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(NewsCore) - A study published in Britain on Tuesday has cast doubt on the belief that musicians are at greatest risk of dying at the age of 27—a theory which experienced a resurgence this year with the death of Amy Winehouse.
The research, which appears in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), said that despite the high-profile deaths of Jimi Hendrix, The Doors singer Jim Morrison, blues guitarist Robert Johnson, Janis Joplin, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, Hole bassist Kirsten Pfaff, Winehouse and a host of other musicians at the same age, there was no proof there was any greater risk for musicians in their 28th year.
Health statisticians led by Adrian Barnett, of the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, put the "27 Club" hypothesis to the test, AFP reported.
They compiled a data base of 1,046 musicians—solo artists and band members—who had a No. 1 album in the British charts between 1956 and 2007, a net that included musicians from all genres. The first person included was Frank Sinatra and the last was Leona Lewis.
During the period under study, 71 of the musicians died, equivalent to seven percent of the sample, but there was no peak at all in deaths at the age of 27.
On the other hand, musicians in their 20s and 30s were two to three times likelier to die prematurely than the general British population.
"The 27 Club is unlikely to be a real phenomenon," the paper concluded. "Fame may increase the risk of death among musicians, but this risk is not limited to age 27."
Among the findings was that the 1970s and early 1980s brought a peak in musician deaths—Hendrix, Morrison, Mama Cass, Led Zeppelin's John Bonham and AC/DC singer Bon Scott among them—with a steep decline since then.
New York City mash-up virtuosos, The Jane Doze, have decided to pay tribute to the recently fallen soul songstress Amy Winehouse and her fellow ’27-club’ mates with their newest mix “Forever 27”.
The mystery behind the number 27 and the passing of several musicians has been on the lips of many since Winehouse’s death, and The Jane Doze decided to channel the curiosity into something different, a mash-up tribute.
The duo opened to blog Idolator about their vision for the track. “We wanted to create a mix that would not only honor Amy’s memory, but also those of all the iconic musicians who passed away at the age of 27. Though the musical styles of each artist in this mashup vary, we’ve fused them together creating a unique tribute to the talent and timelessness they shared.”
This 3-minute 14 second mix of artists like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors’ Jim Morrison, The Rolling Stones’ Brian Jones, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, and of course Amy Winehouse, serves not only as a remembrance, but a celebration of the genius of this eclectic, talented, and troubled group.
STOP HERE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE a really wicked and twisted sense of humour, or any indulgent sense of cinematic drama…
Who really knows… but someone please tell us the rumour of Amy Winehouse’s demise is another publicity stunt. I mean, hell, she sure loved to wind everybody up—like the getting arrested over the faked crack-pipe video they sold to the rags for the cash to buy drugs (yes, that really did happen)!
BATTLING: Amy's transformation from Hampstead suburb girl to hard-core junkie shocked those her followed her career from the onset.
I wouldn’t put it past her to fake her own death by substituting a dead junkie like Jim did, to get away from it all. Seriously—just think of the laff of ‘doing a Jim Morrison’ and dropping out—just to watch all of the panto & pathos? That’s just too much to pass up and I just can’t believe she’s gone that easy; she even skipped the desperate 999 emergency call recordings, the ambulance chase & hospital dramas—complete with hourly reports.
JIM DID A RUNNER: Gonzo Town know that Jim Morrison did do a runner in France.
Going out without a bang? That’s just NOT our Aimless dammit! Besides that, think of the HEAVY mileage in the resurrection of St Amy!
R.I.P. AMY. GREAT CAREER MOVE, GIRL (recording execs are counting the money as we speak)!
Another crack-head bites the dust? Bitter irony? A double entendre too far? Janice, Jimi & Jim left artful legacies. Amy Whinehouse copied well, though shamelessly (a Mark Ronson studio engineering success), left: self-indulgent, self-loathing, self-ish & self-harming headlines. FFS it’s just a song. Yikes!
If it’s real, which is dubious unless we can see the body, a whole load of folks just lost their gravy train and whatever will RUPERT do now for cheap headlines?
