Staying Fit
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Woodstock was a youth quake, and rebellious rock was the shock wave.
But the musicians who played at the mythic 1969 festival ignored the implicit expiration date on their relevance and vitality.
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Of those who didn't die, and many have, a majority remain plugged into music careers as older adults.
The Who
The Who 1969; Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey 2019
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"I hope I die before I get old,” The Who bellowed in teen anthem “My Generation” on day three of the massive gathering Aug. 15-18 in Bethel, N.Y.
Drummer Keith Moon did just that. A drug overdose ended his life at 32 in 1978. And bassist John Entwistle died of a heart attack at 57 in 2002.
While the British band's trail is littered with farewell tours, reunions inevitably followed. Singer Roger Daltrey, 75, and guitarist Pete Townshend, 74, continue to carry The Who banner, with their “Moving On!” tour booked through October and their first album since 2006 due later this year.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival 1970; John Fogerty 2019
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The Bay area roots band Creedence Clearwater Revival was enormously popular when it was booked in 1969, and had enough clout to demand the prime time slot of 9 p.m. Saturday, though delays pushed their set past midnight. John Fogerty, 74, felt the performance was substandard and blocked its release on the documentary and soundtrack.
Infighting and a bad record deal took its toll later. John's brother, Tom, quit in 1971, had modest success on his own and died at 48 in 1990 after contracting AIDS through a blood transfusion during back surgery. Fogerty left in 1972 and became a major rock star with such albums as Centerfield, Eye of the Zombie, Revival and Wrote a Song for Everyone. Bassist Stu Cook, 74, and drummer Doug Clifford, 74, formed Creedence Clearwater Revisited in 1995 and continue to play their old band's classics around the world. Live at Woodstock, the band's entire 11-song Woodstock set, finally will be released on Aug. 2, a half century after the band's appearance.
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane 1968; Paul Kantner and Slick Aguilar in 2009
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With hits “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” Jefferson Airplane was also at the height of its powers when it took the stage at Woodstock. Substance abuse and creative differences led to the band's implosion in 1973. Marty Balin, who had quit in 1971, joined Paul Kantner, who died in 2016, and Grace Slick, 79, in spinoff Jefferson Starship in 1975. Balin left a few years later for a solo career. In 2016, he underwent heart surgery and died in 2018 at 76. Drummer Spencer Dryden died of cancer in 2005. After the Airplane's 1989 reunion tour, Slick retired, insisting that rock ‘n’ roll was for the young. She took up painting and drawing. Her most popular subjects? White rabbits. Jack Casady, 75, and Jorma Kaukonen, 78, who formed Hot Tuna as a side project in 1969, have kept that enterprise going for 50 years.
The current incarnation of Jefferson Starship is scheduled to appear at the WE 2019 festival in West Jefferson, N.C., this month.
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