All Mixed Up 06.22.09: Family Tradition
Posted by Tom Santoro on 06.22.2009
It’s Father’s Day (or the day after) so this week I look at some of the best second generation musicians who have super famous rock star dads. Plus, I offer my Top 12 musicians who are children of musicians.
Think of a major musician and chances are they have had a child who has attempted to follow his example. The problem is they will never reach the heights of the parents and will constantly be compared to him. There are some exceptions like Jeff Buckley and Miley Cyrus, who have become just as notable as their famous fathers. However, children of legends never match their father's success.
Some of the progeny of these musicians are unfairly over looked because of how legendary their parents are. Jakob Dylan of the The Wallflowers and son of Bob Dylan saw some great heights in the mid-90s. He had some solid hits with "One Headlight" and "6th Ave Heartache", but will never match the sheer output of his father. Bob was always a critical darling, which never translated to Jakob.
Which one is Bob Dylan?
Some musicians birth dynasties like the Williams Family (Hank Sr., Hank Jr., Hank III and Holly), the Marley Family (Bob, Ziggy, Damien) and the Wainwrights (Loudon, Loudon III, Rufus and Martha). These families are regarded to be the best of their genre. The Williams Family dominates country with their rebellious brand of country music that started with Hank Sr. and was perfected by Hank Jr. Bocephus is by far the most famous second generation musician. His son Hank III and daughter Holly Williams are now continuing the "family tradition" to some critical acclaim. Hank III is more psychobilly than his father and grandfather while Holly is straight country.
Hank Jr. being held by Hank Sr.
Bob Marley is synonymous with reggae music. You can not have one without the other. His clan continues to push his legacy as all of them are involved in reggae music around the world. It started in the late 80s when most of his children performed in Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. Ziggy performed with brother Stephen and sisters Sharon and Cedella and gained acclaim by following their father's footsteps. Into the 90s and 00s, the family continued to release records with Ky-Mani and Damien being the most notable. Without Bob Marley, there would be no reggae music in any form. His family continues to push different styles of it and try and build upon their legacy.
The Wainwrights are a group of folk singer songwriters. Loudon Wainwright III spent most of the 70s writing folk songs that were more novelty than anything else. His children, Rufus and Martha, are far more deeper than he is. They are also more recognizable (at least Rufus is).
The problem with many second generation musicians is they are treated as novelty acts. No matter how good a product they release, interviewers will always ask about their more famous parents often ignoring the albums contents. The focus of the critics often compares the children's works to the parents works, resulting in huge obstacles to overcome. Thus albums by Jakob Dylan and Julian Lennon are more scrutinized, presumably because people think the children did not earn their way to their recording contract.
Sure there are some acts that are pure novelty like Nancy Sinatra, Kelly Osbourne and Lisa Marie Presley who released records because of who their daddies were. I love "These Boots Were Made For Walking" but mostly because of the cheesiness of it. These acts are often exploited and create a huge backlash because theie fathers have more talent in their little toes than they ever will.
Frank and Nancy Sinatra
Others use gimmicks living off their father's fame to get over, like Natalie Cole's posthumous duet with her late father on "Unforgettable" and Master P's exploitation of his son Lil' Romeo to become a child rapper. These ideas are why second generation musicians have obstacles to overcome.
Then there are scores of others that fall into a gray area of success. They include Jason Bonham who fills in for his father play drums for Led Zepplin and had an ok career in metal. Eagle Eye and Neneh Cherry, children of jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, who were both one-hit wonders and Wilson Phillips who had a huge hit "Hold On" despite having to live in the shadow of two legendary performers. Most had a small impact and then faded away into obscurity, session and production work or incessant weight battles.
There you have it a brief synopsis of second generation musicians. Here is my top 12 songs by kids of famous rock star dads.
1. Hank Williams Jr. – "Family Tradition" (Son of Hank Williams Sr.) The most famous kid with a legacy to uphold took his father's honky tonk and added more rebellion and whiskey drinking to it. His wild demeanor scored him legions of fans who love him more than dear old Hank Sr. "Family Tradition" just fits because it sums up this column.
2. The Wallflowers (Jakob Dylan) – "One Headlight" (Son of Bob Dylan): It takes a load of talent and some balls to follow in Bob Dylan's shoes, but for a brief time in the mid-90s Jakob looked more than capable of doing so. This is one of his best songs and the one that garnered the band its most notoriety.
3. Jeff Buckley – "Last Goodbye" (Son of Tim Buckley): Some "family traditions" are not good ones, like the Buckleys. Both Jeff and his father Tim died at a young age right when their careers were about to take off. Both got far more attention for their works after their untimely demise. This is Jeff's most famous though his album Grace is an amazing album.
4. Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers – "Tomorrow People" (Children of Bob Marley): The Marley's are reggae. There is no other way to put it. While his children's styles of reggae are diverse they will never match the legend of their father and the impact his music has had the world over. This is their most famous song.
5. Wilson Phillips – "Hold On" (Daughters of Brian Wilson and John Phillips): This song is my guiltiest pleasure. It affirmations and empowerment make it cheesy, but it is awesome. The girls water down their fathers' version of harmony for top 40 success, then marry crappy Baldwin brothers and blab on about weight loss. I always thought Wendy Wilson was the highlight of the group not Chyna.
6. Nancy Sinatra – "These Boots Were Made For Walking" (Daughter of Frank Sinatra): I wonder what Frank thought about his daughter's campy 60s mod outlook as compared to his straight-laced crooning. It is a pretty good song for the bass line alone.
7. Julian Lennon – "Too Late For Goodbyes" (Son of John Lennon): This was a great little pop song that would have made his daddy proud…alright given their mostly frosty relationship I would say John would probably have never acknowledged it. John would probably prefer son Sean's more avant garde crap.
8. Eagle Eye Cherry – "Save Tonight" (Son of Don Cherry): This is one of my favorite songs of the 90s. Too bad, he only had success with this song as he had a lot of potential.
9. Norah Jones – "Don't Know Why" (Daughter of Ravi Shankar): Her jazzy folk vibe has scored her legions of fans. Her father is a world music icon famous for playing his sitar. Norah maybe reached the height of her fame with this song, but her appearance on Lonely Island's record should help her regain a new following.
10. Miley Cyrus – "7 Things" (Daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus): Who would have thought that the oaf who wrote "Achy Breaky Heart" would have a daughter who is the biggest musical act on the planet not named Jonas. It is amazing what making a deal with Disney will do for a career. If she would just shut up for a minute and not try to be more adult, I think she has potential for longevity. Her music right now is for ‘tweens but she can act (she has great comedic timing) and her songs are not super annoyingly sugary. He also is the father of Trace Cyrus who is finding success with his band Metro Station. Who would have thought his loins would produce this much success?
11. Rufus Wainwright – "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" (Son of Loudon Wainwright III): His laid back delivery is likeable for this simple little love song. He is a very underrated writer and so is his sister Martha who is equally as faboulous.
12. Dweezil and Ahment Zappa – "Hit Me Baby One More Time": (Sons of Frank Zappa The boys covered Britney's hit for the soundtrack to the movie Ready to Rumble. It could have been funnier but I enjoyed it all the same.
