by Colette Dumont

Created on: February 13, 2008

This discussion would be funny if it wasn't for the suggestion that musicians should just quit performing and by association stop creating. Should writers or painters just quit because of their age? Are writers ever too old to engage in public readings, if they so desire? Perhaps Grandma Moses shouldn't have begun painting in her seventies.

For aging rock stars, toning down their clothes to something more flattering might be advisable and even going into a different style of music like Ron Stewart did with his "Great American SongBook" in which he sang old standards or like Sting did when he recorded and performed Elizabethan music by John Dowland. The album is called "On Songs From The Labyrinth." Sting said that this project stirred him to create his own songs again.

B.B. King is still performing in his eighties and he is still a great guitarist and has enough stage presence and charm to dazzle his audience and draw them into the palm of his hand. He does sit down while performing, but he makes good natured jokes about it.

Lil Greenwood who is a fantastic jazz and gospel singer made a comeback last year. She's in her eighties.

Yes, the music of The Beatles is timeless that is why more than one Beatles revival has occurred in which a new generation has discovered and enjoyed their music.

Concerning their looks, well, appearance has nothing to do with talent. Although, originally part of Paul McCartney's drawing card was his baby face, but he has always been a gifted song writer and should keep writing songs if he wants to.

Going back further in rock and roll history; PBS has produced several videos and CD's for Do-Wop and Be-Bop stars in the nineties and even more recently. They had an audience for each show because some people still like those styles and they even have some new fans.

As long as the rocker is able to perform they should do it if they have an audience.

Not all of the artists I mentioned are rockers, but the conclusion is clear that talent shouldn't be wasted, albeit the artist may need to take a new direction in his career.

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