THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT; CHILDREN OF MUSIC LEGENDS ARE TAKING UP THE TRADE.Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer Frances Bean Cobain Frances Bean Cobain (born August 18, 1992) is the only child of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and Hole frontwoman Courtney Love. She was born at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California at 7:48 AM, weighing 7 lb 1 oz (3.2 kg). , your limo is waiting. The 6-year-old daughter of Courtney Love Courtney Love Cobain[1] (born Courtney Michelle Harrison on July 9 1964) is an American rock musician and Golden Globe-nominated actress. Love is best known as lead singer for the now-defunct alternative rock band Hole, and for her two-year marriage to Nirvana and late Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain probably isn't thinking about a music career yet, but if she ever wants one you can bet the major labels will be waiting. Other kids of rock icons didn't wait long. They may not sound like their famous parents, but the offspring of John Lennon Noun 1. John Lennon - English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980) Lennon , Bob Dylan Noun 1. Bob Dylan - United States songwriter noted for his protest songs (born in 1941) Dylan , Pete Townshend, Loudon Wainwright III and Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young). have joined the family business. They've all released very different albums, but they have one thing in common: Everyone thinks they got signed because of their last name. This despite the fact that Jakob Dylan's band the Wallflowers now outsells his dad. Songwriting, however, doesn't ordinarily run in the family. Think about novelists, for instance. There just aren't that many parent/offspring teams who have both been successful. It's not like learning a skill and asking your pop to help get you into the union. You're not only going to be judged on your creativity - and then your sales - but, inevitably how you stack up to Mom or Pop. Then think about what's its like being the offspring of revered figures like Leonard Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. and Richard Thompson, whose songs are the subject of tribute albums. Talk about intimidating. And when you're the son of a Beatle or Dylan, music legends, how do you deal with their legacies? Do you ignore it? Or do you acknowledge it up front and simply hope everyone forgets at some point? Here's a roundup of the new rock brat pack brat pack n. Slang A group of highly successful young people engaged in the same profession: "the kind of overnight fame that characterizes the literary brat pack . They have one other thing in common: They all deny they got their record deals because of their famous last names. Sean Ono Lennon Age: 22 Dad and mom: John Lennon and Yoko Ono Noun 1. Yoko Ono - United States musician (born in Japan) who married John Lennon and collaborated with him on recordings (born in 1933) Ono - nothing serious; dad's been called the most influential figure in the history of pop music; mom's an influential pop artist and experimental musician. After Sean was born, Lennon stayed home with Ono to act as ``house-husband'' in New York's Dakota apartments until he was killed Dec. 8, 1980. Around the house: ``I was 5 when Dad died. As a kid, I was more into my mom's music than my dad's. I know every song she ever wrote. I'm an expert in Yoko Ono's music. Beyond her being my mom, she's also a really good friend. The thing my mom showed me is that all mediums are there for you to use and exploit - from films to visual art to music - and that it is all really just expression. It all boils down to creative ideas. If the concept is good, it doesn't matter if you're making a painting, a sculpture or a pop record.'' Has it made a difference?: ``I feel real lucky because of the name, but that's why I went with (Beastie Boys Beastie Boys is a hip hop musical group from New York City consisting of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and the official DJ for the group Michael "Mix Master Mike" Schwartz. label) Grand Royal - because they would never sign someone because of their last name. To be honest, I don't think the reaction (to my last name) has been totally good. If anyone asks me about my dad or my childhood, I'm happy to talk about it. The shock (of his father's death) I got at an early age created in me an intense distrust, and I reacted to that mistrust by trying to be open with everybody. I've been really friendly with people from a pretty early age. Now that I have all this attention, I want to use it for a positive goal - to get my music out and to promote open-mindedness - those things are important to me.'' The album: ``Into the Sun'' (Grand Royal) - Art-pop with fake jazz and Beach Boys overtones. Sean has some nice instrumentation but the songs seem half-formed. Jakob Dylan Age: 28 Dad: Bob Dylan - An incalculable in·cal·cu·la·ble adj. 1. a. Impossible to calculate: a mass of incalculable figures. b. Too great to be calculated or reckoned: incalculable wealth. influence on popular music; as a songwriter, he showed pop lyrics could mean something; as a singer, he proved you didn't have to boast a conventionally good voice to put your songs across; as a musician, he sparked such genres as folk-rock and country-rock. Around the house: Jakob was born in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , the youngest of five children of Bob Dylan and Sara Lowndes. He was about 3 when the family moved to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. ; his parents divorced in 1977 after 12 years of marriage. In hundreds