# Oldest active artist **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080 "2016-07-04T17:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/1 "2016-07-04T17:49:59Z")
[83-year old Petula Clark is touring and releasing an album this fall.](http://www.stereoboard.com/petula-clark-tickets) So what active artists (lets define “active” as releasing a recording/playing multiple concert dates within the last two years)are older than Miss Clark? And what are the oldest acts to record or tour ever? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/2 "2016-07-04T19:08:46Z")
Tony Bennett is 89 and won a Grammy this year. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/3 "2016-07-04T19:42:40Z")
Christopher Lee released his fourth heavy metal album, [_The Omens of Death_](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2c/The_Omens_Of_Death.jpg) on his 91st birthday. Lee died last year, but [all things considered](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NBh5mVlD4xI/TWtmTL_yevI/AAAAAAAAChY/98F1i5PUbdI/s1600/wallpaper-christopher-lee-dracula-vampire.jpg), I wouldn’t assume that removes him from the list of active artists. ---
**Author:** ![Premislaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f0a364/32.png) [@Premislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Premislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/4 "2016-07-04T19:48:43Z")
Portuguese director Manoel Oliveira is listed as active up until he was 106 (he died at 107). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/5 "2016-07-04T21:00:28Z")
How many recordings or concert dates did he do after he turned 100? Or before, for that matter? ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/6 "2016-07-04T21:02:58Z")
[Keanu Reeves.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEubt6HpGhs) ---
**Author:** ![RobotDevilDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RobotDevilDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobotDevilDog)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/7 "2016-07-04T21:40:47Z")
Chuck Berry is 89 (90 in October) and still performs live, though not nearly as often as he used to. Fats Domino is 88, but I can’t find any indication that he still performs live. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/8 "2016-07-04T22:42:04Z")
> [@Premislaus](#): > > Portuguese director Manoel Oliveira is listed as active up until he was 106 (he died at 107). aack! you stole my thunder! The great Marshall Allen, saxophonist and leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra, is 92. One of the original swing/bebop drumming cool cats Roy Haynes is 91. brazen hijack: ok nothing _at all_ to do with music recording/performing artists, but how can you _not_ mention 94 y.o. Carl Riener.:o ya gotta love’im!🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/9 "2016-07-05T16:53:49Z")
According to [this](https://rateyourmusic.com/list/Harrisfan/top_100_oldest_musicians_of_rock __jazz__ blues __country__ blues__etc/) site, it may be Vera Lynn. 'She is also the only artist to have had a song on the first music chart in the UK and to still have charted music in the 21st century. Jimmy Carter of the Blind Boys of Alabama has to be a contender. I can’t find his age online, but he’s got to be in the ballpark of 90. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-active-artist/759080/10 "2016-07-05T17:54:17Z")
Les Paul used to regularly perform live, up until a few weeks before his death at 94. He won two Grammys at age 90.