Greatest Rock n' Roll Myths: The 27 Club

Have you ever wondered if a strange series of events are coincidental? Or whether there was something more than coincidence involved? I feel that way sometimes about the “27 Club” of music, and I am not alone. Many people consider the “27 Club to be one of the most superstitious and controversial myths in the history of rock and roll.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “What in the blazes is the 27 Club?”

Well... let me explain.

The 27 Club is a group of famous musicians who died at the age of 27, primarily due to reckless behavior, including drug overdoses. So, you may be asking, why in the world would someone think that a group of people dying at the same age is superstitious?

Well, it wasn’t just a couple people who died at the age of 27; what truly makes this phenomenon so terrifying is the fact that there are more than 50 members of the 27 Club. Creepy, isn’t it?

And it isn’t something that just happened in the past either. The trend is still continuing to this day -- Amy Winehouse, a popular singer joined the 27 Club a few years ago.

Many people associate the 27 Club with the devil, and guess who influenced that theory? Robert Johnson, the man who I talked about in my previous post. Johnson was the first person to join the 27 Club after being poisoned. Remember how I talked about people believing Johnson, who used to play the guitar in graveyards, sold his soul to the devil in order to become famous? Johnson was also very talented, and this is what adds to the intrigue of the 27 Club. Many of the musicians who are also in the “27 Club” were also extremely talented – and so the notion that they sold their souls to the devil in order to become talented and famous – well,until age 27 at least – comes into play.

Take Jimi Hendrix for example. He’s considered to be the greatest guitarist who ever lived, and he also died at 27. Other musicians who are members of the 27 Club include Jim Morrison of the Doors, Janis Joplin, Brain Jones of the Rolling Stones, and even Kirk Cobain, the singer of Nirvana. All of them were extremely talented. And, with the exception of Cobain, they all died between the years of 1969-1971, and their deaths were all related to drug use. Even just writing about it brings a shiver down my arms.

Even to this day, the 27 Club is one of the most controversial myths in rock music, and while some consider it to be a mere coincidence, many are still haunted by the myth that these musicians sold their souls.

The truth is, there isn’t a lot of information surrounding the 27 Club. It’s almost like Area 51 in a sense, because it’s something that no one can really prove, or even understand.

Maybe it’s the fact that these people are so young, rich, and under pressure, and because they are constantly surrounded by temptations like dangerous substances, that they just can’t control themselves. 

What do you all think? Is the 27 Club mere coincidence? I know that I live in fear that more talented young musicians may become future members of the 27 Club. 

Photo found: http://www.ixdaily.com/thebuzz/6cfe13477ce0a21e589a142d4eb28272aadb11b6

(Information is based on my prior knowledge about the 27 club. Nothing was taken from online)

The Sounds In My Head: Five of my favorite albums.

Hello again, my friends! Thanks for visiting Deep in the Grooves. Today, I’ll be sharing five records that are spinning on my own turntable on a weekly basis; albums that never seem to escape my mind. I chose these records not only because they have a diverse collection of songs, but also because they have an interesting background history. I’m not composing this post so you all know what I’m listening to; rather, I want you to all be inspired to visit YouTube and listen to them for yourself. I love each and every one of these albums. They may not be your cup of tea, but hey, give them a try; you may end up falling in love with the music. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!

No. 5: Neil Young “On the Beach”

 