of interviews, Jakob, whose popular band the Wallflowers won two Grammy Awards Grammy Awards Annual awards given by the Recording Academy (officially the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). The first Grammies (the name is a dimunitive of “gramophone”) were given in 1958. this year, has respected his father's three-decade insistence on privacy and never talked about his dad except in a June 1997 Rolling Stone rolling stone Noun a restless or wandering person interview. At the time, he said, ``I get asked all the time, `What was your dad like as a parent?' And I say, `I'm 27 years old; I'm not a crackhead crack·head n. Slang A heavy user of crack cocaine. ; I don't go on afternoon talk shows and spill.' I mean, you can probably figure out for yourself that he did a decent job.'' Has it made a difference?: Jakob has said the Dylan name has worked against him. ``And I actually found some kind of power in that. I still do. I do not mope and I do not complain. I've driven my own path here and I'm on it and it's fine. But if people think it must be easy ...'' The album: ``Bringing Down the Horse'' (Interscope) - Like his dad, Jakob is no stranger to poetically ambiguous lyrics lots of people can relate to. The Wallflowers' Grammy-winning ``One Headlight,'' and ``6th Avenue Heartache'' were among rock radio's biggest hits last year. The band, currently recording its third album, boasts a rootsy Hammond B-3-driven sound reminiscent of such classic Bob Dylan albums as ``Highway 61 Revisited.'' Emma Townshend Age: 28 Dad: Pete Townshend - His furious guitar chords and windmill strums powered the Who, considered one of the finest British songwriters of his era on the basis of songs like ``The Kids Are Alright,'' ``My Generation'' and the rock opera ``Tommy.'' Around the house: ``My dad would never have a copy of his records at home so I'm not familiar with much of his work,'' she told the British music mag Mojo. Has it made a difference?: ``I'm quite happy to trade on the family name because I'm proud of my dad,'' Townshend said. ``I feel sorry for him because he's always been famous. To date there haven't been that many people in rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. who've had to cope with having a famous parent so it's still a bit of a novelty. It doesn't seem a problem in the movie industry. Look at Michael Douglas. People appreciate Jamie Lee Curtis  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. and Tony
Curtis as individuals. When people hear my music I think they forget
about who my dad is. My mum always kept my feet on the ground. If she
lends you a tenner. she always gets it back off you.''
The album: ``Winterland'' (Eastwest) - Obviously influenced by Kate Bush and Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. She is married to English sound engineer Mark Hawley. Together they have one daughter, Natashya "Tash" Lórien Hawley, born on September 5, 2000. , Emma writes lush confessionals like the track ``Five a Side Football,'' which she says was partly inspired by problems at home. Rufus Wainwright Age: 25 Dad and mom: Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (born on February 6, 1946 in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, who writes and performs as a duo with her sister Anna McGarrigle. - Dad's a singer-songwriter with a sardonic, witty confessional style that's made him a concert favorite in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and England; mom worked with sister Anna in the folk duo the McGarrigles, which received international recognition in 1974 when Linda Ronstadt covered their ``Heart Like a Wheel.'' Around the house: ``We were always the weird artists on the block. For a long time I was resentful (of my dad) because he was away for a long time touring and I thought he didn't love me. But in a weird way, as I got older and realized how dedicated he was to what he wanted to accomplish and how hard he was working, I realized it wasn't his fault. I learned to admire his perseverence.'' Has it made a difference?: ``If the label is banking on the Wainwright name, they're in trouble. No, they didn't sign me for my name. (DreamWorks executive) Lenny Waronker Lenny Waronker was a well known record producer for Warner Bros. Records. He produced recording sessions for The Everly Brothers, Van Dyke Parks, The Beau Brummels, Harpers Bizarre, Randy Newman and Gordon Lightfoot to mention a few. doesn't sign anyone because of their name. I know a lot of these children of famous music people, and except for Teddy Thompson Teddy Thompson (born 1976) is an English singer-songwriter. Biography Early life and family Thompson was born in 1976 in a London Sufi commune. He is the son of folk-rock musicians Richard and Linda Thompson,[1] and brother to singer Kamila Thompson. , I'm really at the bottom of the barrel if you're gonna judge it on the fame of the parents. And I'm thankful for that because I'm free of a lot of things they have to deal with.'' The album: ``Rufus Wainwright'' (DreamWorks) - Bears the influence of opera and cabaret - some call it popera - Van Dyke Parks Van Dyke Parks (born January 3, 1943) is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, and actor. His work spans six decades, and he has worked with luminaries from Grace Kelley to the Beach Boys and the Byrds. did the string arrangements. Adam Cohen Adam Cohen is an American journalist and assistant editorial page editor of The New York Times. Cohen is a lawyer and author, with a particular interest in legal issues, politics and technology. Age: 25 Dad: Leonard Cohen - Born nearly a decade earlier than the Beatles or