It Began with the Blues…New Book Covers Rock’s Greatest Myth

I can remember hearing about the myth of the “27s” at some point. Many people have, as some of rock’s biggest names are on the list: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain, just to name a few. Later I discovered (through Wikipedia) that some of my favorite and more obscure artists died at the age of 27. The long list of tragedies made me realize that the “27s” was more than an urban legend, and there seemed to be something larger at work.

Luckily I was not the only one who came to this realization. Eric Segalstad and Josh Hunter have created a comprehensive and visually stunning investigation into the 27s phenomenon with their new book, The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll. The book offers a full account of the lives of thirty-four musicians who, through their legacies, have constructed rock’s greatest myth. The coverage spans from delta-blues legend Robert Johnson to Minutemen headman D. Boon to Jeremy Michael Ward of The Mars Volta, weaving together interviews, facts, philosophy, astrology, and numerology. All of this combined with Hunters unique artwork makes The 27s more like a graphic novel of rock history than a isolated look at the 27s phenomenon.

The 27s will be released on April 7th, 2009. I have included some sample spreads below for your viewing pleasure. For more information, be sure to check out The 27s website and MySpace page.

Click here and here for more information on The 27s