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“Just Thinking”
I was with a friend of mine last week who told me that she was going to a concert this weekend at the Thunder Valley Casino to see Tower of Power, War and the Family Stone, no Sly. It is so funny; the mention of those bands names instantly brings back so many fond memories of songs from our youth. There are so many bands and artist from the 60’s and 70’s still performing, drawing fans and still making good music.
Although many of the faces have changed these are some of the bands, they are still doing it today. The Beach Boys with original member Mike Love at the helm, The Who lead by Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey. The legendary Motown groups, The Temptations and The Four Tops continue to bring their soulful sounds to fans old and new. The Hollies, Toto, Deep Purple and America continue to perform, captivating audiences with their timeless music. Individual Rock Stars still out there entertaining are the likes of Paul McCartney, Neil Young and Willie Nelson.
I would be remise if I didn’t mention the most iconic of all 60’s bands still touring today, The Rolling Stones: formed in 1962, the Rolling Stones have maintained their status as rock legends and continue to tour globally.
This got me thinking of all of the great performers that died young and what an impact they would have had on the music of today.
The night the music died, February 3, 1959, the tragic day when a plane crash claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, 22, Ritchie Valens 17, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson 28.
The tragic plane crash of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977, killed the lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, 29, guitarist and vocalist Steve Gaines, 28 and back up singer Cassie Gaines, 29.
Then there are the notable members of the “27 Club”. The "27 Club" refers to a group of influential musicians, who tragically died at the age of 27, often under circumstances related to substance abuse, mental health struggles, or other personal challenges. Here are some of the most iconic figures associated with the “27 Club”: Robert Johnson, Blues musician, often considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Brian Jones, of The Rolling Stones. Jimi Hendrix, the revolutionary guitarist and songwriter. Janis Joplin, Blues-rock singer and icon of the 1960s counterculture. Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors. Kurt Cobain, the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana. Amy Winehouse, Soul, jazz, and R&B singer-songwriter. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, founding member of the Grateful Dead. Alan Wilson, the lead singer and guitarist of Canned Heat. Pete Ham, singer-songwriter for Badfinger.
Here are a few other institutional performers that were older than those in the “27 Club”, they died too young and left us with unfinished business. The lead singer for Sublime, Bradley Nowell, tragically passed away at the age of 28. The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley was 42 years old when he passed away in 1977. Michael Jackson the King of Pop was 50 years old when he died in 2006. Prince was 57 years old when he died in 2016, Tom Petty was 66 years old when he passed away in 2017 and former Beattle John Lennon was 40 years old when he was tragically killed in 1980.
It really boggles the mind to think about the impact that these renowned artists would have had on our music if they lived and continued to perform into their 80’s like Mick Jagger.
Let me know what you think.
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