The Top 20 Rockers Over 50
The biggest danger of writing this particular article is you worry that some of the entries won’t survive the time between writing and posting. You’d hate to jinx anyone.
Pop music was once a temporary state. Ringo Starr once figured he’d own a chain of hairdressing salons after the Beatles’ success faded. Except it kept going.
And now Bruce Springsteen, who turned 65 this September, releases a new album and performs with U2, filling in for Bono . Whatever happened to Live Fast, Die Young? Someone ask Sid Vicious. Even Johnny Rotten turns 59 this coming January. Used to be “never trust anyone over 30,” but now it’s more like the only performers who can still afford to tour are the ones who can maximize their AARP discounts.
20. Ozzy Osbourne (12/3/48)
In some ways the youngest guy on this list, if only because he’s the youngest at heart. He doesn’t seem capable of growing up — or filing a tax return. It’s a good thing his wife understands numbers because the number of the beast aside, I don’t see Ozzy spending much time with a calculator — and when you’re a freelance hard rocker, you gotta know how to budget your time and money.
19. Patti Smith (12/30/46)
Patti came of age in the 1970s, yet she easily could’ve been part of the previous generation of rockers. Keith Moon wasn’t even 20 when he exploded on the scene, while Patti waited her turn until almost 30. And Moon was only months older than Smith. Then again, he died many decades ago, suggesting that sometimes fame should be like ketchup and worth the wait.
18. Richard Thompson (4/3/49)
I wonder when Thompson realized that no matter what he did, it would never catch on. He signed with one record label after another and always felt the love of his cult audience, but that elusive “smash hit,” the “game-changer,” never happened, no matter how many great songs he wrote. At this point, he seems comfortable enough and can watch his son go through the whole thing all over again.
17. David Bowie (1/8/47)
As a role-playing, character driven rock star, you’d think he’d find a few good masks to hide behind. But, somehow, he doesn’t need it. He still looks better than rockers half his age and he’s always on the verge of rediscovering his sound, since it’s always been about borrowing from whomever happens to be sitting in front of him at the moment. And then doing it better, or at least as convincingly.
16. Chuck Berry (1018/26)
Chuck still gets out and plays. And he still uses whomever they dig up at the last minute and good luck to everyone. Has he even written a new song in 20 years? Does he have to? His catalog is solid and a basic primer for rock ‘n’ roll. Whoever would have thought any rock ‘n’ roller would still be going past 80?
15. Jerry Lee Lewis (9/29/35)
Who’s the best? Just ask him and Jerry Lee will tell you. When he isn’t busy working his name into his songs, he’s letting you know there’s only one “Killer” and he still makes records from time to time. And he prefers cash. Now.
14. Iggy Pop (4/21/47)
No matter how great his physique, he needs to keep his shirt on. A man in his sixties is still a man in his sixties, whether he has the eternal youth of rock ‘n’ roll flowing through his once drug-addled veins or not. If kids half his age had his attitude and his energy, rock ‘n’ roll might be doing better with a battle against the computer age.
13. Madonna (8/16/58)
Whoever would’ve imagined Madonna at 56 still trying to be a pop star? You would’ve figured she’d have a clothing line, a home-style magazine for the single woman, a dance troupe, any number of other lines of business. But then maybe pop star was the only job she ever really wanted. She probably never imagined the day when she’d have seniority!
12. Prince (6/7/58)
As we age, we tend to get weirder. We’re not all Howard Hughes but given the opportunity… and when you consider how private Prince has been over the years, it only feeds into the myth. For whatever people don’t know for sure, they make up. And what you makeup is always better than what actually happens anyhow. So Prince is even further ahead than we imagine. Or rather is further ahead because we can only imagine.
11. The Who (Townshend: 5/19/45, Daltrey: 3/1/44)
Does it seem as if the Who have sold every song in their catalog to someone? At least the songs anyone wanted to hear again. So while I can respect the talent of these elderly gents, I can’t say I enjoy them much anymore. I don’t blame them. I’d take the money in a heartbeat. But where I once heard youthful cries of frustration, I now see a truck cruising through the desert.
