27 Club
Encyclopedia
The 27 Club—also occasionally known as the Forever 27 Club, Club 27 or the Curse of 27—is the title for a group of popular musicians who all died at the age of 27. Their names are synonymous trademarks of the "rock and roll" lifestyle
.
Musicians who died at age 27, such as blues singer and musician Robert Johnson
, Brian Jones
, Jimi Hendrix
, Janis Joplin
, Jim Morrison
, Kurt Cobain
and Amy Winehouse
, have contributed to this concept of the notional club.
who had died many years before in 1938 was later added by some as was Kurt Cobain
who died in 1994 and Amy Winehouse
who died in 2011. With the exception of Joplin, there is controversy surrounding their deaths. According to the book Heavier Than Heaven
, when Cobain died, his sister claimed that as a kid he would talk about how he wanted to join the 27 Club. On the fifteenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, National Public Radio's Robert Smith said, "The deaths of these rock stars at the age of 27 really changed the way we look at rock music." The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll
details the history of the phenomenon.
writes "The number of musicians who died at 27 is truly remarkable by any standard. [Although] humans die regularly at all ages, there is a statistical spike for musicians who die at 27." Below is a selection of members.
Wine, women and song
The cliché "wine, women, and song" is a rhetorical figure of a triad or hendiatris. It describes a lifestyle or set of behaviors which are indulgent or pleasure-seeking...
.
Musicians who died at age 27, such as blues singer and musician Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936–37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given...
, Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
, Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
and Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, have contributed to this concept of the notional club.
Origins
The notion of a "27 Club" arose after the deaths of Jones, Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison. Robert JohnsonRobert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer and musician. His landmark recordings from 1936–37 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given...
who had died many years before in 1938 was later added by some as was Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
who died in 1994 and Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
who died in 2011. With the exception of Joplin, there is controversy surrounding their deaths. According to the book Heavier Than Heaven
Heavier Than Heaven
Heavier Than Heaven is the name of a 2001 biography of musician Kurt Cobain, the frontman of the grunge band Nirvana. It was written by Charles R...
, when Cobain died, his sister claimed that as a kid he would talk about how he wanted to join the 27 Club. On the fifteenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, National Public Radio's Robert Smith said, "The deaths of these rock stars at the age of 27 really changed the way we look at rock music." The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll
The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll
The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll is a non-fiction narrative that tells the history of rock & roll seen through the lives and legacies of 34 musicians who each died at the age of 27 . The 27s was created by Eric Segalstad and Josh Hunter . It was independently published, and distributed by...
details the history of the phenomenon.
Members
Cobain and Hendrix biographer Charles R. CrossCharles R. Cross
Charles R. Cross is a journalist and author of seven books based in Seattle. He was the Editor of The Rocket Magazine in Seattle for fifteen years during the height of the Seattle music mania. He is also the founder of Backstreets Magazine, a periodical for fans of Bruce Springsteen, and editor of...
writes "The number of musicians who died at 27 is truly remarkable by any standard. [Although] humans die regularly at all ages, there is a statistical spike for musicians who die at 27." Below is a selection of members.
| Name | Date of death | Official cause of death | Fame | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Composer, pianist and conductor | |||
| Neurosyphilitic sclerosis | Ragtime musician | |||
| Unknown, but typically attributed to strychnine Strychnine Strychnine is a highly toxic , colorless crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine causes muscular convulsions and eventually death through asphyxia or sheer exhaustion... poisoning |
Blues singer and musician who recorded a very famous and influential set of 29 songs. | |||
| Complications from high blood pressure | Swing jazz pianist | |||
| Car accident | R&B singer, pianist and songwriter | |||
| Drug overdose | Vocalist of The Drifters The Drifters The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953... |
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| Carbon monoxide poisoning | Original member and lead guitarist of Spanky and Our Gang Spanky and Our Gang Spanky and Our Gang was an American 1960s folk-rock band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The band derives its name from Hal Roach's popular Our Gang comedies of the 1930s... |
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| Overdose of sleeping pills | Rock and roll singer | |||
| Drowned (coroner's report states "death by misadventure") | Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up... founder, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist |
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| Asphyxiation (disputed) | Pioneering electric guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experience The Jimi Hendrix Experience The Jimi Hendrix Experience were an English-American psychedelic rock band that formed in London in October 1966. Comprising eponymous singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969, in which... and Band of Gypsys Band of Gypsys Band of Gypsys was a blues rock band led by Jimi Hendrix and backed by Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Hendrix formed the band after the dissolution of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Band of Gypsys is also the band's eponymous live album recorded on two separate nights, 31 December 1969 and 1 January... |
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| Barbiturate Barbiturate Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and can therefore produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants... overdose, possible suicide |
Leader, singer and primary composer of Canned Heat Canned Heat Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists... |
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| Probable heroin overdose | Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother and the Holding Company Big Brother and the Holding Company Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their... , The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band |
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| Murdered | Frontman, vocalist and bassist of Dyke & the Blazers Dyke & the Blazers Dyke and the Blazers was an influential American funk band led by Arlester Christian . The band was formed in 1965 and recorded until 1971, when Christian was shot dead... |
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| Reported as heart failure (no autopsy performed, disputed). | Lead singer, lyricist and video director for The Doors The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger... , and poet |
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| Complications from diabetes | Soul singer | |||
| Electrocution | Guitarist for Stone the Crows Stone the Crows Stone the Crows were a blues band formed in Glasgow in late 1969.-History:The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to Les Harvey by his elder brother, Alex Harvey... and brother of Alex Harvey Alex Harvey (musician) Alex Harvey was a Scottish rock musician. With The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, he built a reputation as an exciting live performer during the 1970s glam rock era.-Biography:... |
