#1936443 - 05/03/08 11:26 AM
Another rainy day thought...
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splitting hare
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Miro's "Lightning Strikes" thread got me to start thinking about a similar topic I have wondered about from time to time, and that is child or teenage prodigies.
We see them often in the music world and I am not talking about some bubble gum teen star with so-so talent. I am referring to someone who has excelled greatly on their instrument and can really play.
How many child prodigies that have gained notoriety have contineud a certain level of fame or success throughout their lives? How many have been doomed later in life by their early achievements - either by peaking early or perhaps despite all their talents, were seen more as a novelty by the public because of their age? Is it a good thing that they discover fame at such a young age, perhaps physically capable and mature enough but with still a lot to experience and mature mentally?
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#1936507 - 05/03/08 02:01 PM
Re: Another rainy day thought...
[Re: splitting hare]
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fantasticsound
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Well, I wouldn't talk about child actors. We all know there are Gary Colemans as well as Ron Howards. Some survive the pitfalls of fame and praise while others fall prey to excess and/or becoming a victim of their own fame, unable to be cast in most anything substantive because the business is convinced they are only seen by the public in the role that made them famous.
As for rock and roll, I'm not sure I've seen any real prodigies that made it young. I don't consider bubble-gum pop that begets child stars from time to time to be the same as rock in this regard.
But in bluegrass music it is not uncommon for child prodigies who get some reknown early to become famous adult players. Marty Stuart and Charlie Cushman , in their teens, played with Lester Flatt after the break between Lester and Earl Scruggs. Charlie played banjo (How hot must you be to replace the most famous banjo player in history??) and Marty played mandolin. Marty, of course, went on to a famous career but even Charlie has kept his face and chops in front of a wide audience despite being relatively unknown outside bluegrass circles. He played for Opry Star Mike Snider for years, plays with Marty's Fabulous Superlatives and many other bands and is an in demand session player.
Ricky Skaggs had opportunities to wow crowds as a kid and made quite an impression on Bill Monroe when he was about 10. Locals at a concert convinced Bill to let Ricky up on stage and show his stuff... and he already had LOT of stuff.  I think Ricky's done pretty well for himself... 
There are many others you'd never have heard of outside bluegrass circles, but are well known in the genre who were discovered early and continue to have success.
But life and the music business are fickle things... Just because you show great promise or even make good on that promise in ability doesn't mean you'll have continued fame.
I don't know that this really answers your question but it was what I came up with. 
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#1936642 - 05/03/08 10:30 PM
Re: Another rainy day thought...
[Re: fantasticsound]
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super combinator
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on a not so serious note I realized when i was 8-10 i was going to be the next big thing  & asked mom & dad for an electric guitar & recd a big BIG NO! But they offered the acoustic option which I quickly turned down.
Speed ahead about 35yrs & I bought my 1st electric guitar but the whole prodigy skill set has mysteriously disappeared, so now we will never know what might have been 
But its still fun to reminice........
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#1936684 - 05/04/08 05:20 AM
Re: Another rainy day thought...
[Re: super combinator]
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Kramer Ferrington III.
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Well... "prodigies"... I don't think the pop music industry cares a lot about technical virtuosity, which is why rap guys sell more records than Satriani or Vai.
So having said that, I think you can be as much of a prodigy as you want but it doesn't mean that when you grow up and beyond the "novelty act" thing, you are going to spend much time in the public eye, no matter how good you are. And of course, the music biz is full of bands in their late teens/early twenties, so you have less and less time in which to be a prodigy.
NB: I'm talking about "child prodigies" who go on to success at a Michael Jackson level. THAT is what I mean by "the public eye". I'm sure most famous guitarists out there were quite good at an early age, it's just that after a while people don't seem to care as much, and the nature of technically involved music means that if yo want to pull out all the stops, you'll be doing it for a small subset of mature cognoscenti rather than 14 year old girls.
