How many kids of famous songwriters end up being songwriters themselves? The list is very long, … is it a sort of curse for many of them, or a path they feel obligated to follow because of their genetic heritage?
I thought about this when reading about Justin Townes Earle, a Nashville based musician who has already released 4 albums: he is the son of Steve Earle and stepson of Allison Moore, and is coming in Los Angeles for a show on the 25th, at the Autry Western Museum in Griffith Park, an appropriate location for his take on Americana music.
So I was wondering how many are out there, how many kids of famous musicians have tried their chance in the music business. There are Jakob Dylan, son of Bob, John Lennon’s sons, Sean and his half-brother Julian who did take a chance with music a while ago, Harper Simon, Paul’s son, Sally and Ben Taylor who had a double reason to be in the business as they are James Taylor and Carly Simon’s kids, Rufus, Martha and Lucy Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III’s children, Dweezil Zappa, Frank’s son, Bijou Phillips, daughter of John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, Teddy Thompson, Richard and Linda Thompson’s son, Zach Starkey, Ringo Star’s son, Joachim Cooder, Ry’s son, Elijah Blue, Cher’s son, Emma Townshend, Pete’s daughter, Jason Bonham, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham’s son… it goes on and on.
Some have adopted another path, avoiding music but not fame, like Stella McCartney, Jade Jagger, the actress Liv Tyler, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler’s daughter, actress Mackenzie Phillips, John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas’ daughter, Lisa Mary Presley, Elvis’ daughter, painter-actress Ione Skye and filmmaker-actor Donovan Leitch, Donovan’s kids … the list is definitively very long and I am sure there are many others.
It takes some guts (or a large amount of naivety?) to attempt following the steps of such highly successful parents. How can you avoid the constant comparison, the huge challenge to be as good as they were?