When the Music Dies I’m going to take a moment to digress from my normally “insurance heavy” postings to talk about some recent events that have had an impact on me, as well as many of you: the deaths of some amazing musicians. On February 3, 1959, an airplane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson (also known as “The Big Bopper”) crashed in a vacant field near Clear Lake, Iowa. The three musicians were in the middle of a Midwest tour with three other musicians, most notably the future country star Waylon Jennings. Jennings gave up his seat to The Big Bopper since Richardson had the flu. The event inspired a song by Don McLean called “American Pie” and was reenacted dramatically in the movie “La Bamba:” a song loosely based on the life of Richie Valens. The country, especially fans of the new musical genre rock and roll, were stunned. A flood of grief poured out across the nation. Many people saw the news on the increasingly popular medium of television, or heard about it on the radio. Newspapers across the country recounted the details of the crash. While the U.S. had experienced collective grief in the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and also the untimely deaths of Abraham Lincoln and William McKinley, this was one of the first occurrences when people so young and vital and newly famous were taken. Buddy Holly created a body of work that is still generating millions of dollars today: a testament to his lasting genius. After that, many of us were grief-stricken when we heard about the brutal shooting of John Lennon on December 8, 1980. I was working at a local ice cream shop when it came on the radio that John Lennon was no longer with us. One of my earliest memories was sitting in my cousin’s room while she and my sister played “Hey Jude” over and over again on a little 45 record player. The song was so beautiful and intriguing to a three-year old, especially the “Na na na na na na” chorus. The thing that I came to appreciate about the Beatles’ music was, that if it had never been written, it certainly should have been. That’s how universal their work is. Over the past month, four major music artists from vastly different genres have all been taken from us. Late last year, Lemmy Kilmister of the heavy-metal band Motorhead died from complications of a long-running bout with cancer. While nobody would call Motorhead’s music “easy listening,” there is an alluring quality to music that is so purely “head-banging” in nature. If you want to have a good listen to a classic Motorhead song and an example of Lemmy’s distinctive vocals, check out their song “Ace of Spades” on YouTube. If you aren’t singing along by about the fifth repetition of Lemmy singing the chorus, then you should probably move along. Heavy metal will never be your thing! Next to pass away was the amazing vocal talent Natalie Cole. Natalie Cole’s music spanned pop to classic soul. She also made several popular ballads her own. She was the daughter of the legendary singer and pianist Nat “King” Cole, and through modern technology, she recorded a duet with her father, the song “Unforgettable.” Listening to that song will make you want to explore the wonderland which is her father’s music as well as taking a new listen to her songs. Natalie Cole died too soon at age 65 of heart failure. After that, a death that caught many of us by surprise was David Bowie. What made this death so unexpected was, Bowie had just released his latest album a few days prior on his birthday. Traditionally, musicians release an album and then follow up with a concert tour. In fact, I was expecting to hear news about an upcoming tour. Unfortunately, within just a few days, the news hit the internet that this musical legend had passed away from cancer. After listening again to his latest album, it became clear that this musical ground-breaker was turning his own death into a work of art. His song “Lazarus” makes reference to a person in the Bible who was raised from the dead. The video also shows Bowie lying on what looks like a hospital cot. Friends and those he had worked with said that in the weeks prior to his death he had sent them emails reflecting on their times together which were later clearly understood to be Bowie saying goodbye. 95.5 KLOS hosts the longest-running Beatles show called “Breakfast with the Beatles,” but for the first time ever, they broke with that format and did “Breakfast with David Bowie.” This is significant because there are precious few artists who could be put in the category of the Beatles. David Bowie, is arguably one of the most influential musicians of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Many young people in the 90’s were re-introduced to the genius of David Bowie when Nirvana did an acoustic cover of the Bowie song, “The Man Who Sold the World.” Bowie’s genius inspired geniuses. That is powerful. And (hopefully!) finally, we lost one half of the power band The Eagles. Glenn Frey, who also has acting credits and a fairly successful solo career to his credit, passed away. Frey and bandmate Don Henley pretty much wrote the soundtrack for the 1970’s, and later in the early 1980’s dominated album-oriented rock stations with their album “The Long Run.” Their eerily beautiful song “Hotel California” continues to be a staple of classic rock stations. Lately, Frey had not been as active musically due to health complications, but his acting credits include a recurring role on the series “Miami Vice” as a guitar-playing airplane pilot who was not above a little illegal activity. The death of David Bowie hit me especially hard since he was one of the first musicians to really make me stretch in my appreciation of music. It is almost impossible to listen to Bowie’s music without giving it your full attention. Even such songs like “Suffragette City” that are so easy to sing along to have enough quirks and stops that it forces the listener to stay on their musical toes. I remember hearing songs like “Space Oddity” and wondering what it was that Bowie was trying to communicate. Was he just talking about a dysfunctional astronaut and riffing on our modern fascination in space, or did he have something deeper to communicate? Today, I can appreciate the song’s attempt to reach all of the “Major Tom’s” of the world who don’t really feel like they belong here. His songs “Starman” and “Life On Mars?” further explore alienation and gave the “weirdos” of the world hope that there was an artist out there that had something to say about topics other than “sex, drugs, and rock and roll. At the same time, he was still unbelievably cool and self-assured. Bowie then went on to dominate pop music with his “Let’s Dance” album and tour. While never having really been a pop artist, he walked into that genre, said “hello,” took it over, and then moved on. His massively popular videos associated with the album were constantly rotated on the burgeoning MTV music channel. This led to him having the opportunity to chide the new music channel on their failure to showcase diverse musical artists. Bowie knew that MTV needed him more than he needed them. Few artists have that kind of “jack” and even fewer would use it! Finally, the thing that hit me the hardest was that my daughter has found meaning in the work of David Bowie. When “Starman” started playing in the movie “The Martian,” she immediately recognized that high-pitched falsetto voice as the incomparable David Bowie. I played her a video of a 500 voice chorus singing “Space Oddity,” and it really moved her. That is the mark of true genius, and something which all of these artists have in common: they will be relevant to new generations. Rest in peace, Lemmy, Natalie, David, and Glenn. While you will be missed, you left your best selves behind. Thank you.
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AuthorDave Owens, Owner/Agent. I have proudly served in the Insurance Industry for over 20 years. Archives
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