Rob Beeson looks at some of the pop stars and unique talents to have graced stamps over the years. As some of the most famous and recognisable personalities on the planet, pop stars occupy a strangely familiar territory, we feel as if we know them, yet they are often extroverts with lifestyles which are as different from ours as one can imagine. Many of those who have been featured on stamps are not just pop stars but icons that have left an indelible mark on the face of modern, popular culture and inspire enormous loyalty among fans.
We look at some of the major music talents who have been commemorated on stamps over the years.
The Beatles
The world’s biggest selling band, The Beatles emerged from Liverpool in the early 1960s after John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and (eventually) Ringo Starr signed to EMI’s Parlophone record label (they had been rejected by every other British record company). Their first single, Love Me Do was released in 1962 and charted largely because their manager Brian Epstein bought a large quantity for his family’s record shops.
Beatlemania in Britain began in earnest in 1963, following the band’s televised performance at the London Palladium, although the Americans were a little reluctant to embrace the Fab Four. Confused by their ‘scandalously long hair’, it wasn’t until the Beatles appeared three times in quick succession on the influential Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 that Beatlemania spread across the Atlantic. By April 1964 the band occupied all five top spots in the Billboard chart, a feat that remains unique to this day.
The Beatles’ popularity continued to grow throughout the 1960s, as did their willingness to embrace drug-fuelled experimentation, until tensions between members (and the loss of manager Brian Epstein, who died in 1967) saw the band split in 1970. Each of the members embarked on
different projects following the split, McCartney formed Wings with his wife Linda whilst solo careers beckoned for the other three members. The world was shocked in 1980 when John Lennon was assassinated by obsessed fan Mark Chapman in New York, whilst Harrison has also since passed away, succumbing to cancer in 2001.
Not surprisingly, the band and its individual members have adorned a number of different commemoratives over the years. Great Britain and Australia released a joint issue in 1988 consisting of four stamps celebrating the Australian bicentenary. One 34p stamp (Great Britain SG 1399) from the set featured John Lennon along with William Shakespeare.
Germany also commemorated Lennon in 1988 (SG 2238), along with other late greats, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison, as part of their ‘Youth Welfare’ charity issue. A number of countries released stamps in 1999 which featured key figures from the 20th century. Belgium, for example, issued a set of 80 stamps which spanned four series of sheets.
Entitled ‘The story of the 20th century told in 80 stamps’ the Beatles were depicted on the first sheet of the series (MS3535) in classic band pose.
Gibraltar marked what would have been John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 30th Wedding Anniversary (they were married there) with a special issue on 20 March 1999 consisting of three different stamps (SG 877/9) and a miniature sheet (MS880).
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley has sold more records worldwide than any other artist in history and continues to do so despite his premature death, aged just 42, in 1977.
He has sold over one billion records and is responsible for dramatically changing the face of popular culture in the mid 1950s. Elvis was the first entertainer to bring Rock ’n’ Roll directly into people’s living rooms with some historic television performances. His appearance on The Milton Berle Show in 1956 caused outrage as a young Elvis gyrated his way through Hound Dog.
Then followed an appearance
on the Steve Allen Show that saw Elvis mockingly restrained, singing Hound Dog to a Bassett Hound. Having vowed never to have Elvis on his flagship show, Ed Sullivan booked the King to make three appearances for a then-record $50,000. His third appearance on 6 January 1957 has gone down in TV history as he was shown from the waist up only and Sullivan declared ‘I wanted to say to Elvis and the country that this is a real decent, fine boy.
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Under the control of manager, Colonel Tom Parker, often portrayed as an evil parasite, Elvis was pushed towards Hollywood and made 31 movies. Most of these revolved around song performances and saw Elvis make the transition from Rock ’n’ Roller to family entertainer. He also ful- filled his compulsory two-year military service between 1958 and 1960.
After he returned from the army he became increasingly frustrated by the direction his career was taking, with a punishing filming schedule preventing him from recording new material. His star began to wane as The Beatles and other British bands gained in popularity throughout the 1960s, until a triumphant TV appearance was aired on 3 December 1968. Dubbed ‘The Comeback Special’, Elvis appeared in a leather catsuit, having recaptured some of the danger which initially made him so exciting.
