For those of us over 60..

slaw,

You must be frustrated at the turn this thread has taken, because members are largely just listing bands and albums that they like. I have to admit that your question is a really difficult one to answer, because it is really hard to commit to one artist; and I think that is what some thoughtful respondents have stated.

I really like the way some have listed a number of their foundational artists, and then mentioned that there are of course many others. That is how I feel after further thought. 

slaw, I became deeply into Lucinda after discovering her in the mid-80’s (and meeting her at a Long Ryders’ show in Hollywood. Her at-the-time husband was their drummer.). I lost interest in her after her Car Wheels album, her follow-up albums not aligning with my then-current musical tastes.

But I have been catching up with her, and now can’t get enough. Due to the price of even a non-audiophile LP being at least twice that of a CD, and the generally indifferent sound quality of many Pop (as in non-Classical) recordings, I spring for LP’s only of my very favorite artists, one of whom in now Lucinda (again). I fell in love with her again while listening to the West album. I get delirious listening to the title song, the most romantic one I’ve heard in many years.