# Which 60s rock star's death would make the biggest splash? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 13, 2023, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997 "2023-07-13T18:00:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/101 "2023-07-18T14:10:05Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Beach Boys were pure pablum Them’s fightin’ words. Brian Wilson is regarded by many as a musical genius. Whether you agree with that or not, the Beach Boys _were_ influential: I don’t think you could objectively make the case that Keith Richards is “a far more influential songwriter.” On the other hand, I’m not especially surprised that no one’s mentioned Mike Love yet. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/102 "2023-07-18T14:17:05Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Brian Wilson is regarded by many as a musical genius. Whether you agree with that or not, the Beach Boys _were_ influential: I don’t think you could objectively make the case that Keith Richards is “a far more influential songwriter.” Hugely influential, sure, and certainly extremely well-known among musicians and serious music fans of a certain age. That said, I’d strongly suspect that Wilson is not _nearly_ as well-known among the general population, or among younger music fans, compared to others who’ve been discussed in this thread. The fact that his mental health issues have likely limited his output, and general public visibility, over the last few decades may also play a role in that lower awareness. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/103 "2023-07-18T15:04:34Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I have never heard of Creed Bratton or the band. I’ve run into doubters that Creed was in the Grass Roots (one of them an Office fan that was misled by Creed’s line that he’d killed Creed Bratton and assumed his identity). [Here’s a clip](https://youtu.be/hnFZsrs32Co?t=88) that shows him playing a solo (at 1:47) where he’s clearly making fun of the whole schtick. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/104 "2023-07-18T15:10:55Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > rather US heavy original list … Four out of ten are Brits, and likely the winner will be one of them in reality, maybe the top 2. Doesn’t seem imbalanced to me. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/105 "2023-07-18T16:20:39Z")
It is weighted towards “Western” Culture, because that’s who most of us here are, but also because it’s “rock stars”. I might be upset when I hear that Ryuichi Sakamoto or Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn have died, but I wouldn’t call them rock stars. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/106 "2023-07-18T16:53:18Z")
I feel like Dylan is from a different era than the others, even if the decades overlap. He paved the way for the others. I think Mick Jagger, who epitomized youthful vigor, may make the largest splash. But I won’t be surprised if the Beatles beat him. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/107 "2023-07-18T17:30:26Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Four out of ten are Brits, and likely the winner will be one of them in reality, maybe the top 2. Doesn’t seem imbalanced to me. and the brits are not the questioned ones no that list … 2 of the bands that everybody would name as the quintessential 60ies band … and the “god” of guitarplaying … but really Frankie Vallie, Cher, Brian Wilson? … 2 of those never made it out of the 60ies and are pretty irrelevant for 50 years flat … and Cher … she will be remembered but not exactly for musical prowessness … rather for the persona she is (one of the few that really are Diva’s) … Look at it this way … there are awfully few Frankie Vallie internet radio stations 😉 Probably Rod Stewart … he had a good long run spanning 3 or so decades … ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/108 "2023-07-18T17:31:36Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I might be upset when I hear that Ryuichi Sakamoto or Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn have died, but I wouldn’t call them rock stars. I hate to break it to you, but Sakamoto died last March. > **[Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryuichi_Sakamoto)** > > Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japanese: 坂本 龍一\[b\], Hepburn: Sakamoto Ryūichi, January 17, 1952 – March 28, 2023) was a Japanese composer, pianist, record producer, and actor who pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto influenced and pioneered a number of electronic music genres. > Sakamoto began his career while at university in the 1970s as a session musician, producer, and arranger... ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/109 "2023-07-18T17:32:27Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I hate to break it to you, but Sakamoto died last March. well, it is safe to say then, the splash was not BIG ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/110 "2023-07-18T17:33:46Z")
At least I remember a thread here about his passing. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/111 "2023-07-18T17:39:22Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > but really Frankie Vallie, Cher, Brian Wilson? … 2 of those never made it out of the 60ies and are pretty irrelevant for 50 years flat … FWIW, Frankie Valli (no “e”) had two very big hits as a solo artist in the 1970s: - “My Eyes Adored You” (1975) went to #1 in the U.S., and #5 in the U.K. - The theme song to the movie _Grease_ (1978), which went to #1 in the U.S., and #3 in the U.K. Note that I’m not saying he’s anywhere near as relevant _today_ as McCartney, Dylan, etc.; just that he did, in fact, continue to be a visible, successful musician after the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/112 "2023-07-18T17:44:14Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > but really Frankie Vallie, Cher, Brian Wilson? … 2 of those never made it out of the 60ies and are pretty irrelevant for 50 years flat … I agree, they’re mainly filler on the list. Cher will be noted, there’s a lot to note, but it’s mostly not here music. Frankie Valli will be missed by a small subset. He was more representative of a past era than that big of a star himself. Brian who? Oh that guy with that beach band or something. Yeah, he won’t be noticed. It’s now kinda weird to be thinking about rock stars who died of old age. The biggest rock stars all died before they got old. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/113 "2023-07-18T17:49:12Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Beach Boys were pure pablum, That’s insane enough that I’d disregard the opinion of anyone who sincerely thought that after listening to _Pet Sounds_ or even just “Good Vibrations.” At any rate, Keith Richard will absolutely be a bigger deal to most when he passes. Brian Wilson, on the other hand, will be remembered by me as having composed the greatest rock/pop album of all time. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/114 "2023-07-18T17:54:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > At any rate, Keith Richard will absolutely be a bigger deal to most when he passes. Brian Wilson, on the other hand, will be remembered by me as having composed the greatest rock/pop album of all time. Not only composed, but also produced, with only one good ear (that’s the reason why mono is the way to listen to the Beach Boys). He never was a front man, and thus will not be remembered as much as Jagger, Dylan or even Keith as a lead guitar player., but to say the Beach Boys were pure pablum is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/115 "2023-07-18T18:03:56Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > FWIW, Frankie Valli (no “e”) had two very big hits as a solo artist in the 1970s: Even then I recall DJs and such making a point of how Frankie Valli had been considered to be a washed up late-50’s to early-60’s singer like Donovan of Fabian or Bobby Darin, and what a shock it was for him to be making hits again. But then he faded away shortly thereafter back into “where are they now?” territory. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/116 "2023-07-18T18:15:03Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Even then I recall DJs and such making a point of how Frankie Valli had been considered to be a washed up late-50’s to early-60’s singer like Donovan of Fabian or Bobby Darin, and what a shock it was for him to be making hits again. While the Four Seasons had certainly peaked in the early '60s, they were still producing the occasional top-10 hit (with Valli as either lead vocalist or co-vocalist) in the latter part of the 1960s (“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” in 1966, “C’mon Marianne” in 1967) and the 1970s (“Who Loves You” and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” in 1975). ---
**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 18, 2023, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/117 "2023-07-18T18:21:35Z")
Eh, since I said that this was a representation of American culture and I asked explicitly for Brits to submit their own list, I’m not apologizing. Since the Beatles thought of Brian Wilson as their chief competitor, I’ll just send any scoffers over to them. His career parallels theirs. Today, many people say the Beatles really peaked with _Revolver_ and _Rubber Soul_, although _Sgt. Pepper’s_ got a million times more fuss. The earlier songs are also getting retroactive attention as the small masterpieces they were, before the rot set in. I think the Beach Boys also peaked with Wilson’s scads of early hits and that _Pet Sounds_ is overrated. (Not _bad_, overrated. The words aren’t synonyms.) I put him on the list for the same reason I used Valli. He’s come into public attention again, with a pile of documentaries and a long tour in which he, Al Jardine, and a large backing band played the entire _Pet Sounds_ album plus a couple dozen other hits. I went, and I loved every minute. Yes, it’s early 60s rock and rock evolved from there. So what? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/118 "2023-07-18T19:15:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The biggest rock stars all died before they got old. And some of them hoped that’s the way it would be. ---
**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 18, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/119 "2023-07-18T19:24:13Z")
Hoped? Some went all out to help. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997/120 "2023-07-18T19:29:22Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > While the Four Seasons had certainly peaked in the early '60s, they were still producing the occasional top-10 hit (with Valli as either lead vocalist or co-vocalist) in the latter part of the 1960s (“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” in 1966, “C’mon Marianne” in 1967) and the 1970s (“Who Loves You” and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)” in 1975). I mentioned “Who Loves You” and “Oh What a Night” earlier, as part of his mid-70’s comback with ‘Grease’ and ‘My Eyes Adored You’. That was quite a run for a guy who wasn’t very big since the 60’s. One thing that needs to be said about that era: Popular bands produced music regularly, and even a few years without an album could get you labeled a ‘has been’. No one thought Rock would last 60 years, and the music industry was moving very fast. Music recorded in the early 60’s sounded WAY different than music recorded in the 70’s, and people who stopped recording in the early 60’s very quickly got the ‘has-been’ label. I remember when Aerosmith had their big comeback in the 80’s, people were shocked that they were still around, and there was lots of talk about their ‘big comeback’. The movie ‘Spinal Tap’ about a washed up band was supposedly partly inspired by them. And yet, their last top-40 hit was only 9 years earlier. We don’t bat an eye now at a 9-year gap between hits. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-60s-rock-stars-death-would-make-the-biggest-splash/986997.md?page=7)