Having successfully relaunched his musical career, Elvis embarked on a hectic performing schedule and between 1969 and 1977 gave over 1000 sold-out performances in Las Vegas and on tour. Addiction to drugs and food had gripped Elvis by the mid-1970s though and was visibly taking its toll on his health as well as his appearance. He performed for the final time at the Market Square Arena in Indiana on 26 June 1977, before dying of a heart attack on 16 August.
In addition to the records Elvis holds for his musical achievements, his face also adorns the best selling commemorative issue in history, the US 29c. (SG 2769) which has sold over 517 million copies since its release on 8 January 1993. In a previously unheard of move, the US Postal Service let the public choose between two different possible designs for the stamp— one was of a young, fresh looking Elvis, the other was an image of Elvis in his 1973 Aloha from Hawaii TV special.
Over 1.2 million votes were cast and the image of young Elvis was used. A number of other countries have also commemorated Elvis with a stamp, including Germany who featured a number of legendary stars on their 1988 ‘Youth Welfare’ issue.
The stamps had a charity surcharge and Elvis appeared on the 60pf. + 30pf. value (SG 2236).
Jim Morrison
A true icon, Jim Morrison was the charismatic frontman with The Doors who in- fluenced a generation during the late 1960s. Famed for his legendary intake of drugs and alcohol, Morrison represented a new, darker breed of Rock star, complete with leather trousers and authority-baiting onstage shenanigans.
Morrison’s baritone voice coupled with Ray Manzarek’s distinctive keyboard meant that the band created a unique platform from which Morrison could deliver his lyrics.
A keen poet, Morrison used his words to help generate an element of mystique and menace. Hits such as Light My Fire, Riders on the Storm and LA Woman have cemented The Doors’ place in Rock history, whilst Morrison fulfilled the final criteria for becoming a legend in his own right—he died young.
Having fled to Paris in 1971 in order to stop drinking and concentrate on his writing, Morrison was found dead in his bath on 3 July 1971.
He was 27. The official cause of death given as a heart attack but mystery continues to surround Morrison’s death. His girlfriend Pamela Coulson was the only one who saw his body, along with an unidentified doctor and rumours persist that Morrison faked his own death in order to escape the limelight, especially as he had allegedly discussed doing so with friends.
Morrison was among the legends featured on the 1988 German ‘Youth Welfare’ issue, adorning the 70pf + 35pf surcharge value (SG 2237).
Rock and Rhythm Blues Music—USA 1993
The US issued a set of stamps in 1993 commemorating some early Rock ’n’ Roll stars who greatly helped the advancement of this new and exciting genre of music. Elvis, who we’ve already covered, was naturally among them, as were some of the real founding fathers of the burgeoning Rock ’n’ Roll scene.
Buddy Holly
One of the true pioneers, Holly rose to prominence with his band The Crickets during the late 1950s. Having been excited by watching a young Elvis Presley perform in his home town of Lubbock in 1955, Holly would soon find himself on the same bill as the King in Lubbock before opening for Bill Haley and his Comets.
With solo success proving difficult to come by, Holly formed his own band, ‘The Crickets’, and went on to pen classics such as That’ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue and Not Fade Away.
The band enjoyed more hits and were one of the most popular acts performing during the late 50s, before Holly decided to go solo again. Having embarked on a tour with fellow performers Ritchie Valens and ‘Big Bopper’ J P Richardson in 1959, the trio were sadly killed following a plane crash in a field in the early hours of 3 February amidst a heavy snow storm.
Buddy Holly influenced a generation, and Lennon, McCartney, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan have all paid tribute to this early Rock ’n’ Roll legend.
The US Postal Service did too in 1993 by issuing a 29c. stamp depicting Holly (SG 2824), complete with guitar and trademark glasses. He was also featured in Germany’s 1988 ‘Youth Welfare’ set of stamps, depicted on the 50pf.
+ 25pf. Surcharge value (SG 2235).
Ritchie Valens
As mentioned previously, Ritchie Valens was among those who sadly lost their lives prematurely following a plane crash on 3 February 1959.
