Day 7: The Music Died

Fifty years ago today the music was pronounced deceased. And I wish I were inclined to mourn; but I'm too far removed from those artists to understand the complexity of that loss. To be honest, I don't give too much of a care about Richie V., Buddy or the Bopper. And that may make me a bad American. I have utmost respect for the Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost; but until Don McLean explains which is which in "American Pie," I will continue to be skeptical of their passing marking the death of music.

But, in honor of this sacred day of rock and roll loss, I offer my quintessential list of fallen artists.

Now, there is a lot to contemplate when you ponder what it really means to lose an artistic force. You can eulogize their overall meaning to music (like Johnny Cash or George Harrison), or you can put stock in potential, and build a list based on artists who died too soon, and/or who had way too much to contribute in their unknown years.

As an example: I wanted to put Elvis and Layne Staley on this list. But, I feel both of them peaked before their deaths. And, in the process of dying, they only enhanced their careers. I mean, did Layne really have a presence after grunge? And Elvis was just going to be a burn out and become a showman in Vegas. I also was considering Keith Moon, but it seems like everyone who has met him knew he was going to die young. Some people aren't long for this world...

My List (YouTubed):
Lynard Skynard - Simple Man (For Ronnie Van Zant [1948-1977 (age 29)] who died in a plane crash. It's easy to write off Southern rock as a novelty, but Skynard had some great songs, and were only getting better, mainly because of Ronnie.)
Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin (Arguably the greatest female vocalist of all time [1943-1970] (age 27)]).)
John Lennon - Oh Yoko! ([1940-1980 (age 40)] I could have chosen George, who is my favorite Beatle, but, he was almost 60 when he died. His artistic longevity was surprisingly long for a Beatle. John wasn't so fortunate. Who knows was he could've done in his remaining years.)
Led Zeppelin - Fool In The Rain (John Bonham isn't the greatest drummer of all time (1948-1980 [age 32]). But he is great. And his death led to the immediate dissolution of Led Zeppelin, possibly the greatest rock and roll band of all time. Which is why he is here and not Keith Moon).
Otis Redding - Mr. Pitiful ([1941-1967 (Age 26)]. I feel Otis might be the greatest musical tragedy of all time. And I apologize that I can't find a video for "Mr. Pitiful." Otis was the kind of artist who could have bridged R&B and Rock - which is why he is so epic to me.)
Jimi Hendrix - Crosstown Traffic (Obviously... [1942-1970] Age 27.)
Big Star - September Gurls (for Chris Bell from Big Star [1951-1978] (Age 27). Bell was one of those musicians who earned a cult status, but I feel like he could have aged well, and done really well as a solo artist later in life.)
Elliott Smith - King's Crossing ([1969-2003] Age 34. Man, Elliott had a lot of great music left in him.)
Nick Drake - One of These Things First ([1948-1974] Age 26. Same for Nick Drake. He was cut off really young, and had a lot left to give to the world.)
Patsy Cline - Three Cigarettes ([1932-1963] Age 30. Patsy would also have aged well. Such a great voice.)
Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me ([1939-1984] Age 44. Marvin is the oldest person on this list. And in a sense he was killed during somewhat of a dull in his career. But I feel he thrived during hard times in America, and would have produced some incredible work today.)
Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come ([1931-1964] Age 33. If only for this song... Sam also had a lot of great songs left to write for times of trouble.)
James "J Dilla" Yancey - Time ([1974-2006] Age 32. I know Dilla's repped this blog before, but he was really just incredible.)
Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy ([1972-1997] Age 24. A hip-hop legend cut down in his prime.)
Tupac - Keep Ya Head Up ([1971-1996] Age 25. I normally dislike Tupac, but there's no denying that he had a lot left to offer the game.)
John Coltrane - Naima ([1926-1967] Age 40. The thing about jazz is its artists age really well. Coltrane could have produced great albums for years and years.)
Rolling Stones - Paint it Black (For Brian Jones [1942-1967] Age 27. Brian Jones wasn't the principal song writer for the Stones. But, he was really a musical visionary when it comes to instrumental experimentation.)
Nirvana - In Bloom (For Kurt Cobain [1967-1994] Age 27. Cobain is on this list out of pure malice. He only became iconic in death. If he would have lived, we wouldn't even be talking about him; which is the way it should have happened.)
Chicago - Make Me Smile (For Terry Kath [1946-1978] Age 31. Kath had such a great voice, aside from being an incredible guitarist. I also feel like Chicago wouldn't have gone shitty 80s pop if he had lives.)
Pantera - 5 Minutes Alone (For Dimebag Darrell [1966-2004] Age 38. Darrell had years and years of shredding left in him. Such a blow for metal.)

The imeem List (External):

Day 7: The Music Died

Love and Happiness,
Erik

Bonus Video!


PS: I apologize for the tardiness of this list! And that some of these artists have been used before. But, great music should be heard again and again!

(Image by brykmantra, Licensed Under Creative Commons)