Jump to content

27 Club: Difference between revisions

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
move external links to end per wp:layout
Line 38: Line 38:
| style=white-space:nowrap|{{Age in years and days|1942|11|27|1970|9|18}}
| style=white-space:nowrap|{{Age in years and days|1942|11|27|1970|9|18}}
|-
|-
| [[File:Janisjoplin.png|100px]]
| [[File:.|100px]]
| style=white-space:nowrap| {{sortname|Janis|Joplin}}
| style=white-space:nowrap| {{sortname|Janis|Joplin}}
| style=white-space:nowrap|{{dts|1970|10|4}}
| style=white-space:nowrap|{{dts|1970|10|4}}

Revision as of 12:30, 12 August 2011

The 27 Club, also occasionally known as the Forever 27 Club, Club 27 or the Curse of 27, is the title for an epitomic group of influential musicians who all died at the age of 27.[1][2] They are generally considered to have led a "rock and roll" lifestyle.[3]

The 27 Club consists of two related phenomena, both in the realm of popular culture. The first is a list of seven famous musicians who died at age 27—blues singer and musician Robert Johnson (who is considered to be the first member of the 27 Club by some critics),[4][5] Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse. The second is the idea that many other notable musicians have also died at the age of 27.[6]

Musicians usually included in the 27 Club

The impetus for the club's creation were the deaths of Jones, Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison.[7] Cobain, who died in 1994, was later added by some, as well as Winehouse in 2011 due to extensive media coverage of her death relating to the club. With the exception of Joplin and Winehouse, there is controversy surrounding their deaths. According to the book Heavier Than Heaven, when Cobain died, his sister claimed that as a kid he would talk about how he wanted to join the 27 Club.[8] On the fifteenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, National Public Radio's Robert Smith said, "The deaths of these rock stars at the age of 27 really changed the way we look at rock music."[9] The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll details the history of the phenomenon.

Picture Name Date of death Official cause of death Fame Age
File:RobertJohson.png Robert Johnson August 16, 1938 Unknown, but typically attributed to strychnine poisoning Blues singer and musician who recorded a very famous and influential set of 29 songs 27 years, 100 days
File:Brian Jones 1965.jpg Brian Jones July 3, 1969 Drowned[10] (coroner's report states "death by misadventure")[11] Rolling Stones founder, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist 27 years, 125 days
Jimi Hendrix September 18, 1970 Asphyxiation[12] Pioneering electric guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys 27 years, 295 days
File:Janis Lyn Joplin.jpg Janis Joplin October 4, 1970 Probable heroin overdose[13] Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band 27 years, 258 days
Jim Morrison July 3, 1971 Heart failure (although no autopsy was performed)[14] Lead singer, lyricist and video director for The Doors, and poet 27 years, 207 days
Kurt Cobain c. April 5, 1994 Suicide by firearm[15] Founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Nirvana c. 27 years, 44 days
Amy Winehouse July 23, 2011 Cause of death has yet to be determined.[16][17][18] Some initial reports state death due to alcohol withdrawal.[19] Multiple award-winning singer-songwriter 27 years, 312 days

Other musicians who died at 27

Some lists include other musicians who died at age 27.[6] Cobain and Hendrix biographer Charles R. Cross writes, "The number of musicians who died at 27 is truly remarkable by any standard. [Although] humans die regularly at all ages, there is a statistical spike for musicians who die at 27."[6]

