The 27 Club: No Membership Required?
Only the good die young...
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The 27 Club is a cultural phenomenon that highlights the sad reality of musical stardom. Let’s pay our respects to lost talent.
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The 27 Club: An Eternal Group
Being a musician, you always do homework on your favourite artists. For instance, when I learnt Purple Haze at 11, I looked up Jimi Hendrix. Or perhaps when studying Come As You Are, I did some more digging on Kurt Cobain.
Perhaps it’s somewhat of a morbid obsession, but it has always been fascinating to me that so many musicians didn’t make old age, and all left us at the age of 27. It would appear that the music industry has an appetite for tragic coincidences.
Here, we’ll pay our respects and celebrate some of my favourite artists who became members of The 27 Club. Some by choice, others by accident, but all far too early.
Jimi Hendrix
My first pick of artists from the infamous 27 Club is with James Marshall Hendrix. Hendrix was one of the poster models for the whole sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll thing. Which is sadly what contributed to his demise.
Hendrix broke boundaries when it came to lead guitar. Armed only with an upside-down Fender Stratocaster and a Marshall stack, his playing changed the world. Landing his biggest hits in and around the psychedelic summer of love, he certainly left his mark.
Sure, I could have chosen any of the other blistering guitar songs, such as All Along The Watchtower or even Voodoo Child. However, the overall vibe of Wind Cries Mary has such a chilling feel, and feels appropriate when reflecting on the short but pioneering professional life of Jimi Hendrix.
Robert Johnson
From one guitarist who took the blues and made it his own, to a guitarist who practically invented it. The world lost Robert Johnson in 1938, but that was enough time for him to write and create an entire genre.
If you believe the legend, Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mastering the blues. Whether that’s true or not is entirely up to you. But having written so many core blues songs in such a short time, he definatley mastered the blues way ahead of his time.
Sweet Home Chicago has been played at virtually every blues jam in history, and has been an era defining sing for many generations. I love the hauntingly crisp sound of this early recording. Considering that it dates back to before the Second World War, it shows you its power considering that we’re still listening to it today.
Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse is perhaps the most heartbreaking of all the members within The 27 Club. Having fought endlessly with love, drink and drugs, her fight came to an end on the 23rd July 2011. Which makes her the latest member of this devil’s social gathering. A soul, blues and R&B singer to rival them all.
I liked that Winehouse was able to bring her voice and talent to the mainstream charts. With hits such as Valerie, Rehab, and You Know I’m No Good, she contributed to the soundtrack of the 2000s. Her songs sounded like a constant cry for help, which is why, along with her vocal talent, she was so successful. This is when sad songs were nice to listen to, unlike what we have in the charts now…
Despite there being a wealth of her original material to choose from, her rendition of All My Loving By The Beatles is such an innocent and refreshing take on the Mersey Beat sound. Just vocal and guitar, it’s powerful and moving.
Janis Joplin
Another female member of The 27 Club here. Janis Joplin’s raspy tone was unique, clear, and would have gone on to release some more amazing records. Likewise, Joplin met her demise due to an overdose. Thus far, a common theme.
I love this TV recording from 1969, just a year before Janis Joplin became a member of The 27 Club. You can see the now Sir Tom Jones looking somewhat nervous in the presence of the fiery Joplin. However, the vocal talent in this video is more than we’ve seen or heard in today’s music scene for years.
Jannis Joplin’s biggest hit was of course Piece Of My Heart. Released in 1968, it has been used for film scores and has been immortalised in people’s playlists all these years later.
Kurt Cobain
Concluding our look at the chilling 27 Club, we’ve got ’90s hero Kurt Cobain. I would argue that out of all of the members, Cobain’s legacy is the strongest.
· Source: Fabio Diena / Alamy Stock Foto
If you believe the conspiracies, Cobain came to a nasty end. However, the official ruling was that his death was self-inflicted. Another star who battled with substance abuse found life all too much. But wow, did we get some good music from that.
Nirvana’s frontman, Cobain was responsible for inspiring millions of guitarists. How many times have we all heard the opening power chords from Smells Like Teen Spirit? Or how many guitarists have purchased an offset just to play Heart Shaped Box. Our world lost a charismatic individual, but The 27 Club gained a strong member.
Honourable Mentions
Aside from the key members, we also have to bow to Brian Jones and Jim Morrison. Both were the genius behind hits such as Paint It Black and Break On Through. But, I’d also like to mention a few more artists that were taken too soon.
Marc Bolan survied another two years after the curse that is the age of 27. Sadly, although Born To Boogie, a car crash led to the end of Bolan’s life. Moreover, Stevie Ray Vaughan was only 35 when a helicopter accident ended the texas blues sound.
Another pioneering guitarist, Buddy Holly died in 1959 at just 22 years old. Without wanting bring the mood down, you never know what’s around the corner. I’m 3 years away from the magic number that we’ve been looking at today, although I don’t have any plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
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