What would they be doing today?

erik · Posted 13 Feb 2002 7:22 pm

With the death of Waylon it got me to thinking, what would people like Buddy Holly or Jimi Hendrix be doing today if they were still alive?

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Jim Landers · From: Spokane, Wash.

ROTFLMAO!

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

The same as Beethoven - decomposing.

Dave Horch · From: Frederick, Maryland, USA

You cats are some sick puppys.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Buddy would be doing "infomercials". Jimi would be doing drugs.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Being a fan of both Buddy ( Holly that is ) and Jimi ( at the time previous to his death) I have a very narrow opinion and it's only based on my view of music today and how it is changed ( or not changed since thier fame and death)

Buddy Holly, timeless, I think if he were still walkin' around and totin' a Strat he would have written another 100 songs that we would all be playing on the bandstand. His songs and style are timeless, he would still be at the top of his game.

Jimi, thats another story, Although I know he could play guitar well, and I saw him many times, he never played well when I saw him ! The Hendrix style started to change somewhat towrds the end of his life ( Watchtower) where the show, feedback and techno explosions were not dominant. He certainly was a fine phrasing singer and my thought would be that had he not returned to a cleaner more defined " song" persay, he would have ended up playing the reunion tours. I pretty much stopped listening to Jimi along the way somewhere. Was he an influence to many,me included,? absolutley.

I think it is much more difficult for a Singer/ Guitar player like Jimi to maintain the stardom status when it is based on both singing and guitar playing. Case in point, Clapton, he was a great guitar player first and when he started to sing up front he became a superstar, but his basic style of play the song and sing the song never changed and he always did it ( does it ) well. Buddy Holly , same kinda deal, wrote and sang songs that everyone could roll along with, even Jimi Hendrix ! I think near the end when Jimi was playing with Band of Gypsys ( Buddy Miles ) he knew he was at a crossroads and probably was tring to find a new way. By the way, the Live Gypsy's record was probably one of his best playing efforts.

So hows that for an unjust opinon based on as Elaine would say " Ab-so-lutley nothin!"
TP

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 14 February 2002 at 03:08 AM.]

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

That's an interesting question. To be sure, nobody will ever know the answer to it. But I look at it this way -- Buddy and Jimi (and Waylon, for that matter) were popular, talented, and prolific musicians of approximately the same generation.

There were a lot of popular, talented, and prolific musicians of that generation who died young, but there were a lot more who are still around today. Were or are Jimi and Buddy more popular or talented than most other musicians? That's a matter of personal opinion.

The truth of the matter seems to be that all of the popular musicians of that era who are still alive today, no matter how popular they are, keep a pretty darned low profile, whether they want it that way or not. It apparent to me that the only exposure those folks get is on the oldies stations or on the "classic rock" stations which play their records, or the occassional "reunion tour."

But, other than that, who knows what any of them are doing (unless you're obsessed with that kind of thing)? So, in my opinion, the most likely answer to the question would be -- if Buddy and Jimi were both alive today, most people would not really be aware of what they were up to and wouldn't really give a darn.

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Actually I don't agree so much, after all Jimi and Buddy were both hitmakers and Jimi was adopted by the whole Baby Boomer generation as a icon long before his death.
Buddy I suspect would have evolved into a studio guy, label boss and might have eventually moved to Nashville as the music trends changed over the years.
Then he may have moved back to Texas and opened a studio or two, and kicked back.. picking some in the clubs and joining the Crickets on reunion tours and just having a great time.

On the other hand Hendrix would have eventually left the rock scene as he always felt compelled to do his hits and jive around onstage.
He'd go into the jazz rocck field and his mid 1970s album with Miles Davis would become a best seller and would be another footnote in an extraordinary career.

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

Jason, I respect your opinion, and I won't argue that both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Holly were extremely popular and had hit records. But on the other hand, there were many musicians and groups who were, technically speaking, bigger hit makers and more popular than either of these two. I'm not trying to disparage either of them -- in fact they both happen to be among my most favorite musicians.

