# Which dead performer(s) would you bring back to life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228 "2012-04-28T13:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/1 "2012-04-28T13:24:01Z")
In a follow-up post I will give the background for this poll, but for now choose no more than five from this list that you would raise from the dead so they could perform again and live longer. Public poll on the way, multiple choice, no more than five please. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/2 "2012-04-28T13:27:10Z")
Would they continue from where they left off or from their prime For example, I’d like to see a sober Jim Morrison and a 90’s era Michael Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/3 "2012-04-28T13:34:42Z")
Jimi Hendrix and it isn’t even close for me. I want to hear him play guitar with modern electronic equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/4 "2012-04-28T13:36:20Z")
The idea for this SDMB poll came from today’s Yahoo! article: [Music fans hanker for Ray Charles hologram](http://news.yahoo.com/music-fans-hanker-ray-charles-hologram-poll-215223531.html) which I merely alphabetized to avoid giving away their answers. Lacking an “Other” option I would hope that the posts and votes in this preliminary poll might give us an even better view of how Dopers agree or disagree with whatever group voted in that Yahoo! poll. Do add names that should be there, please! ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/5 "2012-04-28T13:39:29Z")
I picked the four on the list that I would resurrect and I will add Jim Morrison, noting that like **FoieGras** above, for me it isn’t even close. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/6 "2012-04-28T13:39:34Z")
Hendrix, Joplin, Biggie. The rest of them, they’d pretty much already given everything they had to give. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/7 "2012-04-28T13:40:31Z")
I think a Rat Pack “Retro Show” would pack 'em in at Vegas. I think shows would be sold out for a year or more. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/8 "2012-04-28T13:41:39Z")
I wouldn’t bring back performers who died in old age, even though I liked them. Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra were legends, but they had their time, and they changed music forever. But music would suffer if the old didn’t die and make way for the young. No love for Stevie Ray Vaughan? That was a real tragedy, and a loss for music because of what might have been. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/9 "2012-04-28T13:42:44Z")
They might sound good, but the stank would be awful. Cash, Hendrix, Marley. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/10 "2012-04-28T13:45:49Z")
I think a legends hologram show would do well in Vegas, for which I could make a much longer list. Which is entirely different from resurrecting performers from the dead. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/11 "2012-04-28T13:55:18Z")
He’s not on your list but I’m sure he’d be pleased to get one vote. Jerry Garcia. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/12 "2012-04-28T13:58:39Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Would they continue from where they left off or from their prime > > For example, I’d like to see a sober Jim Morrison and a 90’s era Michael Jackson. > [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I picked the four on the list that I would resurrect and I will add Jim Morrison, noting that like **FoieGras** above, for me it isn’t even close. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I wouldn’t bring back performers who died in old age, even though I liked them. Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra were legends, but they had their time, and they changed music forever. But music would suffer if the old didn’t die and make way for the young. > > No love for Stevie Ray Vaughan? That was a real tragedy, and a loss for music because of what might have been. As of Post #10 we would add: Jim Morrison (2) Stevie Ray Vaughan (1) Other names I’d want to see working again: Chet Baker Paul Desmond Kenny Rankin Old age didn’t get any of them, and they were far from having said it all. I could name others who weren’t quite as dear to me, but that’s just a sample. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/13 "2012-04-28T14:01:17Z")
Buddy Holly and Freddie Mercury would be my additions to the list. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/14 "2012-04-28T14:11:05Z")
I’d add John Denver to the list. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/15 "2012-04-28T14:27:19Z")
Jim Croce should be on this list too. (and I voted for Janis, Big shock, huh.) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/16 "2012-04-28T15:02:10Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > He’s not on your list but I’m sure he’d be pleased to get one vote. Jerry Garcia. > [@Zeldar](#): > > As of Post #10 we would add: > > Jim Morrison (2) > Stevie Ray Vaughan (1) > [@Ms\_Boods](#): > > Buddy Holly and Freddie Mercury would be my additions to the list. > [@zamboniracer](#): > > I’d add John Denver to the list. > [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > Jim Croce should be on this list too. (and I voted for Janis, Big shock, huh.) Updating added names as of Post #15: Jim Morrison (2) Stevie Ray Vaughan (1) Jerry Garcia (1) Buddy Holly (1) Freddie Mercury (1) John Denver (1) Jim Croce (1) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/17 "2012-04-28T15:15:22Z")
From that list? Only John Lennon. But if we are going for anybody, then add Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Keith Relf to the list. Everybody else either had a full career or was a limited-talent hack, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/18 "2012-04-28T16:04:19Z")
Billie Holiday-such an amazing singer, the opposite of Whitney Houston, (limited range) but eerily similar in outcome. Louis Armstrong - one of the most amazing musicians. I have read about him making multiple recordings of his solos and every one wouldbe different Freddie Mercury - I don’t know if I could stand to watch him perform,the one vidio I have seen was so cheesey 80’sit was painful. I had to keepreminding myself it was in keeping with teh style. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/19 "2012-04-28T16:17:11Z")
From the list, I voted for Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Bob Marley. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I wouldn’t bring back performers who died in old age, even though I liked them. Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra were legends, but they had their time, and they changed music forever. But music would suffer if the old didn’t die and make way for the young. > > No love for Stevie Ray Vaughan? That was a real tragedy, and a loss for music because of what might have been. I agree with everything you said, so another vote for Stevie Ray Vaughan. Also Buddy Holly. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228/20 "2012-04-28T16:18:46Z")
From that list only Jimi Hendrix would make my first five choices. Say Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, John Coltrane, Sandy Denny, Hendrix. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-dead-performer-s-would-you-bring-back-to-life/620228.md?page=2)