Have you ever wondered what it would be like to listen to some of the
greatest music stars of our time. I'm talking about the stars that never made it
to full prominence. The list of players is alarmingly high and sad. The
potential of these performers never met. It would be something to see what the
music of today would be like.
I was reading a book awhile back. Don't laugh, I read sometimes. It was
a book from I'm sorry to say, Stephen King. All right I'm not sorry. I like him!
Anyway, it was called something like, "They Have a Great Band There!" It was a
story of two young adults driving along a country road, the young man driving
was obviously lost but wouldn't admit it. I'm told guys do that often. As the
road continued to narrow and the brush continued to close in on them. They
suddenly found a sign that had the name of a town that neither one of them heard
of. They decided to go down and see if someone could give them directions. They
soon were out of they're car and looking for someone to help them. They both
noticed at the same time that the man behind the counter of the local pub that
they were in looked a lot like John Lennon. They also noted the young lady
singing in the corner looked and sounded incredibly like Janice Joplin. The book
or should I say short story continued on as only King could, people dying ,
strange conversations and just weirdness in general.
Now, I told that little story because I wanted to give you a little
background on why I chose this subject. What would have happened if Jimi Hendrix
had lived? His music lives on even today. When he was alive he only release 3
studio albums and if you go into the stores you probably will find no less than
10 different albums from him. Today's kids and people supposedly in the know,
like to put music into different categories. Rap, Alternative, Rock, Jazz,
Classical. Hendrix crossed all those. I not being black wouldn't know for sure
but, would his living have spawned more black rock musicians. Say that happened.
Would it be possible that in today's music. There might be more black people
listening to rock music and less whites. I say this cause if he did live on and
became a role model for young black musicians. There might be more interest in
rock than there is currently. A little story about Jimi. A couple of the
Beattles' were going to a show where Hendrix was playing. As they made they're
way to the front door. Eric Clapton comes out. Paul McCartney says, "Is he that
bad?"(It was Hendrix's first show in those parts) Clapton says, "He's that
good!" And walked off. He was an innovator. Bought down by the vices of his time.
On the other side of the scale. Elvis Presley, yes the King, is loved by
millions of people around the world. Now I'm thirty years old and I personally
was never a fan. I give my age because maybe it is a generation thing. Anyway.
Elvis lead ...