There have been a lot of talented musicians to come out of Canada, but my favorite has always been Neil Young. In my opinion, he is comparable to Bob Dylan in terms of his song writing skills, and his ability to play breath-taking guitar riffs and sing these beautiful songs, all at the same time. I’ve listening to many of Young’s albums, in fact there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t listen to Neil’s music, but the album that has always stood out to me the most is On The Beach. The album was released in 1975, and around that time, Neil was going through a very, very difficult stage in his life; His good friend and bandmate Danny Whittman died of a heroin overdose. Neil’s grief inspired both the album’s Tonight’s The Night and On the Beach. At this time, Young felt very isolated from the people in his life, and this feeling of isolation is evident all throughout the album, especially on songs such as “On the Beach” and “Motion Pictures.” But that’s what gives this album such a special place in my heart. Dark emotions have always inspired some of the greatest recordings in the history of rock music, and this is the case for On the Beach. I feel as if every one of us has felt isolated from the world, usually when we are experiencing a difficult stage in our life. Anytime those emotions cross my mind, I always have On the Beach to turn to. I feel golden after wards because I know that even my idols experience thoughts of despair that I do. For that, I thank Neil Young for this sensational album. Interestingly enough, this album was never released on CD until it was digitally premastered in 2003; it was only ever available on vinyl, which is part of the reason why it’s such a hidden gem in Young’s discography. Since it was such a limited release, I paid a whopping $40 for my copy, but it was worth every cent.

 Best songs: “Motion Pictures” “On The Beach” “See the Sky About To Rain” 

 No. 4: Derek and the Domino’s “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs”

   

 ‘Love’ is by far the most common theme in just about every genre of music on the planet, and sometimes I get so sick of hearing these corny songs on the radio. But in all my life, I’ve never heard such an incredible collection of love songs than on the album Layla by Dereck and the Dominos. You may be unfamiliar with the group Derek and the Domino’s, but I’m sure you are all familiar with one of the men behind their creative genius; Mr. Eric Clapton. In fact, many music critics consider Layla to be the greatest achievement in Clapton’s career. The album’s creativity was driven by Clapton’s love for Patti Boyd, his best friend’s wife. Just take a guess of who his best friend was at the time? George Harrison of the Beatles! His mind was filled with anger, love, depression, and faith, and every single one of the songs on this record are doused with those emotions. But what really made this album such an important record is the combination of Eric Clapton and Duane Allman’s face-melting guitar work. Duane Allman is a name you all will be very used to, because he is going to be mentioned several times on this blog. Clapton seeked after Duane after hearing his group, The Allman Brothers preform live, as well as his session guitar work on R&B singer Wilson Pickett’s cover of “Hey Jude”. He was so moved by his guitar work that he asked him to join the sessions of Layla, and the two immediately bonded. Sadly, Duane Allman passed away a year after the album was released, but Clapton regarded Duane as “The musical brother I never had, but I wished I did.” This album is essential for every blues guitarist in my opinion, because it will help one understand the difference between how a Gibson instrument sounds, and how a Fender instrument sounds since Duane only played Gibson instruments, while Clapton remanded loyal to his trusty Fender Stratocaster. But the songs on this album are so touching; you can feel all of Clapton (Who was the primary song writer) angst in just about every song. Along with the amazing guitar work, I’ll always consider this album one of the greatest blues/rock recordings in history. 

Best Songs: “Layla” “Key To The Highway” “Bell Bottom Blues” 

 No. 3 The Allman Brothers Band “At Fillmore East” 

Every artist has that one album that puts them on the charts, and makes their name known across the world. At Fillmore East was that album for the southern rock group, The Allman Brothers. The content on this album is incredible, pure musical genius from every member of the band. The Allman Brothers weren’t just a group; they were literally a brotherhood. Every one of the band members connected to each other so well musically, that they could turn their five minute recording of the song “Whipping post” into a jam song that’s over 20 minutes long. The brothers were quite the controversial band. They were from the south, and they not only had two drummers, but one of them was African American, which is a norm in our modern society, but completely out of the ordinary at the time. For that reason, the band avoided playing much in the South, so they decided to play in major cities such as New York, and Los Angeles. Duane Allman was the leader of the group, and he insisted that they record a live album since he believed that the group’s musical potential simply couldn’t be captured on a studio album. What I love so much about this album is how the Brothers fused so many genres together -- blues, jazz, southern rock, and country. But what is truly amazing about this album is that it opened my eyes to the importance of improvisation skills. The band just works so well together, and that’s so inspiring to me.

