Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham beats Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Freddie Mercury in a poll to see
‘Which dead rock star you would bring back to life’.

Thousands of music fans voted in the poll on This Day in Music.com to see which dead rock stars people would want to see again – for one night only!
John Bonham was voted into first place with 26% of the votes. Freddie Mercury came second with 22% and Elvis Presley third with just 10% of the votes.

Bonham died on 22nd September aged 32 after a heavy drinking session. ‘Bonzo’ was found dead at guitarist Jimmy Page's house of what was described as “Asphyxiation, after inhaling his own vomit after excessive vodka consumption”, (40 shots in 4 hours).

This Day in Music editor Neil Cossar came up with the idea for the poll after watching a 1967 performance of Jimi Hendrix at The Monterey festival. “It made me think what would Jimi be doing now if he was still alive? Which led to me thinking about all the other musicians we’ve lost over the past 50 odd years, most of whom died too young. Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones from The Rolling Stones and Ian Curtis from Joy Division were all under 30 when they died and John Lennon was only 40 when he was shot outside his New York apartment in 1980.”

The highest placed female act was the US singer Janis Joplin who died from an accidental drug overdose in 1970, Karen Carpenter came in second place and singer Eva Cassidy in third place.

Fans voted for dozens of different dead rock stars from well known musicians from Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Buddy Holly, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Joe Stummer to less know musicians like Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher, Stuart Adamson from Big Country and Ronnie Lane from The Faces.

Surprisingly both Amy Winehouse and Keith Richards received votes in the poll.

Full results: If you could bring a dead rock star back to life for one gig, who would it be?

1. John Bonham
2. Freddie Mercury
3. Elvis Presely
4. John Lennon
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. Bob Marley
7. Jim Morrison
8. Johnny Cash
9. Jeff Buckley
10. Stevie Ray Vaughan
11. Dimebag Darrell
12. Frank Zappa
13. Ian Curtis
14. Janis Joplin
15. Bon Scott
16. Jerry Garcia
17. Phil Lynott
18. Karen Carpenter
19. Keith Moon
20. Roy Orbison

The poll on www.thisdayinmusic.com was held over 5 weeks
37,632 fans voted.

A selection of comments left by fans:

I'm glad Jeff Buckley made the list. He wasn't too widely known in the U.S. until his version of Hallelujah was covered on American Idol. How ironic that THAT was the medium through which his voice spread... As far as live performances go, few were as spine-tingling and dynamic as Jeff Buckley's. He never played a song the same way twice.

2 of the most honest men in rock n roll "gone but not forgotten" Joe Strummer and Stuart Adamson.

I would give everything to bring Elvis back for one gig.In fact I would give everything, if he came back for just one song!!!!!