Rolling Stones Rolling Stones, English rock music group that rose to prominence in the mid-1960s and continues to exert great influence. Members have included singer Mick Jagger (Michael Phillip Jagger), 1943–; guitarists Brian Jones and an intellectual and published poet/novelist to boot, his classic albums - such as ``The Songs of Leonard Cohen,'' ``Songs From a Room'' and ``Songs of Love and Hate'' - are often breathtakingly perfect; he's also the subject of two tribute albums in which his songs are covered by R.E.M. and Bono, among others. Around the house: ``My dad has given me a very high standard by which to live. I've definitely inherited his sensibility. He's given me so much.'' Has it made a difference?: ``You don't get a record deal until the company feels it can make a buck off you. The fact that I am who I am has definitely raised an eyebrow, but I've benefited from that. By putting us all together (other sons and daughters of rock icons) it almost sets up a tone of solidarity that I'm not averse to at all. To resist is to fuel people's intrigue.'' The album: ``Adam Cohen'' (Columbia) - Bears the influence of dad only in terms of people behind the scenes, such as longtime Leonard Cohen producer Steve Lindsay, who produced here; high-profile session musicians such as Dean Parks and Jim Keltner Jim Keltner (born April 27 1942 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a distinguished session drummer who has contributed to the work of many well-known artists. Keltner is best known for his session work on solo recordings by three of the Beatles, working often with George Harrison, John helped out on this collection of catchy pop tunes and ballads. Chris Stills Chris Stills (born 1975) is the son of American rock musician Stephen Stills and French singer-songwriter Veronique Sanson. A musician like his parents, he has played with both his father and his mother. Age: 23 Dad and mom: Stephen Stills and Veronique Sanson - Dad is famed for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash, two of pop's most enduring and successful groups; mom is a French singer, pianist and composer. Around the house: ``When I heard `For What It's Worth' for the first time in my life, I just sat there and played it over and over again. That's when I realized that's what it's all about. It was a big eye-opener. It touched something that all the other (nonsense) didn't come close to.'' Has it made a difference?: ``It makes perfect sense. There's no denying it. I got some of my dad's guitar chops, I got some of my mom's piano chops. I got really lucky on the gene pool. Super lucky. And I'm Anot denying it. When you hear me or look at me, if you have knowledge of my parents, you go, `Wow!' Everybody jumps on it like it's contrived, but this is all natural. We (Stills and second-generation rock pals such as Cohen, Wainwright and Teddy Thompson) fell into this because we love it. This wasn't imposed on us by our parents. In fact, our parents were more, `Try and avoid it, kid. You don't want to go there because this business sucks.' We just happen to be the sons of guys who were part of an era where people were doing something special.'' The album: ``100 Year Thing'' (Atlantic) - Multilayered harmonies, nice melodies and poetic lyrics show this apple didn't fall far from the tree; produced by Ethan Johns Ethan Johns is a music producer who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Rufus Wainwright as well as Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt and others. Johns is the son of legendary producer, Glyn Johns (Rolling Stones, Eagles). , son of famed '60s knob-twirler Glyn Johns (Rolling Stones, the Who). Teddy Thompson Age: 22 Dad and mom: Richard Thompson and Linda Thompson - Before breaking up, the couple released six albums, including the British folk-rock masterpiece ``I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight''; dad is among the most admired and critically acclaimed songwriters and guitarists in folk-rock music; he's also the subject of a three-disc career retrospective and a tribute album in which the likes of R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, David Byrne and Los Lobos cover his songs. Around the house: ``Me and my sister spent a lot of time in the back of the Volvo station wagon at folk festivals and we hated folk music,'' Thompson told Mojo. ``I'd watch my parents on stage and cringe. Dad would close his eyes and and I thought that was so stupid. Folk sounded horrible, droning away with no drums. I can't describe how much I hated it. Only in the last couple of years has that gone away and I'm listening to all the albums and furiously trying to catch up.'' Has it made a difference?: Teddy has a publishing deal but not a record contract. He appeared with Richard Thompson on his British tour last January. ``He wasn't obliged to ask me to sing with him. He's done his fatherly fa·ther·ly adj. 1. Of, like, or appropriate to a father: fatherly love. 2. Showing the affection of a father. adv. In a manner befitting a father. duty. When I sign, I want to Ado a quick record, not spend 18 months like Rufus.'' CAPTION(S): 10 Photos Photo: (1--Cover--Color) POP GO THE KIDS Their parents were music legends: names like John Lennon and Bob Dylan. Now the sons and daughters of rock's biggest icons (Sean Lennon and Jakob Dylan among them) are finding success on their own. Photo Illustration - Jon Gerung/Daily News (2) Sean Ono Lennon (3) John Lennon and Yoko Ono (4) Jakob Dylan (5) Bob Dylan (6) Emma Townshend (7) Pete Townshend (8) Rufus Wainwright (9) Adam Cohen (10) Chris Stills |
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