 Best songs: “Statesboro Blues” “Whipping Post” “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reid” 

 Number 2: Rolling Stones “Exile on Main Street” 

There’s no doubt about it: The Rolling Stones were, and still are, one of the most important rock groups in the world. They’ve done it all and more, and they are often compared to the Beatles in terms of musical genius. They’ve released so many incredible albums over their career, but Exile on Main Street is by far their greatest achievement. It’s such an amazing combination of rock, blues, jazz, country and gospel and The Stones have never quite done anything like it. A majority of the album was recorded in a villa in a, Nellcôte, in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France. But get this--they couldn’t manage to book a studio there, so they recorded several songs on the album in a cramped little room. Some of the recordings just came together without any planning even. Keith Richards wrote his signature song “Happy” and it was recorded in one take, with many of the band members missing. It’s one of the few Stones songs were he actually is on vocals. Out of that cramped little room came a double LP of the Rolling Stones at their absolute best. From the minute I heard “Shine a Light” I was so emotionally moved that I just had to check out the rest of the album. It has had such a powerful influence on my musical taste, and I listen to this album almost daily. From the very opening of “Rocks off” right down to “Soul Survivor” this album is an absolute gem. It’s also ranked as the 7th best album of all time on Rolling Stones magazine, and you have to admit, that is impressive.

 Best songs: “Shine a light” “Let It Loose” “Sweet Virginia” 

No. 1: Led Zeppelin “Physical Graffiti”

 Capturing the No. 1 spot on my list is Led Zeppelin’s double lp, Physical Graffiti. What makes this album so great you may wonder? Well, it was my first-ever record. I received it from my aunt one summer when I was visiting her in Salt Lake City. I had just started listening to rock music. One day, she was telling me all about her vinyl record collection, and she told me that I could pick one album from her collection to keep. As I flipped thought every dusty record cover in her milk crate, my heart leapt when I saw Physical Graffiti. At that very moment, I knew I had to start my own record collection. So this album is what started it all -- my love for music, my obsession with records, and even my interest in playing guitar. In addition to my sentimental attachment, this is also a great record because the music is so beautiful. There are moments when you are hearing elements of heavy metal, and, all of a sudden, a beautiful acoustic piece of music comes on, and the combination can give you chills down your spine. Interestingly, the album was meant to actually be a single, but since the group was barely over the maximum time of a single album, they used outtakes from their previous albums on Physical Graffiti. Two of the songs are masterpieces: “In the Light” and “Kashmir.” Both were written by Robert Plant while taking a trip to India. The entire album is heavily influenced by Middle Eastern music, and there are even times when Jimmy Page, the guitarist of the group, plays a sitar. Overall, this is the true definition of a great album. It captures the band at the height of their musical creativity and skills. All of these factors fused together are why Physical Graffiti is my favorite album of all time. 

Best songs: “Kashmir” “In The Light” “Ten years gone”

 So there you have it! I know I rambled a bit, but as writers, we need to express what we need to express, and that’s exactly what I did. I hope you all enjoyed this blog, and, please, if you have some spare time head over to YouTube and give these albums a listen! You won’t regret it. 

 Various information and photos found at the following websites: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11868-on-the-beach-american-stars-n-bars-hawks-doves-re-ac-tor/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layla_and_Other_Assorted_Love_Songs http://www.popmatters.com/post/169307-allman-bros/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exile_on_Main_St. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Graffiti

Robert Johnson: King of the blues

People often ask me who my favorite musicians are, or which performers most influenced my own style and taste in music. I usually say people like Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Jack White. But I got to thinking about how Dylan, Hendrix and even Jack White would answer the same question if I asked it to them. My guess is they would say “Robert Johnson” – even Jack White. And that got me thinking about how I need to expand my own thinking a bit and include among my favourite musicians the person who influenced my idols.

                

So I started listening to Robert Johnson, and to other Blues musicians, and now I can truly say that blues music is one of my favorite genres of music.

