The EditoriaList: Top Seven Musical Rock Star Progeny
posted in: Features
It’s always nice to see quality music being made by the offspring of our beloved stars and cultural icons. Most often, we wish the celebrity kids would just go away, taking their vanity projects with them. But the people on this list have shown integrity and originality in a business where that is a challenge for many would-be artists, and they handle with composure the additional burden of being compared to their famous parents. Two Beatles kids made the list, but hey, there could have been more (sorry Julian Lennon, James McCartney, and especially Dhani Harrison, who I wanted to include just cause he seems cool).
7. Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley is everything you might want from the son of Bob Marley. He fronted his family band, The Melody Makers, and then struck out on his own with some solid solo records, continued his father’s Tuff Gong record label (forming Tuff Gong Worldwide, technically a different label), founded a charity and launched a comic book, Marijuana Man. You might think a guy like Ziggy would go against the beaten path, but when OurStage talked with him recently, he was most engaged when asked about the comic and reefer in general.
6. Sean Lennon
Sean Lennon has made several solo records, all of which are enjoyable but for his singing voice, which is not terribly strong. The last one, Friendly Fire, sounds a little derivative of the Elliott Smith and Jon Brion aesthetic” which is to say, an updated take on ’60s pop. A nice listen, though. I recommend the slightly groovier psychedelia of his first LP, Into The Sun. But Sean’s talent, it seems to me, is more behind the scenes, as a talented songwriter, producer and nurturer of talent, with both young performers and veteran artists, including his mother, Yoko Ono.
5. Hank 3
Hank Williams III, aka Hank 3, carries on the legacy of his legendary grandfather as a true original with a rebellious streak. His father¦ not so much. Hank 3’s music blends country/honky tonk/rockabilly and punk, bucking the country music establishment and comprising several bold and confident solo albums.
4. Jakob Dylan
The Wallflowers was a pretty straightforward rootsy pop rock band but really had a bit too much sheen on it to be taken as anything more than temporary Top 40 and AAA radio fodder. But Dylan’s voice is unique and inviting, and he has put it to good use with his recent solo records, on which he worked with producers Rick Rubin and T-Bone Burnett with great results.
3. Justin Townes Earle
Son of Steve Earle and named after another great songwriter, Townes Van Zandt, Justin has become an unassuming but powerful and honest songwriter and performer. His music is a traditionally based update of bluegrass, with country, rock and even ’20s-era jazz.
2. Rosanne Cash
Johnny Cash’s daughter is a child of the ’60s and ’70s and manages to synthesize the music of those decades while staying true to the country roots of her family. Her voice is rich, authentic and bruised, and she writes with insight and compassion about real life, often reflecting the tumult of her own.
1. Zak Starkey
Yet another Beatles kid, Ringo Starr’s son Zak is one of the world’s great drummers. I have written before that it’s a bit of a pity that his talents are wasted performing in The Who tribute act that Townshend and Daltry insist on perpetuating. But he’s honestly the only thing interesting about watching them now. He also played with Oasis for a time, but some of his best moments were backing ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr in his short-lived band, The Healers. Here’s to The Who’s eventual permanent retirement.