Keith Urban didnt break until he was about 38 or so. But he isnt really rock and has looks and had a strong media push.


The guitarist in disturbed is getting a lot of attention as a player lately and he is 40.

When you hit 40 and arent famous it is time to rethink your musical style. I am 38 but if I walk into a bar and see 45 year o lds playing Creem tunes I leave.

I'll be honest with you. I'm not sure if there's anybody over THIRTY who's made it just popping out of nowhere in ANY GENRE OF MUSIC. I'm sure there's a few that I don't know about but in general most people who get their breaks are in their 20s. As far as the rock scene, I think it's mostly this way because 1) the rock labels want to sign young looking peeps, 2) 'marketable' bands don't usually allow older guys to replace deaprting members, and 3) people over 30 have wife, kids, job, and don't have the time to be touring and that stuff. Since 'rock' is less difficult to play, you must be young AND have an image/attitude. I guess it's a trade off. Jazz and classical, on the other hand, age and looks wouldn't be as much of an issue at all, but to attain that talent level, you would have pretty much have had to be practicing/playing/jamming/networking throughout your teens and 20s. Rare is the 40 year old who has 6 hours a day to practice for the next 5 years. So, that's why you don't see much of that. Anyway, that's just my half-baked theory and I'm sure I'm missing a lot of guys who have made it. I'm also dealing with the same reality as an 'older' guy in his 30s. I think I'll go cry now...

Well as far as playing Cream tunes, I don't think so. I'm thinking more like Disturbed, or Megadeth. Cream broke up when I was seven or eight. If you go to music stores these days you see a lot of 40 to 50 year old guys trying out a guitar, or whatever. I work with a guy who's 54 who's ready to go. He's in good shape and manages to wear his own sons out when hiking and climbing. This generation of oldsters aren't ready to just lay down and die. I see them driving around in muscle cars, flying around on Harleys, and playing very loud guitars. And with plastic surgery, excersize, healthy diet, and lots of practice, who knows?

Here is my theory, 75% of people who choose to go to concerts are female, AS IN, when you ask your wife/girlfriend/etc. to go see buckethead, she says "ewww, hes a freak, lets watch chick flicks", but you have no choice but to go see kenny chesney with her, because if you don't, you are in trouble. What this means to me is that having an image that women like (sexy) will be much more important in terms of sales than having interesting music. the numbers are all hypothetical, and i'm not saying that you can't be older and still have huge amounts of sex appeal, but if you can't get the women, it makes you that much harder to sell.

I'm over 40, way over and you are probably right - arena shows are probably not in my future. I thiink I'm in a good place I got some fair equipment and playing better than I ever have Yeah I would like to have a band and call the band OFF (Old Fat F**kers) and play around a little but the goal is songwriting. I wouldn't need to play an arena but I sure as hell would love to get a tune on the radio. Let some twenty year old beat himself to death every night I just want to write his songs.

today july 10 ronnie james dio is 66 he's a younin

I guess there's a first for everything. I never expect to play arenas, but it would be nice to have some measure of financial and personal success in music. It's weird getting older. You wonder where all the time went, and believe me, it goes by sooo fast. But you still feel the same, hopefully wiser, but the same. You start to see doors closing everywhere, not just in music, but everywhere. But like Jack Nicholson once said, "Nobody gives it to ya', You have to take it!" Sorry, but I'm not ready for Bingo Night at the 4-H club just yet. Now where the hell did I leave my dentures?

Ted Nugent at age 59---------------------------------------------------------------------->

a lot of good answers here. I would have to say its a good combo of everything posted above. You need to be marketable, not really so much youngat my age,37 i know I'm not gonna make it big, but becoming known locally would be great. besides I couldn't just quit my job and tour the country unless I was getting paid....

It works both ways - I had an online audition where I was sent some jazz charts and given 30 minutes to come up with something and send it back. They absolutely loved what I had done, and I was ready to pack up and leave for 3 months on a cruise ship down to south america about 10 years ago. Well... I show up for the first rehearsal and they take one look at me and say "you're too young." Total garbage. Now obviously I wasn't about to make it big but it would have been nice to be judged by my playing and not because I'm baby faced.

I think that "popular music" these days is more about image. Look at all the rock and metal guys from the 80's... they had nothin going on in the looks department [sorry slash]. I also resent the above post saying that rock is an easier style to play. Sure it can be, depending on the material, but there are just as many jazz guys who can't grab on to the ideas and techniques as there are rockers who can't pick up other styles - it's just different and if you've been playing in a few styles all your life, it's hard to swing around and play something new. That's just my opinion though. I feel that guitar players from "more respectable" genres have talked down on the angrier styles of music just like the rest of the music community have made fun of guitar players for not sight reading as proficiently and how guitar players talk down on the 4-stringers and beat-keepers.

People get chosen, or not, for a lot of reasons. Age, Hair (does he have "good" hair), etc.
Allow me to throw in a dream crushing fact though. If you're thinking you're gonna play arenas and be a "rock star" the chances are stacked against you even if age isn't a factor. Stop for a minute and actually count the number of acts that are doing those gigs. Even if you count the opener you're WAAY small in the number with respect to the folks out there playing. The best way to play that type of gig is to be a hired gun. You know, the guy no one knows or cares about because he's not in the spotlight ever. Who is say Hanna Montana's guitar player? He's playing arenas, getting paid (probably VERY well) and on the up side doesn't have to do the interviews, promos, or in stores. It's a great life.