How about whistle and whisper a silent sigh of relief—thanking: her, Andrew Berwick and others for a blessed diversion and a month’s worth of tabloid gossip? HACKING? WOT HACKING? Hmmmm.
Let’s wait and see what the rumour mill eventually churns out.
Another lazy Sunday, tailor made for another lazy Sunday post:
Perhaps you've heard of the "27 Club" or the "Forever 27 Club?" If you haven't, it's a way to refer to a number of legendary rock icons who all died at the age of 27. When I think of legendary rock icons who died at the age of 27, I think of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain; fans of the Rolling Stones would insist that Brian Jones be included as well.
Now, with the news of Amy Winehouse's death at the age of 27, CBS News insists that she has joined the club. I would heartily disagree with that, unless CBS doesn't care about whether the artist has made an indelible impression on the music world, but only that he or she died at the age of 27—which would include all of these artists as well. It would seem that I am apparently able to do that two-second internet research that someone at CBS found too difficult. I'm sure Walter Cronkite would have gone that extra mile.
Of course, sensationalism sells the news, and comparing Amy Winehouse's legacy to that of some of rock's greats simply by virtue of them dying at the same age is more sensational than speculating whether or not drugs played a role in her death and if she should have, in fact, gone to rehab (for those of you who may not be familiar with her discography, that's a reference to one of her songs that describes her refusal to go to rehab).
Don't get me wrong, her death is a tragedy, and my sympathy goes out to all of her friends and family and anyone whose life she touched. But she's no Jim Morrison.
And if you had her in your death pool, you just hit a home run.
Amy Jade Winehouse (September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011)
They tried to make me go to rehab but I said ‘no, no, no’ Yes I’ve been bad but when I come back you’ll know know know I ain’t got the time and if my daddy thinks I’m fine He’s tried to make me go to rehab but I won’t go, go, go”
Joining the ranks of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Janis Joplin, all iconic musical legends who were taken during the prime of their lives and their influence, Amy Winehouse is dead at the age of 27. Almost an eeriness of the trans-global influence and defining style of music and the age and nature of their deaths. All these artists that penetrated our souls with their own pain brought a sound and integrity to their music that few have or will again. Given the rare talent each possessed and the inner demons they fought, it is almost a Shakespearean tragedy to bear witness to their ultimate demise.
Today, Amy Winehouse was found dead in our London apartment. The cause and circumstances around her death will of course be one of tabloid laureate for weeks to come, but the bottom line is that in the scheme of long term effects on the music industry and how we remember our idols, it will not matter. What will matter is that the music will continue on for generations to come and strangely in the wake of death, her message of life will come through to many troubled youths and adults who are looking for a sign of inner peace.
I am not nor do I pretend to be an authority of Amy Winehouse, but as an appreciator of talented poets who have the ability to write lyrics and music that penetrate deep into our inner psyche and help us find clarity in moments of grey, Amy Winehouse possessed a raw honesty that was needed in the music industry. She opened up her skin and let fans around the world watch her slowly bleed to death.
Amy struggled every day with fame, talent and addition. Did she want to be famous? Perhaps not, but in her intelligence and genius, she was able to shape messages through her lyrics and admit to her fans that she had problems and was trying to deal one day at a time. She gave us answers when we were afraid to ask the questions. She reached those that were most afraid and said “You are not alone”.
It is a painful day for fans around the world, but like every event, we had a way to invoke a rippling reaction. In a time with apathy has become almost a new religion, today’s youth needed a voice. She accepted the responsibilities of the job without accepting compromise. She did not follow a path but created one. Some jumped right on board while others were hesitant to take the risk.
Isn’t that what it was all about for Jim, Jimi, Kurt, Janis and Amy. It was about fucking the establishment of compromise and etching a legacy. All these poets were innovators who were flawed. Flawed not by their addictions, but by a world that so needed them, and thus they perished under the pressure. They didn’t want to be leaders, but they were forced into a role because they were granted the destiny to invoke change in a world desperate for it.
Goodbye Amy Winehouse and thank you for letting us see the world through your eyes, even for a short period of time.
