This is Part 2 of the interview with Rex Benson of Rex Benson Music Group. Part 1 (about his company) was published yesterday. And Part 3 (about songwriting) can be read here.

PART II

MUSIC & YOU

When did you become interested in music? What was the first album or single you ever purchased?

Grew up in a household where my mom played Big Band Music constantly…Later listened to late 50’s and early 60’s music that my older brother had, but I was still quite young…became more keenly aware when the Beach Boys hit and then when the Beatles arrived, I was mesmerized although I still didn’t really understand how all those sounds were made…I knew there were guitars and drums etc. but had no prior musical training and wasn’t sure what I was hearing…just knew I liked it…

Then at age 16 I heard a new group playing at church…they were comprised of former rock musicians and I was able to sit and watch them play over and over…got further interested and started to understand the process, picked up a guitar and learned to play on their songs and Beatles songs… they were called LOVE SONG…and then I started to write songs…

If you had to name the song that moves you the most, what would it be? Can you pinpoint the reason why?

McCartney’s ‘I WILL’…Simple, Romantic, rolls off the tongue…leaves you wanting more…

What was the first song you penned? What motivated it?

Wrote a song my mom helped me with as a Freshman in High School for an English class assignment…titled ‘CHRISTMAS IN CALIFORNIA’

What about the song by other artist that you wish you had written?

Tons of them…McCartney’s ‘HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE’, ‘HEY JUDE’… Dylan’s ‘MY BACK PAGES’…Don McClain’s ‘MISS AMERICAN PIE’…Paul Simon’s ‘BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS’ and so many of the other great songs of the 60’s that become the soundtrack of our generation…

Is there any song that for any reason or the other you’d rather not listen to if it comes on the radio?

I’m sure there is…and just like everyone else I have the God-given inalienable right to push the button and move on…

(Continue to Part 3)