In fact, I wonder whether the opposite happens, where if you're playing publicly at 70 you are noticed more than if you're doing it at five. I think that the music industry feels more comfortable with really old musicians because at least they don't have to go into "aw, shucks!" mode.
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#1936685 - 05/04/08 05:23 AM
Re: Another rainy day thought...
[Re: splitting hare]
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Hardtail
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How many child prodigies that have gained notoriety have contineud a certain level of fame or success throughout their lives?
Not many. Two "guitar players" I can think of that went beyond their childhood into good careers as adults are Derek Trucks and Bireli Lagrene.
Edited by Hardtail (05/04/08 05:23 AM)
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#1936759 - 05/04/08 09:02 AM
Re: Another rainy day thought...
[Re: fantasticsound]
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Scott Fraser
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But in bluegrass music it is not uncommon for child prodigies who get some reknown early to become famous adult players. Marty Stuart and Charlie Cushman , in their teens, played with Lester Flatt after the break between Lester and Earl Scruggs. Ricky Skaggs had opportunities to wow crowds as a kid and made quite an impression on Bill Monroe when he was about 10. Locals at a concert convinced Bill to let Ricky up on stage and show his stuff... and he already had LOT of stuff. I think Ricky's done pretty well for himself...
And Mark O' Connor started quite early & has had a full & healthy music life. I think Bela Fleck was also winning banjo competitions when he was in his early teens.
Scott Fraser
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#1936763 - 05/04/08 09:11 AM
Re: Another rainy day thought...
[Re: splitting hare]
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miroslav
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How many child prodigies that have gained notoriety have contineud a certain level of fame or success throughout their lives? How many have been doomed later in life by their early achievements - either by peaking early or perhaps despite all their talents, were seen more as a novelty by the public because of their age? Is it a good thing that they discover fame at such a young age, perhaps physically capable and mature enough but with still a lot to experience and mature mentally?
And not even just the "prodigies"....what about the mildly talented "teen idols"?
I've been picking up bits of the recent Miley Cyrus brouhaha over those pictures she took...and I have to wonder if she will be another teen start that will fizz by her mid/late twenties...or will she get over that hump and mature into a long-term singer/performer...???
I get the feeling that she is only filling the Britney void...just for the moment...
_________________________
miroslav - miroslavmusic.com"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."
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#1936815 - 05/04/08 11:31 AM
Re: Another rainy day thought...
[Re: miroslav]
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splitting hare
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As for rock and roll, I'm not sure I've seen any real prodigies that made it young.
Yeah, it might be more common place in say, like bluegrass (as per your examples) or classical music even. Unless, say for example, the boys in Hanson were capable of playing their instruments at a level more so than what was actually heard. I mean, David Cassidy made the claim that he could and wanted to shred a guitar solo or two out but wasn't allowed to do so since it wasn't part of the Partridge Family image.
One name that kind of came to mind who is currently experiencing a good bit of success at a young age is Eric Steckel. About a year ago, a guitar friend of mine gave me a copy of his CD and said, "check this kid out...he is only 16 now. I can only imagine what he will be doing in about 5 or 10 years from now." This is the kind of thing that gets me thinking about the topic here. Yes, Eric Steckel is quite talented and has outstanding technique. However, will we ever get to see or hear his abilities as a blues guitar player mature into that much more soulful playing that comes with age and experience? I wonder if 5 or 10 years from now, the fact that he will no longer be a teenager make him of less interest to the public (or record companies), even so he might be even so much better musically than he is now.
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Moderator: myles_rose, A String, Bluesape
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Oddly enough my wife and I are somewhat of an enigma among some of the teenagers in the neighborhood. They hear this rock and roll music coming from our house and they seem somewhat surprised when they find out it is us (and even older band members) making all the noise. "But you guys are...old!" they say. Hey, 42 isn't old, sonny! And stay the hell off my lawn! Punk! 