Born in 1941, Valens was the first Hispanic rock star and enjoyed hits such as Come On, Let’s Go, Donna and La Bamba before his untimely demise.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. The 29c.
stamp issued by USPS in 1993 features the singer performing in front of a microphone (SG 2825).
Bill Haley
Many argue that it was Bill Haley who was primarily responsible for popularizing Rock ’n’ Roll in the mid-1950s. Bill Haley and his Comets were among the first acts to score hits after they changed their style from country and their name from The Saddlemen.
Their version of Crazy Man Crazy became the first Rock ’n’ Roll song to hit the American charts in 1953 and was swiftly followed by Shake, Rattle and Roll in 1954.
In 1955 Rock Around the Clock became the first million seller in both Great Britain and Germany and Haley embarked on the first European Rock ’n’ Roll tour performed by an American. The younger, sexier Elvis would quickly seize the baton but Haley’s influence cannot be underestimated.
He was rightly honoured in 1993 by USPS with a 29c. stamp which depicted a smiling Haley playing the guitar (SG 2826).
Dinah Washington
Known as the ‘Queen of the Blues’, Dinah Washington displayed a prodigious talent from an early age where she played piano and sung in her church choir.
She graduated from Walter Dyett’s renowned music class at DuSable High School before performing in clubs as well as continuing in a gospel choir.
She released her first hit, Evil Gal Blues, in 1943 for Keynote Records and a string of hits on the R B charts followed throughout the 1950s. She truly became a household name in 1959 when What a Diff’rence a Day Makes earned her a Grammy Award for Best R B Performance.
The album of the same name went on to be hugely successful, although critics rounded on Washington, claiming she had betrayed her roots.
Seven different husbands and a diva-like personality meant that Washington led a colourful albeit short life, she died following an overdose at the age of 39 in 1963, whilst married to American Football star Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane. She is depicted on a 29c.
stamp delivering a typically committed performance (SG 2827).
Otis Redding
The voice of Southern Soul, Otis Redding was born in Macon, Georgia in 1941 and enjoyed a sadly short career due to a tragic plane crash which ended his life at just 26. Having recorded on the renowned Tennessee-based soul label Stax, Redding released consisting of his best work.
The singer is beautifully captured on the 29c. stamp (SG 2828) dressed in a sharp suit, singing during one of his legendary live shows.
Clyde McPhatter
Along with Bill Haley, North Carolina born Clyde McPhatter can genuinely be regarded as one of the earliest Rock ’n’ Roll pioneers.
He joined Billy Ward and The Dominoes and helped them to release Sixty Minute Man in 1951, one of the first Rock ’n’ Roll singles.
Despite supplying the lead vocals for the band, McPhatter received little money or recognition and left to form The Drifters, who went on to score huge hits in the shape of Money Honey, White Christmas, Watcha Gonna Do and Honey Love. Like Elvis, McPhatter was drafted for Military Service in 1954 but was stationed within the US and so was able to continue recording.
He left The Drifters to go solo shortly after being discharged, but failed to make much impact, largely because whiteacts covered much of his work, achieving widespread commercial success in the process. Early 1960s hits such as I Never Knew and Lover Please followed, but by this time alcoholism had gripped McPhatter and he was becoming increasingly unreliable. Other black artists such as Sam Cooke, Rudy Lewis and a new incarnation of The Drifters adopted McPhatter’s sound to great effect before he sadly died from a heart attack aged just 39.
A young, smiling McPhatter is depicted on the 1993 US issue (SG 2829).
Irish Rock Legends
Issued on 17 October 2002 by An Post, four stamps were used to commemorate some of Ireland’s most important rock stars—U2 (SG 1555), Thin Lizzy mainman Phil Lynott (1556), Van Morrison (1557) and Rory Gallagher (1588).
U2
Formed at school in the late 1970s, U2 have gone on to become one of the biggestselling rock bands in history and continue to be so nearly 30 years on.