               

Once I started listening to his music, I wanted to know more about Robert Johnson, so I did some homework – outside of class of course. Johnson came from what you would call humble beginnings. He was born in 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. He was born poor and remained that way for the most part. He also did not have a father in his life, and that affected him in many ways.  He did not have the same opportunities that many others had, that I have today.  In his entire career, he only managed to produce 29 recordings due to his financial situation, but even with his minimal amount of songs, he affected more musicians than most people manage to due after releasing hundreds of recordings, and his music continues to inspire a whole new generation of musicians today, including Jack White, who I would call a virtuoso guitarist.

                

Johnson began taking an interest in blues music from local street performers and eventually, he bought his own guitar and was educated by many local Mississippi musicians, including blues musician Charley Patton, who is also a highly regarded figure in blues music. I like this about him because my own interest in music is rooted more in watching others play, and getting together and playing with friends rather than taking formal lessons.

                

During the early years of the Great Depression in the United States,  Johnson started playing on street corners, earning barely enough to eat and survive. He eventually moved away from Mississippi and traveled around with a guy named Willie Brown, even though Willie Brown called Johnson an “embarrassingly bad guitarist.” Eventually,  Johnson left Willie and went looking for his birth father, something that makes me sad to think about. He did not find his dad, but he did meet a man Ike Zinnerman, and this changed his life in a way. Ike was a virtuoso blues guitarist and he taught Johnson a variety of blues techniques that Johnson picked up fairly quickly. Rumor has it, that Zinnerman was given the gift of music by visiting graveyards at midnight, so Johnson began to do as well, something I am quite amazed at. This why some people say that  Johnson sold his soul to the devil to play music.

               

Johnson eventually developed some extraordinary musical skills and decided to travel around America, playing on street corners in places like Memphis. This is how he met fellow musician Johnny Shines and together, they travelled to large cities such as St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago. The two of them continued to play on street corners, playing literally anything they were requested, because  Johnson could pick up a tune right away and for that reason, people regarded him as a musical god. He continued to play his music everywhere he possibly could.

In 1926, when he was visiting Jackson, Mississippi, Johnson ended up recording his music for the first and last time.  In Jackson he met a man named H.C. Speir, an owner of a general store who was close friends with a salesman of ARC records named Don Law. Don was impressed by Johnson’s music, so he decided to let him come down to the studio for a short series of recording sessions. Over a three day period, Johnson managed to record 29 recordings songs that he had written throughout his life, including songs such as "Love In Vain Blues" "Crossroad blues" "Stop Breaking Down" and "I believe I'll dust my broom.”  All of these recordings I have mentioned have been covered by Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, and ZZ Top, so it's clear that Johnson had an immense influence on these groups.

Robert Johnson’s life started out difficult and it ended that way. A jealous husband of a woman that  Johnson was having an affair with poisoned his drink, which ultimately led to his death.He was only 27—only 10 years older than I am.  He became one if the first members of the "27 club" which is another notorious myth in rock and and roll, which you'll eventually read about on my blog.

It wasn't until 1960 when a compilation album was released called "Robert Johnson: King of the Delta Blues Singers" that Robert Johnson started to become one of the most highly regarded figures in blues music.

His biggest influence was on musicians who were extremely famous in the 60's and 70's including Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and even Jimi Hendrix, the man regarded as the greatest guitarist of all time.

In his short life, Johnson changed the world of blues music, and took it to a whole new extent. Eric Clapton once called Johnson "the most important blues singer that has ever lived" and several other musicians agree – including me, even though I am not really a “musician.” I am just someone who likes to play the guitar, and listen to great music. I also admire the work of others, especially people who accomplished great things by working hard and overcoming difficult things in their lives, like Robert Johnson. He influenced musicians I admire, and now I can say that he influenced me too. 

