I wonder if age is less a cause and more an effect, particularly where
singer/songwriters are concerned. The industry focus is on signing artists
under 25 because the supposition is that they will appeal best to the most
active music buying demo - 12-24. So artists over 30 rarely even get a first
look, let alone a second one.
And very few popular music artists are like Joni who has an arc to her
songwriting career. The sophomore slump has a logical reason for existing - an
artist spends their whole life (to that point) writing their first record and
then they have a couple of years to write their second. Many can't get past
this period (nor do they get the chance) to write their 6th or 7th.
I think Aimee Mann is a great example of someone hitting her songwriting peak
while approaching 40. As is Cassandra Wilson who, although better known as a
vocalist, has written her best songs on Blue Light Til Dawn and New Moon
Daughter.
As to Gershwin, he wrote Rhapsody in Blue at 26 and many of the show tunes in
his 20's. But he wrote Porgy & Bess at 36-37. He died three years later, so
whose to say whether his best work was in front of him or not.
For my money, Duke Ellington was America's greatest composer and his best
writing (not his most popular) definitely was after his 30's.
Brenda
What's missing from the Joni top 10 list for me is "Two Grey Rooms."
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> In baseball, research shows a player's peak years are from about age 27 to
> 32. I think it's pretty close to the same for songwriters. How old was
> George Gershwin, the greatest American songwriter and composer, when he was
> doing his best work?
