by Patrick Sills

Created on: December 17, 2008

When specifically using the phrase, "The day the music died," we are of course referring to Don McLean's American Pie, released back in 1971. This song pays homage to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper," who all perished in a plane crash in Iowa on February 3, 1959. It is no wonder that this tragic event was referred to as such. I can think of no other occurrence when three major rock and roll figures were lost at the same time.

However; and perhaps because this happened exactly nine months to the day before I was born, I consider the deaths of later rock stars to be of far more significance. I'll probably be burned or hanged in effigy by those a decade or so my senior, but the rock and roll of the 1950's was really nothing special. From a purely musical standpoint, it was merely blues, which had been around for decades; with a faster tempo. There were only two basic chord progressions in the rock and roll of this period: I, IV, V, and I, VI, IV, V. In layman's terms, everything either sounded like "Good Golly Miss Molly" or "Heart and Soul," respectively.

The Who's Pete Townsend once said that the 50's "didn't matter," and I concur for this very reason. In fact, rock music didn't really begin to evolve until the British Invasion bands such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, and others hit the scene in the early and mid-1960's. Undoubtedly, the Beatles were the most influential group at that time, and perhaps for all time. Therefore, for me, John Lennon's senseless assassination in 1980 was a far bigger blow to music than Elvis Presley's death three years earlier in 1977. It is not my wish to be misinterpreted here. Elvis was extremely popular and appealed to many people. He still does to this day. But he was a product of the repetitious 1950's who was still able to cash in on his past. If he were still living today, I predict Elvis Presley would merely be another Wayne Newton or Tom Jones; alternating between permanent gigs in Vegas and Branson, Missouri. John Lennon, on the other hand, would have never considered this in a million years.

As the 1960's progressed, so did rock music. Jimi Hendrix did things with the electric guitar that were alien and far ahead of his time. Janis Joplin had a voice like no other and was perhaps the best blues singer of all time. When these two icons died literally within days of each other, the world of music suffered greatly. John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Keith Moon of The Who were two of the best drummers to ever pick up a pair of sticks. John Entwistle, also of The Who, was one of rock's best bass players. Jim Morrison of The Doors was a brilliant poet and lyricist. Stevie Ray Vaughn's style of blues guitar could send shivers down your spine. George Harrison was said to be the most accomplished musician of the Fab Four, and this becomes quite evident when you listen to any of his post-Beatle material.

All of these now-deceased rock stars were influential because they were different. A few others have died by various means, but will not likely be remembered as those I've included in the above paragraph. Rock music will quite simply never be the same without them. And when listening to what passes as rock music today, this becomes sadly obvious.

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