WORKS CITED:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson

http://www.biography.com/people/robert-johnson-9356324

http://www.nps.gov/history/delta/blues/people/robert_johnson.htm

The root note: Introduction to Deep in the grooves

Hello my fellow bloggers! My name is Aidan Hunt, and I’d like to give you all a very warm welcome to Deep In The Grooves, the blog dedicated to one of life’s most precious gifts; Music. Well, I have to admit that I won’t be writing about all types of music, I’m primarily going to focus on my own personal favorite genres. So if you were hoping to read about the history of dubstep, I deeply apologize because you will not find much about any popular music of the 21^st century on this blog. Now before I dive into my overall goal I’d like to provide you all with general information about the blog, and to do so, i've constructed some practical questions and answers so you can have an idea of what you’re in store for.

-       Why the name “Deep in the grooves”?

For the past year and a half, i've developed an utter obsession with vinyl records; I admit that my buying habits have spun out of control for the past few months. If you’re not familiar with vinyl records, most standard records have individual wax grooves that separate the albums songs from one another. So since I’m going to go beyond sharing a few songs here and there, I felt that Deep In The Grooves was a suitable name for the blog.

-       The blog is based around music, what specific genres am I going expect to read about?

Like I mentioned above, a majority of my blog posts are going to revolve around my own personal taste in music. My favorite genres are Blues, Rock, Folk, Traditional Jazz, New Wave, and even Classic hip-hop. But if you all have any specific genres you may like to read about, don’t hesitate to suggest your ideas while evaluating my work. I’m very open minded about music.

-       You say you are going into depth about these genres of music, what exactly do you mean by that?

In all honesty, the topics of my posts are going to be miscellaneous. A lot of them are going to be based around the history of specific musicians and why those musicians are essential figures in the history of their genre. I’m also going to explore the myths of music (IE: Musicians who have died at the age of 27) as well as posts about vinyl collecting, my own musical stories such as the time that my Grandfather played with The Beach Boys, and even current news in music that I find fascinating. I’m trying to give you all a wide variety of posts on my blog to avoid any of my posts from becoming repetitive, because there is nothing more than I fear then to bore you all to death.

-        

-       What is the ‘song of the week’?

I know you all obviously know what the song of the week because it’s pretty self-explanatory, but I’d like to at least discuss it briefly. Every week on Wednesday, I’m going to be posting a new song on my blog page that has deeply me and that I believe you all may enjoy! Every time I post a song, I’ll be changing the artists and genre so you can all hear a variety of interesting music. I would greatly appreciate it if you all could take a few minutes out of your day and listen to the song of the week. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover new music that you’ll absolutely love. Check out the current song of the week "Concierto De Aranjuez Part 1" By Miles Davis, a beautiful piece of jazz that is bold enough to bring tears to your eyes.

 My goal:

Now that you all are provided with a reasonable amount of information on Deep In The Grooves, I’d like to share my goal of creating this blog. All I want is for my readers to be indulged the music I share, and my hope is that you’ll discover music that you love. There is nothing more than to get people to appreciate the fantastic artists of the 20^th century that are starting to become lost in time because in my opinion, truly great music is becoming harder and harder to find, so as teenagers I believe that we should all grow an appreciation for the artists who put their heart and soul into composing their music. If my the end of my blog, I have gotten you all to discover a new favorite artists, I will have endless amounts of satisfaction.

My questions for you all:

Alright guys, thank you all for barring with me and reading about Deep in the grooves. Now I have a question for you all, and I’m hoping that you can at least answer one of these questions so I can get to know your own music taste on a personal level. What do you all listen to? Do you have any favorite artists, songs, or albums? Please let me know, because I’d love to know what you all are listening to, so maybe I too can discover some new favorites. Please let me know.

Thank you all so much for your time! I can’t even express my excitement about starting this blog, because music is one of my deepest passions, and there is nothing that I love more than writing, discussing, and listening to music. I hope you’re all prepared, because for the next few weeks, you will all be going Deep In The Grooves.