This is a hard one, rock has been my favorite genre for as long as I can remember. I guess I would name two or three early memories that made me take notice.

When my sister and I were maybe 8 (her) and 6 (me) years old my parents gave us a record player and my aunt gave us a stack of old 45s when she moved away. This was in about 1971. I very clearly remember The Rolling Stones, Honky Tonk Women. That cowbell, drum, guitar riff at the beginning had me hooked instantly. I didn't really understand the words much, but it had such a cool groove and rhythm. It was not quite like the songs we sang in preschool! I couldn't remember what was on the B side so I looked it up just now. Some obscure song called You Can't Always Get What You Want. I love 45s.

I don't remember nearly all of what was in that stack, but I can name a few:

Cher - Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves; Needles and Pins

Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman; It's Over

Kenny Rogers - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town

Brenda Lee - Jambalaya

The first live song I remember was a band playing on the back of a flatbed truck on the parking lot of a shopping center. I think there was one of those traveling carnivals with rickety rides and the band saw a chance to play for an audience. I have no idea if they were any good at all but I remember one song they did that has never completely left my head. It was a song about a country boy that never learned to read or write so well. Yeah, Johnny B. Goode. Go, Johnny, go go!

Is there a more iconic riff in rock music than Johnny B. Goode? The whole song feels like a riff!