10. Ray Davies (6/21/44)
Davies was always too weird to be a real icon. His best moments are too personal and idiosyncratic and he’s such a frustrated crank that he’s always entertaining even when you’re not sure if you could ever be as upset about the things he’s upset about. He’s making records again and he’s performing his songs like he’s on a permanent Storytellers jag. Which is probably the best way to hear him these days.
9. Van Morrison (8/31/45)
Like Bob Dylan, Van Morrison is a lifer where it never matters whether or not he’s having a good time or not. He’s going out there regardless. And whatever happens, happens. He may or may not acknowledge the audience. He may or may not play his hits. Anyone for a medley? Some nights he will transcend every limitation. Some nights he will throw in the towel. But it’s always a reflection of exactly where he is at that moment.
8. Paul McCartney (6/18/42)
The opposite of Morrison, McCartney is a showman. He doesn’t let his personal life interfere with the performance. He’s there to entertain you. And he aims to please. Lots of hits. Lots of lights. Lots of high energy and smiles all around. When people are paying what they’re paying just to park the car these days, this can matter more than you’d like to admit.
7. Wanda Jackson (10/27/37)
Talk about a true prisoner of rock ‘n’ roll! Wanda’s been at it for decades and remains one of the true practitioners of an art form that doesn’t have nearly as many practitioners as it’d like you to believe. I just wouldn’t call her old in her presence. She’s like a Japanese sports car, only getting warmed at afterburning 70,000 miles. And five years ago, she made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
6. Elvis Costello (8/25/54)
Costello’s someone you imagine as an older person. He’s got the glasses and that thoughtful look to him. A reader, a contemplator, a man of wisdom and intellectual curiosity. He doesn’t need to get up and scream, but he might when he’s in the mood. And if not, he can always find another collaborator who’s just glad they haven’t been completely forgotten yet.
5. Motorhead (Lemmy Kilmister: 12/24/45)
Long after the rest of us are deaf, Lemmy will still be turning the sound up past the pain threshold and behaving as if he didn’t notice he’d just deafened another group of innocent concertgoers. I have trouble imagining Lemmy playing shuffleboard — though I do see him as an enthusiastic BINGO! Player. “I’ve got bloody Bingo over’ere.” Even if he doesn’t, nobody’s going to tell him he doesn’t.
4. The Rolling Stones (Jagger: 7/26/43, Richards: 12/18/43, Wood: 6/1/47, Watts: 6/2/41)
Are they retirement specialists? I mean, I’m sure they’ve got 401(k)’s that people like us can only dream of. So they aren’t doing it for the money anymore? Are they? I’d say it’s because they love the music, but even Charlie admitted long ago that playing in this band involves an awful lot of waiting around. They could all easily play in a local club if it was just about the music. So it must be about having as many people as possible screaming all at once. And then surviving the aftershow parties.
3. Bob Dylan (5/24/41)
Anyone who can name the tune he’s playing within the first 30 seconds wins a prize. I’ve seen Bob several times and he had the audience guessing through many of the songs. Between his constant melodic reinvention and his tendency to mumble, it isn’t always obvious what he’s up to. Which is how this guy likes it in the first place.
2. Bruce Springsteen (9/23/49)
OK, he no longer plays those four- to five-hour concerts. That’s actually a good thing. It should be entertainment, after all, and not an endurance test. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he insists on writing and recording new material that while sometimes lacking the firepower of his greatest hits still manages to sound like the work of a man actively involved in all aspects of his career — not just the retirement planning aspects.
1. Neil Young (11/12/45)
Watching Neil Young lumber from one end of the stage to the other suggests that someone should be checking this man’s urine for performance-enhancing substances — since when does an old guy maintain his own like this? Most guys his age gladly hop aboard a riding mower!
