Sometimes we lose a great talent far too soon. Musicians seem prone to this; not only do many suffer from substance abuse issues, but even those who escape this seeming trap of the industry travel a great deal, sometimes in small private aircraft, and accidents do happen.
It's always sad when a young person dies, but it hits more of us when that young person is a promising young talent; we often are left wondering, what would they have done, what heights would they have reached, had they not been involved in whatever accident or illness took them?
This Friday, let's have a look at five great rock & roll performers that we lost too early. Note: I purposely excluded, for this post, those who died of drug or alcohol abuse. That's a topic for another day. Instead, these five promising people were taken by accident or, in one case, by a pernicious mental illness. So let's begin.
Stevie Ray Vaughan. This Texas blaster was a massive talent; his guitar work was unique, clearly influenced by earlier acts like Jimi Hendrix. Stevie Ray's gravelly voice lent a lot to the greatness of tunes like "Couldn't Stand the Weather" and "Cold Shot." I always considered his 1989 tune "Crossfire" to be one of his best. I just wish I had taken the chance in early 1990 to see him in concert; I was short of cash that year and waved off, figuring I could catch him on another tour. Stevie Ray was killed in a helicopter crash only weeks later.
Ronnie Van Zant/Steve and Cassie Gaines (Lynyrd Skynyrd). In 1977, a small plane carrying the members of a Southern rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ran out of fuel and crashed near Gillsburg, Mississippi. Band members Ronnie Van Zandt, Steven Gaines, and Cassie Gaines were killed. All the remaining band members were seriously injured. Lynyrd Skynyrd reformed, but it wasn't quite the same, although they did some great work even so. But I have to admit, my favorite of their songs, "Sweet Home Alabama," was a direct shot at Neil Young - he's even mentioned in the lyrics - and his song "Southern Man," which the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd took rather personally.(And, honestly, Neil Young can eat it.)
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Karen Carpenter. We lost Karen to a mental illness - anorexia nervosa. She died in 1983 at the age of 32. I still listen to her from time to time; she and her brother Richard produced some relaxing, thoughtful tunes, and Karen's butter-smooth voice was always soothing. We're still left wondering what she might have done were it not for that tragic illness. But her legacy may well have helped others dealing with this illness, as after Karen's death, her family founded the Karen A. Carpenter Memorial Foundation, which was focused on raising money for research into treatment for anorexia and other eating disorders.
As for Karen, I still find "Rainy Days and Mondays" one of the best showcases for her voice.
Jim Croce. Jim was one of the defining voices of the '60s and '70s. He's best known for songs like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," "Workin' At the Car Wash Blues," and "Roller Derby Queen." He went for acoustic guitars and minimal electrification in a lot of his shows, and his voice carried the day in live sets. In 1973, the chartered Beechcraft airplane Jim was on, along with his manager and several others, crashed into a tree just after takeoff. Jim was 30 years old. My favorite of his tunes remains, to this day, "I Got A Name."Buddy Holly. In early 1959, a Beechcraft airplane went down carrying several huge names in music, including Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson - "The Big Bopper." Interestingly, a young Waylon Jennings had given up his seat on the Beechcraft to Richardson, or else the state of country music would have been quite a bit different. The pilot of the Beechcraft, Roger Peterson, was not certified for instrument flight but took off anyway, with tragic results.The talents lost in that one plane crash - which inspired Don McLean's song "American Pie" - would make up a post themselves, but I will let Buddy Holly speak for them; I have always maintained that he, not Elvis Presley, would have been the King if he had lived.
I guess the lesson of this is "never take anything for granted." We lost these people too young, but then, we lose people too early all the time. But we are forced to remember that life is water, not stone, and at least, in the case of these artists, we still have their work to remind us of their talent.Have you any suggestions of other artists taken from us too early? The comments are yours.
