And Winding Road" by The Beatles
"Love Is All Around" by The Troggs
"Streets Of Bakersfield" by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens
7:01 AM
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