I often wonder things like this, would his music have changed dramatically in these days? I think this is as close as we will get to knowing…
I have often wondered the same thing about Jimi, would he be making chilled out stuff? I think he would have definitely changed his sound completely as he aged…
I love “what might have been” topics like this. It reminds me of sports discussions of Bo Jackson or Tony Conigliaro.
But possibly the most dramatic “what might have been” in pop music history is this guy here. In less than 4 years, he went from being a Texas rockabilly hitmaker to the most astute and influential producer of the period. He had a tremendous impact on all of pop music, including on John Lennon.
Absolutely. I recently watched the documentary of Otis at the Monterey Pop festival. He was an arresting performer who could stop time with sheer intensity.
I’m reminded that Sam Cooke was 33 when he died, but fit so much into his short solo crossover career. He had 30 US Top 40 hits in seven years, and three more posthumously. His death has always seemed strange and needlessly brutal.
…I don’t know if his disappearance at 27 means richie from the manic street preachers is officially a member of the forever-27 club with janis & jimi & the others…& come to that this one might have come out after he vanished…sort of seemed appropriate, though?
I was never a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd but a lot of my friends were (we were pretty young at the time but we all had older siblings). It’s amazing how many musicians have died in plane crashes.
Here they are in all their 70s glory, performing “Freebird”:
Speaking of people who died young in plane crashes, Patsy Cline…
Before I post the relevant clip I’ll relate a flashback I just had. Shortly after 9/11 the “New York Times” somberly reported a list of songs that radio stations were discouraged or outright banned from playing. It was absurd, and because I was so rattled and sleep-deprived for about a week after (I lived downtown) I actually found some humor in the list. It contained, as I remember, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move.” This was also on the list for being especially egregious, because, you know, plane crash and all..
Stevie died in a helicopter crash, but whenever he flew he would quip about taking “The Otis Express.” In one interview not long before he died he talked about wanting to get more into slide guitar. If this cover of a classic Hound Dog Taylor tune is any indication, it would have been an incredible album.
Your intro clips of Lennon remind be of this classic Alan Partridge bit, in which he says of Wings, “they’re only the band the Beatles could have been” and claims his favourite Beatles album is The Best of the Beatles.
Everyone covered a lot of really great artists, so I’ll just bring some Gen X’ers in;
Tupac & Biggie’s murders were massive for our generation…
But Kurt’s death was the one that happened in the spring of my senior year of high school, and shook sooooo many in our generation;
I often wonder things like this, would his music have changed dramatically in these days? I think this is as close as we will get to knowing…
I have often wondered the same thing about Jimi, would he be making chilled out stuff? I think he would have definitely changed his sound completely as he aged…
Well, I’m pretty sure Jimi wouldn’t have been using canned hip-hop beats.
How do you sleep:
Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band – Woulda Coulda Shoulda
Elton John – Empty Garden
Church Girls – Could Have Been
I love “what might have been” topics like this. It reminds me of sports discussions of Bo Jackson or Tony Conigliaro.
But possibly the most dramatic “what might have been” in pop music history is this guy here. In less than 4 years, he went from being a Texas rockabilly hitmaker to the most astute and influential producer of the period. He had a tremendous impact on all of pop music, including on John Lennon.
It’s important to remember that even with all he accomplished, Buddy Holly was only 22 years old when he died.
The “day the music died” definitely deprived us of some great music & is worth speculation of where it could have led us.
Some of his stuff was metal as fuck.
Not Fade Away.
Otis Redding – he was only 26. These young guys were sooo amazing.
Absolutely. I recently watched the documentary of Otis at the Monterey Pop festival. He was an arresting performer who could stop time with sheer intensity.
Otis is considered a God in our house – my father is from Macon, GA – where Otis grew up – so he’s always been hight revered.
I’m reminded that Sam Cooke was 33 when he died, but fit so much into his short solo crossover career. He had 30 US Top 40 hits in seven years, and three more posthumously. His death has always seemed strange and needlessly brutal.
Selena was only 23. What else she could she have accomplished in the music industry after already taking Tejano music by storm?
Seriously, what a loss.
…I don’t know if his disappearance at 27 means richie from the manic street preachers is officially a member of the forever-27 club with janis & jimi & the others…& come to that this one might have come out after he vanished…sort of seemed appropriate, though?
I wonder “neoclassical shredding” would have been more interesting with this guy around:
I wonder if this guy would have stopped the travesty that was the Black Album:
I was never a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd but a lot of my friends were (we were pretty young at the time but we all had older siblings). It’s amazing how many musicians have died in plane crashes.
Here they are in all their 70s glory, performing “Freebird”:
Yes, Skynard and Duane Allman.
Speaking of people who died young in plane crashes, Patsy Cline…
Before I post the relevant clip I’ll relate a flashback I just had. Shortly after 9/11 the “New York Times” somberly reported a list of songs that radio stations were discouraged or outright banned from playing. It was absurd, and because I was so rattled and sleep-deprived for about a week after (I lived downtown) I actually found some humor in the list. It contained, as I remember, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move.” This was also on the list for being especially egregious, because, you know, plane crash and all..
Stevie died in a helicopter crash, but whenever he flew he would quip about taking “The Otis Express.” In one interview not long before he died he talked about wanting to get more into slide guitar. If this cover of a classic Hound Dog Taylor tune is any indication, it would have been an incredible album.
Your intro clips of Lennon remind be of this classic Alan Partridge bit, in which he says of Wings, “they’re only the band the Beatles could have been” and claims his favourite Beatles album is The Best of the Beatles.
Everyone covered a lot of really great artists, so I’ll just bring some Gen X’ers in;
Tupac & Biggie’s murders were massive for our generation…
But Kurt’s death was the one that happened in the spring of my senior year of high school, and shook sooooo many in our generation;