Rock & Roll is Dying

by Marilyn Watts

We lost another one today. I just heard the news that Paul Kantner of the iconic Jefferson Airplane band has died. Airplane was at the heart of the Summer of Love in San Francisco. Listening to the album Surrealistic Pillow, released in 1967, and remembering their greatness. The song, “Today” is hauntingly beautiful! The lyric, “Today, you look into my eyes; I’m just not the same” is exactly how I am feeling since hearing that another one of our beloved rock stars has left this earth. It’s as if our youth is dying with them.

The list is growing way too long. Many were shocked when David Bowie died on January 10, 2016 from liver cancer, two days after his 69th birthday. He kept it very private so the news was unexpected. Bowie, with his artistic flair, timed his last album, “Blackstar”, and the subsequent video to be released in his last days. The album reached No. 1 status on the Billboard charts 2 days after his death. He left his indelible artistic mark on all of us.

Then, on January 18, 2016, we lost Glenn Frey, founder of the Eagles. Glenn was only 67 years old. He taught us to “Take it Easy” and left a legacy of great American music. He was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame for such memorable songs like “Hotel California” and “Desperado”.

On January 17, 2016, Mic Gilette, a founding member and horn player with Tower of Power, died of a sudden heart attack at 64 years of age. While the Airplane was the psychedelic sound of San Francisco, Tower of Power came out of the EastBay with a funky sound and horn section that got everyone dancing. Band leader, Emilio Castillo was quoted as saying “Mic was the greatest brass player he had ever known”.

Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver died this past December of a drug overdose at 48 years of age. I saw him with Velvet Revolver in a small club in Boston years ago. What a showman!

Sadly added to the list were Natalie Cole, BB King, Dale Griffin, Dallas Taylor and in the previous year we lost Joe Cocker, Bobby Keys, Johnny Winter and many, many more.

My fascination with music goes way back. I’m sure a pivotal point was watching the Beatles when they first appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, witnessing the beginning of something wonderful. We just did not know how wonderful our musical journey would be! The 60’s was such an inspirational time in music. There will never be another time such as this, a time that produced such a variety of songs that set the scene for our youth and grew up right along with us. The sadness that I feel with all these musical icons is palpable. These are bands that spanned decades. Our lives are scored with music of the Airplane, Bowie, and Frey. It brings us back to a time when we were young, free, and unfettered. Visiting the record store, buying the latest album, listening with friends while checking out the great art work & reading the liner notes… good times.

When I moved to California in the 70’s, I settled in Marin County which happened to be the home for many of these great artists like the Airplane, Grateful Dead, Doobie Brothers, Crosby, Stills & Nash & many more. It was always fun to see Grace Slick shopping in the same clothing store, Marty Balin or Bob Weir in the local pharmacy or Stephen Stills riding into the 7-Eleven store parking lot on his motorcycle! The music scene was rich in Marin and you never knew who would show up at Sweetwater, a great small local club.

I will be forever grateful that I was born into this era of great music. Thankfully, the music will live on for future generations. But growing up with this music, today I am feeling like I lost a childhood friend, like losing something that helped to shape who I am today.

So, they have joined the ranks of Hendrix, Lennon, Jim, Janis and all the rest. As they say, Heaven must have the best damn rock & roll band. May they all rest in peace.