They may be among your most favorite and my most favorite musicians, and they may have been popular among baby boomers, but they weren't necessarily the biggest hit makers.

I don't keep, nor do I have access to, statistics concerning the numbers of records that are sold. But I'd be willing to bet that, before their repective deaths, neither Buddy Holly, nor Jimi Hendrix had sold more records than any other musician -- or even close to that.

I think both Jimi and Buddy definitely sold a lot of records after their deaths. Whether they would have sold as many had they remained alive is something we'll never know.

I'm not a music historian, but I'd have to disagree with the contention Jimi Hendrix had become a baby-boomer icon before his death -- I guess it would depend on one's definition of icon. I don't remember hearing his records on the radio before his death near as often as I heard many many many other musician's records.

He certainly was a notable musician before his death, and you could certainly say that he was popular -- but an icon? He definitely did become an icon after his death, but then again, so did many of the musicians of that era who died in that era.

The Rolling Stones were arguably one of the most popular rock groups of all time. Does anyone know what they've been up to for the last 10 or so years? I have no idea if they're even still alive, but then again, I'm not really that interested in it.

I couldn't guess about what either Jimi or Buddy would be doing today if they hadn't died -- in fact, I don't disagree with your conjecture.

My point would be that there are plenty of musicians still around today who were just as popular, or more popular -- depending on who you talk to -- than either Jimi or Buddy, and who have been virtually forgotten.

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Yeah, and the Greatful Dead had about one hit in 1970, no-one remembers them of course.
American popular culture and the Woodstock myth/reality have figured prominently, the film of the advent was a smash and came out before the death of Hendrix, thus immortalising his version of the Stap Spangled Banner even if in reality the bulk of the crowd had left before he played his set.

If you look at the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame website you'll notice the most obscure of rockers are recalled, some who had next to no hits compared to Buddy had their careers revived in the 1970s and 1980s, so at a guess I'd imagine that Buddy would have gone into production and formed some labels, he may have fostered a whole style of acts, after all some of the Memphis and Texas rockers from the 1950s went on to be some of the biggest producers in Nashville during the late 1960s and early 1970s, like Billy Sherrill and Jack Clement. (I admit that it was to varying degrees).

I know what you mean, but when it comes to the crunch it's all just speculation.
Eric Clapton is still well remembered despite the fact that he's been making dull albums for nigh on 30 years, that's the funny thing about popular culture.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

The Stones are probably still alive, at least Keith Richards is. He lives in Redding Ct. a few miles up the road from the town I grew up in, Westport. I still talk to a few old friends now and again and Keith actually hangs with a couple of players in the area now and again and is frequently seen at school events in Redding. Now on the other side of the equation all of my friends that have seem him all agree that he looks like he died a long time ago and is still looking for a place to lie down !

TP

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 17 February 2002 at 04:33 AM.]

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 17 February 2002 at 04:34 AM.]

erik · Posted 17 Feb 2002 12:04 pm

I was thinking Buddy Holly would now be a retired label mogul. Jimi, on the other hand might be wasting away in the blues circuit like Johnny Winter. Would Jimi be the mega Rock guitar icon he is today if he had never died? Hard to say.

David Wright · From: Pilot Point ,Tx USA.

I would hope they all would be playing S-12's some were in Texas.

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Robert · From: Chicago

Buddy Holly would have become a triple-threat composer/performer/producer (like a West Texas Burt Bacharach, maybe) with his own record label, probably a racially de-segregated label, at that. Today he'd have a home and office in New York, an apartment in L.A., and a little country place in Texas where he could hang out with friends and family. What a life! Hendrix was looking to learn the craft of writing and composing parts for a larger band - one that he may or may not have played guitar in, himself. Planned collaborations with Miles Davis and Gil Evans would have created a much funkier and earthier sort of "Fusion" than we subsequently heard without him. He already owned a recording studio (and was producing some other artists) so he probably would have continued in that vein, as well. I think he would have not renewed his contract with the management he had, would have stopped touring, and would have made a number of albums that were at least as good as anything he made from 1967-70. After that, who knows? Probably father to a family of musicians!

Rob Yale

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