DAILY DIRT: Like a rock, Seger deserves legendary status

And it’s difficult to fathom that Jimi Hendrix has been dead for 53 years … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 626 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Today we start a little fun in the almost-summer sun with our thoughts on who should be considered the most underrated male singer, female vocalist and band of the rock era.

First up are the guys. Here’s our top three choices for most underrated — or at least underappreciated — talent in this genre:

1. Bob Seger: Writer Tim Peacock once said, “Seger wrote impassioned, blue-collar anthems with an across-the-board appeal which he delivered with a raspy voice and a gutsy urgency.” Very well put, especially when examining such Seger classics as “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man,” “Like A Rock,” “Shame on the Moon” and “Night Moves.” “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” was the first Seger record I ever purchased. It wound up being the first of many. Incredibly, Seger is 78 and still going strong.

2. Jack Bruce: He was one-third of Cream, rock’s first super group (Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker). Bruce, often the forgotten member of that group, died at age 71 in 2014, but his efforts on such songs as “White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love” should never be forgotten.

3. Jimi Hendrix: Of course, he’s arguably the greatest rock guitarist of all-time, but he was also an effective vocalist. Hendrix had what was described as a “rich, smoky baritone” that allowed some truly memorable performances, no matter what niche the songs were classified under. Hendrix gave us classic ballads, blues-influenced offerings and pure, unadulterated soul. Hendrix died at age 27 in 1970.

2. Medal-worthy reasonings on this rather warm and muggy June day:

Gold medal: “It isn’t the heat, it’s the humility.” – former MLB catcher and well–known abuser of the English language, Yogi Berra.

Silver medal: “Summer bachelors like summer breezes, are never as cool as they pretend to be.” ― journalist and filmmaker Nora Ephron.

Bronze medal: “Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy.” – author and inspirational speaker Regina Brett.

3. Just wondering aloud if there is another MLB player more cursed than left-handed pitcher Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox? 

The talented and hard-throwing lefty is sidelined yet again with some sort of ailment. He was forced from a game earlier this week with shoulder pain, just when it appeared he was rounding into old form after missing considerable time in recent years due to Tommy John surgery, a rib cage fracture, broken pinky finger and a broken wrist.

The good news? Sale’s $30 million-a-year contract helps soothe the pain of those injuries.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – Back to Jimi Hendrix for a second. Although “Purple Haze,” the unofficial Hendrix anthem, was by far his most accepted offering to pop culture, my personal favorite was “Fire.” 

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He needs his own Silver Bullet Band.