The Beatles. No question.

Musical Youth (shut up!!)

Yeah, Beatles here too.

Well, the theme for our 8th grade graduation dance was Stairway to Heaven, and I distinctly remember my best friend Beth and I screaming a duet of Dashboard Lights at said dance (we were 13, though I admit I still scream-sing along to that song). I also knew the entire libretto to Grease at the time, having seen it in the theatre seven times (twice in one night). The same Beth also force-fed me the Bee-Gees (she owned every 45), which is a testament to my devotion to her.

Simon and Garfunkle.

But I confess I had a big crush on Michael Nesmith of the Monkees.

well, since my age 11-15 closely corresponded to 1967-1970,
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the obvious answer is The Beatles, but my musical preferences were highly fractured, ranging from The Monkees to The Doors, with Simon & Garfunkel nurturing a love of Folk/Rock and Sly and the Family Stone introducing me to FUNK (but I always kept a couple Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass albums available if my parents got too near). Still, I had just as many Comedy and Novelty records as anything* and most of them at that time were credited to solo artists (Alan Sherman, Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer), so I COULD say The Firesign Theater, even though I wasn't thoroughly INTO them until almost College Age.
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* I WAS later recruited to do a "Dr. Demento-like" show on my college radio station AND when I met the Good Dr. with a stack of records under my arm, he told me I had one he didn't and borrowed it from me... one of my highest honors.

Abba. Still is, in fact.

Hmm, I didn't really get into pop until 12 or 13. Before that it was all oldies and show tunes. But then HANSON came along!

New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul, and En Vogue

Probably Madonna but I honestly can't remember. I may not have had a favorite.

The Osmonds, starting when I was 12 or 13. I still love Donny.

When I was ten, I got a new best friend. She came with an older brother who was *so cool* and *so dreamy*. Because I followed him around, I got introduced to Talking Heads, early U2 and The Cure. I was inexplicably cool with my music taste at that age.

I have gotten progressively less cool as the years have gone by.

I'm not sure that I had an actual favourite, but I was madly in love with Suzi Quatro for a long time. I suspect that was more to do with hormones than music though. Other then that, the usual Queen, Bowie, Peter Frampton etc.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

Pet Shop Boys. I thought West End Girls was an impossibly cool song. I still do. That was also about the same time I heard "Love Cats" by The Cure, which started a lifelong love of all things The Cure. The Cure were my gateway drug band.

ABBA and Barry Manilow.

I forgot Barry Manilow-- I used to play Mandy on my clarinet. I had a BIG crush on Shaun Cassidy, too. So cute.

(Forgive me, but I loathe ABBA. Makes my skin crawl.)

I loathed ABBA until I saw Mamma Mia, induced by my slightly younger ABBA-loving sister. Now I have a soft spot for them, but I developed it decades late.

Meat Loaf and Chicago. I STILL play Meat Loaf albums frequently.

At 11, Michael Jackson, The Knack, Cheap Trick.
Lennon was murdered when I was in 7th grade, which got me listening to the Beatles and other 60s music for the next few years.

15 was when I became a die-hard Bowie fan, which led me to the Velvet Underground/ Lou Reed and Mott the Hoople.

I tried to get really into Pearl Jam (that was right when Ten came out) because of a Boy. I did end up liking Temple of the Dog on their own merits.

That was also right when Wayne's World came out, and I developed the deep and abiding love for Queen that continues to this day. If I could name a favorite song of all time, "Under Pressure" has probably held that spot since I bought Queen's Greatest Hits. Again, considering the time (and my relative lack of musical experience, since I grew up in a house that played classical/talk NPR 24/7), hearing the intro I only knew as "Ice Ice Baby" resolve into a realy beautiful, painful and yet triumphant song was a revelation.