The 27 Club

I never knew about this club before. Well, I didn’t know it had a name. But I knew it existed. And it’s sad, very sad, that we have one. The “27” Club just got a new member: Amy Winehouse. For those of you who don’t know, she’s the 27 year old singer who was found dead last week.

Yes, 27 years old. Which makes her part of the “27 Club.” Along with a few others, such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain. All musicians, all incredibly talented, all incredibly troubled, and all dead at the age of 27. Those are just the famous ones of course. My own “favorite,” if that is the right word, would be Pete Ham, lead singer and writer of the group Badfinger. 

Pete Ham is certainly not as well-known as the others, but somehow this one really hits me. For you non-Badfinger fans, you might remember some of their biggies: Day After Day and Baby Blue. And almost all of you remember “Without You,” written and originally performed by Badfinger, but covered with huge success by Nilsson. Badfinger was ”discovered” by the Beatles, and the band was sometimes confused with them. (Listen to the guitar solos in “Day After Day.” Definitely George Harrison influenced.) Anyway, to make a long story short, they had lots of success, and were cheated out of most of their money by their manager. Eventually, penniless and despondent, Ham hanged himself after drinking 10 shots of whisky, when he was 27, one month before the birth of his only child. Just for icing on the cake, Tom Evans, his writing partner and best friend in the band, never got over his loss, and eight years later, hung himself as well. Somehow, it’s harder to listen to those songs, knowing that both co-writers met such an end.

Most of these deaths are drug and alcohol related. Maybe not directly, but drugs seem to play a role in all of them. I’m sure a psychiatrist could probably give me a decent answer, but I do wonder what makes people with such talent, so much to live for, so much to offer decide to go this route? Is it a result of fame, and a way to deal with it? Or is it just another way to get a high when the rush of stardom wears off? Obviously, there’s not just one right answer, because there is not just one story. Amy Winhouse’s life and death were not at all like Pete Ham’s, except they both came to a premature closing.

I think I’ll listen to “Day After Day” one more time right now. Maybe you should too. It really is a great song.