Worthy of 27

While she became a household name, Amy Winehouse wasn't exactly known for the depth of her musical catalogue. With two releases, and only one that could be considered a success, Amy wasn't exactly at living legend status at the time of her death. But don't tell the media that as they have rushed to push her into the "27 Club", musical artists that all died at the age of 27. These artists include Curt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix.

Now go back, think about those artists, the depth of their musical output, and how it effected the musical universe. Then go back and think about what Amy did. Yes, she was horribly talented. Back to Black was an outstanding release. But that is all she gave before it ended. The impact of Nirvana's Nevermind on the music landscape was historical. What Jimi Hendrix did with the electric guitar is still looked at by every youngster the first time they plug in. Watch any season of American Idol to find the two or three young females who are still trying to kill Me And Bobby McGee. And what front man isn't still stealing moves from Morrison.

And while all these artists generally have the one big album that broke them out of obscurity, they went on to give us more. Winehouse gave us Back To Black. That's it. One big CD. Did it change the course of music? Not even close. Amy didn't start the Stax/Motown resurrection. She certainly led it, but she didn't invent it.

Again... I liked Amy's music. I'm sad she gave in to addiction before giving us more gifts. But, I'm also tired of the media looking for anything to make a story rather than just calling it as it was... the early death of somebody with promise. The 27 Club made good on their promise.