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| Gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with alcoholism | Founding member, keyboardist and singer of the Grateful Dead Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long... |
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| Fell off a horse and died from the injuries | Singer and percussionist of Bloodstone Bloodstone (band) Bloodstone is a former American R&B, soul, and funk group, most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s. The band charted thirteen songs between 1973 and 1984.-Biography:... |
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| Plane crash | Organ player of Chase Chase (band) The band Chase was created in 1970 by Bill Chase, Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware, and Jerry Van Blair, all veteran jazz trumpeters who were also adept at vocals and arranging. They were backed up by a rhythm section consisting of Phil Porter on keyboards, Angel South on guitar, Dennis Johnson on bass,... |
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| Pulmonary edema | Bassist for the Stooges The Stooges The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003... |
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| Suicide | Keyboardist and guitarist, leader of Badfinger Badfinger Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,... |
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| Drug overdose | Former bassist of Uriah Heep Uriah Heep (band) Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals... and The Keef Hartley Keef Hartley Keef Hartley was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted the Keef Hartley Band, and played at Woodstock. Hartley was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, The Artwoods and John Mayall.-Biography:Hartley was born in Preston, Lancashire, England... Band |
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| Carbon monoxide poisoning | Bassist with 1970s German prog rock band Triumvirat Triumvirat Triumvirat was a German progressive rock trio that formed in 1969 in Cologne, Germany. The founding members were: keyboardist/composer Hans-Jürgen Fritz , drummer/lyricist Hans Bathelt, and bassist Werner Frangenberg.... |
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| Car accident | Singer-songwriter and guitarist of power pop band Big Star and solo | |||
| Car accident | Jamaican reggae artist and lead singer for Inner Circle | |||
| Van accident | Guitarist, lead singer of punk band the Minutemen Minutemen (band) Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985... |
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| Suicide | Russian poet, rock musician and songwriter | |||
| Speedball Speedball (drug) Speedball is a term commonly referring to the hazardous intravenous use of heroin or morphine and cocaine together in the same syringe. The speedball can also be taken by insufflation. The original speedball used cocaine hydrochloride mixed with morphine sulfate, as opposed to heroin... overdose |
Painter and graffiti artist; formed the band Gray | |||
| Motorcycle accident | Drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut... |
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| Murdered | Lead singer of The Gits The Gits The Gits were an American punk rock band, formed in Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1986. Known for their part in the burgeoning Seattle music scene of the early 1990s, their distinct punk rock sound gained a reputation for its bluesy street punk aesthetic... |
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| Suicide by gunshot (disputed) | Founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Nirvana Nirvana (band) Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987... |
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| Heroin overdose | Bass guitarist for Hole Hole (band) Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson... and Janitor Joe Janitor Joe (band) Janitor Joe, a Minneapolis noise-rock band, formed in 1992. Founding members were guitarist/vocalist Joachim Breuer , bassist/vocalist Kristen Pfaff and drummer Matt Entsminger, though bass duties were later assumed by Wayne Davis following Pfaff's departure in 1993 to join Courtney Love's band,... |
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| Disappeared; officially presumed dead Death in absentia Death in absentia is a legal declaration that a person is deceased in the absence of remains attributable to that person... November 23, 2008 |
Lyricist and guitarist for Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s... |
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| Murdered | Rapper and member of Screwed Up Click Screwed Up Click The Screwed Up Click is an assortment of rappers mainly from the southside of Houston started by DJ Screw.After appearing on numerous screw tapes and spreading their name throughout southern hip hop, they have become well known. Despite the deaths of several members and the incarceration of... |
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| Murdered | Rapper and member of the hip hop group Lost Boyz | |||
| Car accident | Argentine Cuarteto Cuarteto Cuarteto , sometimes called cuartetazo, is a musical genre born in Córdoba, Argentina.The roots of the cuarteto ensemble are in Italian and Spanish dance ensambles... singer |
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| Asphyxiation | Lead singer of Ink & Dagger | |||
| Plane crash | Background singer for Passion Fruit Passion Fruit (band) Passion Fruit was a Eurodance/bubblegum dance group consisting of three girls of German, Spanish and Dutch descent:*Maria Serrano Serrano *Nathaly van het Ende... |
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| Heroin overdose | The Mars Volta The Mars Volta The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and... and De Facto De Facto (band) De Facto was a dub reggae band which included Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Omar Rodríguez-López, Isaiah "Ikey" Owens and Jeremy Michael Ward.- Biography :... sound manipulator |
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| Prescription drug overdose | Guitarist for American Head Charge American Head Charge American Head Charge is an industrial metal band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, earning nominations at the Kerrang! Awards on two occasions.-Formation:... |
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| Murdered | Mexican banda Banda music Banda is a brass-based form of traditional music. Bandas play a wide variety of songs, including rancheras, corridos, cumbias, baladas, and boleros. Bandas are most widely known for their rancheras, but they also play modern Mexican pop, rock, and cumbias... singer |
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| Alcohol poisoning | English singer-songwriter; first British female to win five Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... s in single ceremony |
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| Cardiac arrest | Trumpet player, collaborator with Friendly Fires Friendly Fires Friendly Fires are an English band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008 and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelve for the 2009 Mercury Prize on 21 July 2009.-History:Friendly Fires... |
Further reading
- The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & RollThe 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & RollThe 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll is a non-fiction narrative that tells the history of rock & roll seen through the lives and legacies of 34 musicians who each died at the age of 27 . The 27s was created by Eric Segalstad and Josh Hunter . It was independently published, and distributed by...
, by Eric Segalstad (illus. Josh Hunter).