Having initially imitated the stark, postpunk sound of bands such as Joy Division, the band drifted into more mainstream territory throughout the 1980s, although their often religious and passionate lyrics set them apart from shallow 80s acts such as Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. A blistering performance at 1985’s Live Aid and a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums followed, with 1987’s The Joshua Tree often cited as the band’s best work. Success continued throughout the 1990s as the band well and truly cracked America, staging extravagant stadium gigs and continuing to sell millions of records.
This has carried on into the 21st century, although frontman Bono is now just as likely to be seen discussing Third World Debt relief with world leaders as he is singing to 100,000 fans in a sold-out arena. The four band members appear pictured together on a 41c. stamp—Bono, drummer Larry Mullen, bassist Adam Clayton and guitarist The Edge.
Phil Lynott
Inspired by guitarist Jimi Hendrix, Phil Lynott formed Thin Lizzy in 1969 and was the band’s lead singer and bassist. Hits during the 1970s such as The Boys are Back in Town and Whisky in the Jar became the band’s anthems but despite a large and loyal fan base, they never quite managed to achieve mainstream success.
The band split up in the mid 1980s and Lynott went solo, scoring hits such as Dirty Town and Yellow Pearl, which was then used as the theme tune to Top of the Pops.
Tragedy struck though in 1986 when the singer died following a heroin overdose. Lynott is depicted on 41c. stamp looking every inch the rock star, guitar and black leather trousers included.
Van Morrison
Originally from Northern Ireland, ‘Van the Man’ first came on the scene as lead singer with Them, writing their seminal hit Gloria. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Morrison left the band to embark on a solo career in 1966, recording hits such as Brown-eyed Girl, Moondance and Domino, as well as what is considered his finest body of work, the 1968 album Astral Weeks.
With his sound tightly bound by American soul, R’n’B and Jazz, as well as Celtic influences, Van Morrison’s career has spanned five highly successful decades and he has recently been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
He continues to record and tour regularly, collaborating with other big hitters such as John-Lee Hooker when the opportunity arises and remains hugely popular both at home and abroad.
A striking looking Van Morrison appears on a 57c. stamp dressed head to toe in black, playing the saxophone.
Rory Gallagher
Born in 1948, Rory Gallagher was an Irish guitar hero and an inspiration for musicians from Queen’s Brian May to The Smiths’ Johnny Marr. Having played in various showbands in the early 1960s, Gallagher turned The Impact into a proper R’n’B outfit before forming a new band, Taste, in 1966.
The band, whose line-up included drummer John Wilson and bassist Richard McCracken, became live favourites and released a number of recordings which perfectly captured the band’s sound, including their final performance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, where sadly they split up.
Gallagher went solo and remained a shy man, never marrying or having children and devoting his life solely to the blues. He was voted 1972’s Musician of the Year by readers of Melody Maker, knocking off guitar rival Eric Clapton, and embarked on a relentless touring schedule.
The Rolling Stones attempted to recruit the Irish guitar legend but he refused, fearing he would not be able to play in his own style and so he continued to work alone, touring despite increasing health problems.
Rory Gallagher sadly died on 14 June 1995 following complications arising from a liver transplant. He is beautifully depicted on a 57c. stamp performing in his younger days, complete with guitar.
Stamps designed by rock stars
Not content with just appearing on stamps, some stars have actually contributed to the design of certain issues. Canadian Bryan Adams, as well as enjoying music is also a keen photographer and he was among a number of high profile snappers invited to photograph the Queen for her official 2002 Jubilee portraits in late 2001.
The image captured by Adams was used by Canada Post in December 2003 on a 49c.
stamp. Adams was clearly delighted; ‘I think the thing that made this photo win out was The Queen’s charming smile. It is one in a million.
I’m thrilled it was chosen by Canada Post’. Paul McCartney took a more involved approach when he designed stamps for the Isle of Man in 2002.
Having discovered that Sir Paul had spent some time on the island in his younger days, the philatelic bureau decided to approach the ex-Beatle to see if he would be interested in offering a design.
McCartney then began examining different stamp designs and returned with six of his own entitled ‘Happy Memories of the Isle of Man’. The stamps boast a floral theme and proceeds from sales of the stamps have gone to the Adopt a Minefield charity fronted by McCartney and his wife, Heather Mills-McCartney.
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