I have just read an article about Neil Diamond which stated that he is the oldest international touring artist at the moment. Others mentioned were Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Steve Tyler and Madonna.
Two questions:
Is this in fact true or is there someone older than Neil that is touring at the moment(or will be soon)
Who is the oldest person ever to have done some form of international tour? The only person I can think of would be Willy Nelson (60+). Any others?
No it isn’t true. BB King for example will be 76 this September and he is still touring.
There are probably others but he’s the first that I could think of.
“AUTHOR: Pablo Casals
QUOTATION: I am perhaps the oldest musician in the world. I am an old man but in many senses a very young man. And this is what I want you to be, young, young all your life, and to say things to the world that are true.
ATTRIBUTION: At a concert the summer before his death at age 96, NY Times 23 Oct 73”
Diamond may be the oldest in the pap genre, but I’d guess one of the Cuban “super grand-dads” would be the oldest touring musician now. The pianist Ruben Gonzalez is in his mid-90s IIRC.
For touring artist, not specifying musician, I’d have to include the now-touring 78-yr-old Marcel Marceau.
John Lee Hooker recently went to that great juke joint in the sky. Earlier this year, he was still singing and “blessing” the strings of his guitar (really, for the past 10 years you couldn’t really say he was playing his guitar), and man he was 83.
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Man - I saw John Lee Hooker right before he died. To say “he wasn’t really playing his guitar” is still being kind. The man obviously earned his due, but his performances in the last decade of his life were laughingly bad - reminiscent of Cheech and Chong’s Blind Melon Chitlin.
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Ibrahim Ferrer, singer for the Buena Vista Social Club, is in his 90s I believe.
Was John Lee Hooker doing international dates?
Pinetop Perkins is in his mid 80’s, but I doubt he leaves
the states.
Tony Bennett just turned 75.
Rock 'n Roll is still too young for any of it’s performers to qualify for this record.
You have to look to the classical, folk/ethnic, or jazz musicians.
I don’t think any qualify, but I have seen performances by Irish folk musicians who were quite ancient. Also, the average age of classical musicians at many concerts I have attended has to be in the 50’s or 60’s - They never give up their chairs. The EMTs have to cart them away at the end of their careers. (Inside music joke :))
A few years ago I saw Elizabeth Cotton on tour, performing “Freight Train” for the 80th year. She wrote and first performed the song publicly at age 11 in 1906, and was 91 when I saw her.