There are claims that three years before her death Amy Winehouse said she was afraid of turning 27. It’s as if she knew she’d find herself a member of the club Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, and Jim Morrison were a part of. This group of musical geniuses who died young yet whose fame lived forever has created an entire myth around those who died at the age of 27. Everything they touched seems to acquire a special significance: their first instruments, their graves or memorials, even their childhood homes.
Others who are part of this exclusive collection of rock and roll gods who left too soon are Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Linda Jones, Grateful Dead’s Ron McKernan, The Stooges’ Dave Alexander, among others. Unlike names that have also had tragic ends, it seems that we cannot fathom why they didn’t make it. We cannot imagine just how much they would’ve changed and innovated their genre had they lived.
Fans continue to grieve and listen to the music of their favorite member of the 27 club. But dedicated fans have even gone on pilgrimages to the hometowns or regular watering holes of these artists. If you’re interested in going on one of these morbid excursions, here are some places you could look into.
Graves
Some of the top places for 27 club fans to go are the graves and mausoleums belonging to members of this group. Despite Kurt Cobain not having an actual grave, there is a memorial park for him in his hometown of Aberdeen, Washington with an entrance sign saying “Come as You Are.” Jimi Hendrix’s grave is in Greenwood Cemetery near Seattle. Amy Winehouse’s memorial can be visited at Edwarebury Lane Cemetery in London. Jim Morrison’s remains rest in Paris. There are some that are harder to find, such as Janis Joplin’s, whose ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
Recording Studios
If you’re more interested in paying homage to their work, you can visit the places where they created these beautiful sounds. The Sunset Sound studio in Hollywood is the place where The Doors and The Rolling Stones produced some of their most famous works. The space where Nirvana recorded Nevermind is no longer existent, but the birthplace of In Utero, Pachyderm, still stands in Minnesota. Amy Winehouse’s fans are “lucky” that her recent death allows them to visit several of her frequented places, for they’re still there. There’s Allido Studios, Chunk King Studios, and Daptone in New York, as well as Metropolis Studios in London.
Museums and Homes
Across the world there are several museums that have acquired some sort of object belonging to a member of the 27 club. So you might not need to travel far to see it. That being said, these artists’ homes and hometowns keep special legendary memorabilia. There’s plenty of stuff belonging to Amy Winehouse in London; there’s even a statue of her in Camden Market in North London. Janis Joplin’s car is usually touring the US. People visit Kurt Cobain’s childhood home in Washington State or sit at the bench in Viretta Park, Seattle, which is in front of the house where he died.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum
This location is important yet ironic for music fans. It’s a venue aimed at synthesizing in its walls and shelves the story of the sounds we’ve grown up and currently listen to. They also feature particular wings dedicated to specific members of the 27 club. It’s located in Cleveland, where Alan Freed, the man who coined the term “Rock and Roll,” was born.
There’s something especially tragic about the death of a great artist. We might have never met them, and yet we too are heartbroken. Whether it was a wrong choice or an unexpected turn of events, destiny took their future, and by doing so made them immortal. The members of the 27 club will be always remembered as young and full of hope. As for those of us who visit their relics, we see through these objects how our lives have been touched by their music.
Translated by María Suárez
