This week Richie Havens, George Jones and Alvin Lee died. Richie and Alvin are best known as being important icons of the original Woodstock Festival and Jones was a country star, but I didn't have to tell you that.
Ironically, it was the hard drinking and drug abusing (and wife abusing) country star Jones who, at 81, outlived the two rockers about whom I've never heard anything negative. Alvin Lee's band, Ten Years After, was much bigger in England than in America where they are best known for the hit I'd Love To Change The World and I'm Going Home as performed at Woodstock. I'm Going Home was a shredder of a guitar solo disguised, slightly, as a song and part of a medley that included Baby, Please Don't Go, Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On and Blue Suede Shoes.
I've seen Richie Havens interviewed recently on music shows and I read that he cut his live shows back due to health problems and George Jones was in the middle of a tour when he died but I don't know how active in music Alvin has been in the past few years. I hope he was playing until the end. The obit said he died after surgery so that sounds like he's been in ill health. He was 68 and Richie Havens was 72.
I hate it that it seems this blog is turning more and more into a memorial for the musical stars of my youth.
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