Sixties Music Icons

Rolling Stones Keith Richards, Jumpin' Jack Flash

Rolling Stone article, 2010: "The lyrics came from a gray dawn at Redlands. Mick and I had been up all night, it was raining outside, and there was the sound of these boots near the window, belonging to my gardener, Jack Dyer. It woke Mick up. He said, 'What's that?' I said, 'Oh, that's Jack. That's jumping Jack.'"

Jim Morrison, Light My Fire

Morrison wrote that he disliked "Light My Fire" and hated performing it. This may have had something to do with his only having written a small part of the song. Robby Krieger wrote the almost all the lyrics.

Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze

Inspired by a dream of walking under the sea, Hendrix said a purple haze surrounded him; he got lost but was saved by his faith in Jesus. Supposedly he was bipolar

Aretha Franklin, Respect

One of his favorite songs Otis Redding wrote this and originally recorded it in 1965 which hit #35 on the chart.
Aretha added, "Sock it to me," which became a catch phrase on the TV show Laugh In in the '70s. The lyric "Take care, TCB" is often misheard. "TCB" means "Taking Care of Business."

Janis Joplin “Piece of My Heart” sung with Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1968. Written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns. She sang this with Big Brother and the Holding Company before going solo in 1968. It was her biggest hit until she died in 1970.

Grace Slick, Jefferson Airplane — White Rabbit
One pill makes you larger / And one pill makes you small / And the ones that mother gives you / Don't do anything at all…

Written by Grace Slick based the lyrics on Lewis Carroll's book Alice In Wonderland. She wrote the song while she was with the Great Society and brought it with her when she joined the Jefferson Airplane.

Tina Turner, River Deep - Mountain High
1966 "Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you…"
In Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Songs, Tina Turner is quoted, "I must have sung that 500,000 times. I was drenched with sweat. I had to take my shirt off and stand there in my bra to sing."

All Along the Watchtower by Bob Dylan
Written after a 1966 motorcycle accident lyrics seem to reference the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, verses 5-9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyIlDPLDCP0

ranked 47th in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

Sam Cooke's Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke was called King of Soul.

Major hits include "You Send Me", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Cupid", "Chain Gang", "Wonderful World", and "Twistin' the Night Away."

He was murdered at 33 on December 11, 1964 in the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles.

Roy Orbison

With a 3 to 4 octave range from baritone to tenor Roy Orbison was called the Caruso of Rock.
Between 1960 and 1964 he was more popular than the Beatles who he toured with. And 22 of his songs were on Billboard's Top 40, including "Only the Lonely", "Crying", and "Oh, Pretty Woman." Rolling Stone had Orbison #37 on their list of The Greatest Artists of All Time, and #13 of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Despite his popularity with thick corrective lens glasses and prematurely white hair he was insecure about his looks and feared looking old. To compensate he dyed his hair jet black. A heavy smoker, touring exhaustion and not following up on medical issues, he did of a heart attack at 52 on December 6, 1988.

Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac

Peter, Paul and Mary, and of course Puff the Magic Dragon. My sixties singers are at http://mcgraphics.us/music

Otis Redding

Born in 1941, Otis Redding's "Pain In My Heart" began a skyrocket career continuing with chart toppers like “Try a little Tenderness.” His greatest hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay" was released 4 days before his death in a plane crash on 12-7-1967.

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, The Sound

Gladys Knight & the Pips
I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Nina Simone, Feeling Good from the 1065 I Put a Spell On You album. She was a civil right political activist.

Mick Jagger, hard to believe he's 72.

David Bowie, Farewell

Glenn Frey, The Eagle

Elton John illustration. Done with Photoshop, Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, ParticleShop & On1 Photo 10 software,

Paul Kantner, Jefferson Airplane then Jefferson Starship, March 17, 1941 – January 28, 2016

Eric Clapton
English rock & blues guitarist, singer & songwriter. The Yardbirds & Cream. #2 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time .

Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison, "Van the Man" to fans. 1945 to present, British singer, songwriter and musician.

Pete Townshend 1945 – present: Lead Guitar of The Who, one of the most influential bands of the 20th

Carly Simon 1945 – present. Anticipation, Mockingbird with ex James Taylor, You're So Vain — 1 line in the song refers to Warren Beatty. A stutterer as a child she would have been more successful, but remained fearful of performing.Carly Simon 1945 – present. Anticipation, Mockingbird with ex James Taylor, You're So Vain — 1 line in the song refers to Warren Beatty. A stutterer as a child she would have been more successful, but remained fearful of performing.

Leon Russell 1941–present.. Leon Russell played on Phil Spector productions & the Byrds, Paul Revere & the Raiders, and Gary Lewis & the Playboys hits.

Ray Charles mcgraphics.us/music

#EttaJames amazing #voice tortured childhood #singer #illustration

the young Etta James

Jeff Beck, #RollingStoneMagazine top guitarist — remember the Brit group the #Yardbirds?

Keith Emerson 11–2–44 to 3–10-16 legendary English keyboardist & composer, ELP — Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Marvin Gaye 4-2-39–4-1-84 Motown hit maker in the 1960s. Gaye's dad fatally shot him in Los Angeles in 1984

Linda Ronstadt 1946 – present In 1964 she joined the Stone Poneys, beginning a string of hits. She was highest paid female rock singer of the 1970s, on the cover of Rolling Stone & Time magazines, and shared a Newsweek cover with boyfriend, California Governor Jerry Brown in 1979. In 2013 she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease & decimating her voice.

Frank Zappa
12/21/40 to 12/4/93 at 52, Experimental Rock, #71 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists

Ginger Baker #GingerBaker, #Cream, #Drummer, August 1939 – present

Joni Mitchell 11/7/1943 Canadian singer-songwriter. Rolling Stone Magazine has called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever."

Ringo Starr drummer still rocking. More of my sixties rock portraits at http://mcgraphics.us/music

Ronnie Wood, June 1, 1947 #RollingStones #drummer

Judy Collins, Judy Blue Eyes 1939 to present. Born in Seattle Wash. Singer, songwriter, activist. More portraits at http://mcgraphics.us/music

Gordon Lightfoot born 11-17-38 Canadian singer songwriter Sundown, Early Morning Rain, Ribbon of Darkness. More portraits at mcgraphics.us/music

Jerry Garcia, 8-1-42 to 8-9-95 Grateful Dead

Graham Nash 2-2-42 to present, English singer songwriter. The Hollies, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Paul McCartney and fans

Diana Ernestine Earle Ross 3-26-44, Born in Detroit. Singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Lead singer of The Supremes in the sixties

Billie Holiday, 4-7-15 – 7-17-59 American jazz musician and singer-songwriter Nicknamed "Lady Day"

John Lennon, Beatles co-founder, 10/9/40 – 12/8/80
More of my portraits at http://mcgraphics.us/music

John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce (5-14-43 – 10-2514) Scottish musician, singer & songwriter, British supergroup Cream. More portraits at McGraphics.us/music