I can't really explain this week's theme. Well I CAN explain the concept easy enough but WHY I chose it, I have no idea.
This week's theme will be artists that I feel died before their time. Who knows what could have come from these people if they had more time under their belts? I just got to thinking about how some artists die too soon and who knows if they had peaked or not? Well this is my homage to that idea. These are just some of my favorite songs from dead artists, or bands with dead members. Macabre, yes, morbid, maybe, but I have to do it so I can move on.
Now some of the artists on this list are "typical" when it comes to died to young lists and some are not. But these are MY favorites. So...on to the list.
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Jeff Buckley
On May 29, 1997 Jeff Buckley was in Memphis where he was working on his newest material. He decided to go swimming in Wolf River Harbor while fully clothed and singing the chorus of Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. Jeff had gone swimming here many times before. A roadie from his band was on shore. When the roadie moved a radio and guitar out of the reach of the wake of a passing tugboat he lost sight of Jeff. They looked for him all that night and on June 4th his body was found by two locals. He was only 30 years old.
I chose this song because it is my absolute favorite of Buckley's.
Lover, You Should Have Come Over - Jeff Buckley
Stevie Ray Vaughan
On August 27, 1990 Stevie was on his way to Chicago via a helicopter trip over a 1000 ft. ski hill. It was reportedly hazy, foggy and instances of low hanging clouds. Even though the conditions were not right for flight the pilots were instructed to fly over the hill anyway. Shortly after takeoff the helicopter crashed into the hill and killed all four passengers instantly. He was 35 years old.
I chose this song because it is one of my favorite Vaughan tracks. It isn't one of his most known tracks but I think it is very fitting given the theme.
Life By The Drop - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Patsy Cline
"Friends Dottie West, June Carter Cash, and Loretta Lynn recalled Cline telling them during 1962-63 that she felt and impending doom and did not expect to live much longer. On March 5, 1963 she boarded an airplane bound for Nashville. Her pilot was trained in instrument flying and they encountered inclement weather around 6:20 pm. The plane was found crashed about 90 miles outside of Nashville in Camden, Tennessee. She was only 30 years old.
I chose this song because whenever I think of Patsy Cline I think of my mom. I remember her playing this tape in her big yellow monstrosity of a car. This song will always remind me of mom, which is sort of weird but whatever...
Back In Baby's Arms - Patsy Cline
Otis Redding
On December 9, 1967 Otis and his band where flying to Madison, Wisconsin to play a night club near the University. The weather was poor and heavy with rain and fog. Against many people's advice to postpone the flight, they continued. Four miles to Madison the pilot asked for permission to land. The plane crashed shortly thereafter into Lake Monona. Ben Cauley, who was a member of The Bar-Kays was the only survivor. He wasn't a swimmer and was using a seat cushion to stay afloat. He was unable to save any of the other passengers, who had not died on impact. Otis Redding was only 26 years old.
I think one of the saddest parts of this story was that he died just days after recording Dock Of The Bay, which would be his biggest hit. He didn't live to see his success. I chose this song because I believe it to be one of the greatest love songs ever written.
These Arms Of Mine - Otis Redding
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley, or Buddy to his friends, was doing a three week tour of the Midwest with other notable acts such as Dion & The Belmonts, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. After a performance in Clear Lake, Iowa on February 2, 1959 Holly chartered a plane for the next stop on the tour. Buddy Holly, Ritche Valens, The Big Bopper and Roger Peterson, the pilot, were killed in a plane crash soon after takeoff from Mason City, Minn.
Waylon Jennings at this time was Holly's bass player. Jennings gave up his seat on the plane due to the snow storm. This caused Holly to joke "I hope your ol' bus freezes up!" to which Jennings replied "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes!" It was a retort that would haunt Waylon Jennings for decades. Buddy Holly was 22 years old, Ritche Valens was 17, J.P. Richardson was 28 and Roger Peterson was 21. A wreck that claimed many young, talented lives.
Dearest - Buddy Holly
Eddie Cochran
Ray Edward 'Eddie' Cochran was riding in a taxi during his UK tour. On April 16, 1960 his taxi blew a tire and lost control, running into a lamp post on Rowden Hill. A plaque now marks the spot where Cochran died. Cochran was seated in the center of the back seat and threw himself over his fiancee Sharon Sheeley to shield her from the wreck. Cochran was thrown from the car when the door flew open. He was the only fatality. Eddie Cochran was only 21 years old.
I chose this song as it is his most well known and one of my favorites.
Sumertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison was in Paris, France in 1971. On the night of July 3, 1971 Morrison died. In the official account of his death he was found dead in his Paris apartment bathtub. According to French Law when no foul play is suspected no autopsy is performed. As a result exactly what killed Jim Morisson may never be known for sure. He was only 27 years old.
I chose this song as it is the first Doors song I learned to play on guitar and has remained one of the few that I will never get sick of.
Love Me Two Times - The Doors
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall Hendrix was in London on September 17th with girlfriend Monika Dannemann. Around 4am that night Hendrix was having trouble sleeping due to amphetemines he had taken earlier. He asked Dannemann for sleeping pills to help him sleep, she refused. In the morning she awoke to find Jimi sleeping normally. She left to purchase cigarettes. When she returned an hour later she found Hendrix breathing though unconscious and unresponsive. She called an ambulance and he was declared dead at 11:45 am on September 18th 1970.
The official coroner's report stated that Hendrix had asphyxiated on his own vomit due to barbiturate intoxication. He was only 27 years old.
I chose this song as it just a jamming track =)
Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix
Cliff Burton
Clifford Lee Burton was the bass player for Metallica. During their Damage Inc. tour in support of their legendary Master of Puppets album. The band believed their bunks in the bus to be uncomfortable so they had devised a game where they would play cards to see who slept where. Cliff won and chose to sleep in Kirk Hammet's bunk. On the morning of September 27th around 7 am the bus skidded off the road and flipped into the grass in rural Sweden. Burton was thrown from the bus through an open window and the bus fell on top of him. They tried lifting the bus with a crane but before they could retrieve him the weight of the bus became too much for the crane and the bus slipped back to the ground again. He was only 24 years old.
I chose this song because it was Cliff Burton's favorite that he had recorded and one of the pinnacle of Metallica's long career.
Master Of Puppets - Metallica
Well there it is. A sad list this week but one I think is one of my best. I am proud of this one. A few of the videos are poor quality but I wanted live where possible. So I apologize if you are watching just the videos.
If we have learned anything this week it is this:
1. Don't ride in airplanes.
2. Don't swim.
3. Drugs are bad.
4. Always give up your seat.
KKNY signing off. Stay safe out there.