Name Date of death Cause of death Claim to notability Age
Alexandre Levy January 17, 1892 Unknown Composer, pianist and conductor 27 years, 98 days
Louis Chauvin March 26, 1908 Neurosyphilitic sclerosis Ragtime musician 27 years, 13 days
Nat Jaffe August 5, 1945 Complications from high blood pressure Swing jazz pianist 27 years, 216 days
Jesse Belvin February 6, 1960 Car accident R&B singer, pianist and songwriter 27 years, 53 days
Rudy Lewis May 20, 1964 Drug overdose Vocalist of The Drifters 27 years, 271 days
Malcolm Hale October 31, 1968 Carbon monoxide poisoning Original member and lead guitarist of Spanky and Our Gang 27 years, 166 days
Dickie Pride March 26, 1969 Overdose of sleeping pills Rock and roll singer 27 years, 156 days
Alexandra July 31, 1969 Car accident Singer 27 years, 73 days
Alan Wilson September 3, 1970 Barbiturate overdose, possible suicide Leader, singer and primary composer of Canned Heat 27 years, 61 days
Arlester "Dyke" Christian March 13, 1971 Murdered Frontman, vocalist and bassist of Dyke & the Blazers 27 years, 273 days
Linda Jones March 14, 1972 Complications from diabetes Soul singer 27 years, 91 days
Leslie Harvey May 3, 1972 Electrocution Guitarist for Stone the Crows and brother of Alex Harvey 27 years, 233 days
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan March 8, 1973 Gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholism Founding member, keyboardist and singer of the Grateful Dead 27 years, 181 days
Roger Lee Durham July 27, 1973 Fell off a horse and died from the injuries Singer and percussionist of Bloodstone 27 years, 163 days
Wallace Yohn August 12, 1974 Plane crash Organ player of Chase 27 years, 212 days
Dave Alexander February 10, 1975 Pulmonary edema Bassist for the Stooges 27 years, 252 days
Pete Ham April 24, 1975 Suicide Keyboardist and guitarist, leader of Badfinger 27 years, 362 days
Gary Thain December 8, 1975 Drug overdose Former bassist of Uriah Heep and The Keef Hartley Band 27 years, 207 days
Cecilia August 2, 1976 Car accident Spanish singer 27 years, 296 days
Helmut Köllen May 3, 1977 Carbon monoxide poisoning Bassist with 1970s German prog rock band Triumvirat 27 years, 62 days
Chris Bell December 27, 1978 Car accident Singer-songwriter and guitarist of power pop band Big Star and solo 27 years, 349 days
Jacob Miller March 23, 1980 Car accident Jamaican reggae artist and lead singer for Inner Circle 27 years, 324 days
D. Boon December 22, 1985 Car accident Guitarist, lead singer of punk band the Minutemen 27 years, 266 days
Alexander Bashlachev February 17, 1988 Suicide Russian poet, rock musician and songwriter 27 years, 266 days
Jean-Michel Basquiat August 12, 1988 Speedball overdose Painter and graffiti artist; formed the band Gray 27 years, 234 days
Pete de Freitas June 14, 1989 Motorcycle accident Drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen 27 years, 346 days
Mia Zapata July 7, 1993 Murdered Lead singer of The Gits 27 years, 316 days
Kristen Pfaff June 16, 1994 Heroin overdose Bass guitarist for Hole and Janitor Joe 27 years, 51 days
Richey Edwards February 1, 1995 Disappeared; officially presumed dead November 23, 2008 Lyricist and guitarist for Manic Street Preachers 27 years, 41 days
Stretch November 30, 1995 Murdered Rapper 27 years, 101 days
Fat Pat February 3, 1998 Murdered Rapper and member of Screwed Up Click 27 years, 61 days
Freaky Tah March 28, 1999 Murdered Rapper and member of the hip hop group Lost Boyz 27 years, 318 days
Sean Patrick McCabe August 28, 2000 Asphyxiation Lead singer of Ink & Dagger 27 years, 289 days
Rodrigo Bueno June 24, 2000 Car accident Argentine Cuarteto singer 27 years, 31 days
Maria Serrano Serrano November 24, 2001 Plane crash Background singer for Passion Fruit 27 years, 363 days
Jeremy Michael Ward May 25, 2003 Heroin overdose The Mars Volta and De Facto sound manipulator 27 years, 20 days
Bryan Ottoson April 19, 2005 Prescription drug overdose Guitarist for American Head Charge 27 years, 32 days
Valentín Elizalde November 26, 2006 Murdered Mexican banda singer 27 years, 297 days
Damien Morris December 19, 2007 Tour bus crash Vocalist and member of The Red Shore 27 years, 211 days
Orish Grinstead April 20, 2008 Kidney failure Founding member of '90s R&B group 702 27 years, 323 days
Lily Tembo September 14, 2009 Severe gastritis Zambian musician 27 years, 298 days
John Garrighan January 30, 2011 Heroin overdose Guitarist and vocalist for The Berlin Project 27 years, 304 days

References

  1. ^ The 27 Club from BBC Radio 2. Access date June 19, 2007
  2. ^ Malu, Berges Y, "The 27 Club" in Split Magazine, May 20, 2007. Access date 19, June, 2007
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ McMartin, Pete (July 26, 2011). "The short foregone song of Amy Winehouse". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  5. ^ Sullivan, James (May 27, 2011). "Robert Johnson Founds the '27 Club' With Devil Pact -- Twisted Tales". Spinner. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Cross, Charles R., "P-I's Writer in Residence Charles R. Cross explores the darker side of 'only the good die young'" in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 23, 2007. Access date 19, June, 2007 Cite error: The named reference "Cross" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ "The 27 Club: Musicians Who Died Young". UpVenue. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  8. ^ "Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain". HyperionBooks.com.
  9. ^ "Before I Get Old: 'The 27s' Made Early Exits". NPR. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  10. ^ "All about Brian Jones, by Anthony Bruno — "Death by Misadventure" — Crime Library on". Trutv.com. July 10, 1969. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  11. ^ Wyman 2002, p. 329
  12. ^ The Final Days, Tony Brown excerpt quoted in http://woodstockhendrix.gobot.com/about.html
  13. ^ The Washington Post. May 11, 1998 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/features/joplin.htm. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ Walt, Vivienne (July 19, 2007). "Postcard: Paris". Time. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  15. ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence. (March 3, 1998)"Footlights", New York Times
  16. ^ David Sillito (July 23, 2011). "Amy Winehouse found dead, aged 27". BBC. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  17. ^ David Batty and agencies (July 23, 2011). "Amy Winehouse dies aged 27". The Guardian.
  18. ^ "Amy Winehouse Found Dead". TMZ. July 23, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
  19. ^ Nicholls, Lia. "Amy Winehouse family fear she was killed by giving up alcohol". The Sun. Retrieved July 29, 2011.

Further reading

External links

Template:27 Club

Template:Link GA

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=27_Club&oldid=444431176"