Rock-Stars-of-Aging-by-Marc-Middleton

Rocks Stars of Aging
63
WORK AND PLAY
49: Centenarians Enjoy Music
“If you keep looking for youth, you’re looking for longevity. Just take a
dose of rock ‘n’ roll. It keeps you going just like caffeine in your
coffee. Rock ‘n’ roll is good for your soul, for the well being, for the
psyche, for your everything.” -- Hank Ballard, singer and songwriter
They don’t all like the same kind of music but we’ve yet to meet a
centenarian who didn’t enjoy listening to music on a daily basis. Like
most of us, they seem to prefer the music of their youth.
And someone ought to do a research paper on the number of
centenarian musicians that reach 100. In our experience, it’s a much
higher percentage than non-musicians. We did several interviews
with Bill Tapia, the world’s oldest professional musician. Tapia died a
few weeks before his 104 th birthday and was still booking concerts at
the time. And he didn’t just play – he put on an amazing show. Tapia
would often play the ukulele behind his head, a trick he first learned
about 50 years before Jimi Hendrix.
Roger McGuinn, the legendary founder of the Byrds, is still going
strong in his 70s and has no plans to ever slow down. Roger told us,
“I aspire to be like Andres Segovia. He was in his nineties and
booked into Carnegie Hall when he died. Wow, that's really cool. To
be able to do it until you die, to die with your boots on."
Research has proven many times over that music is powerful therapy
that can improve your mood, boost creativity, enhance sporting
performance and lead to longevity. And don’t think all centenarians
listen to music on an old Victrola.
• 25 percent of centenarians have purchased a music CD
• 12 percent have listened to music on an iPod
• 4 percent download music
Rock Stars of Aging
63