Red Sky Monday Mixtape Vol7

Since the dawn of music as an industry there have been artists that have burned brightly but sadly been extinguished before their time. Musicians can be a fragile and sensitive breed. Depression and other mental illness is not uncommon and if you add in the pressures of living in the spotlight it can lead to an early demise. Sometimes though it is just a freak accident or illness that takes someone. This weeks #mondaymixtape I follow a morbid but beautiful musical trail through some artists that were gone too soon.

NICK DRAKE - From The Morning

Nick Drake like the great painters was not really appreciated while alive. He had some limited success but his popularity has increased exponentially since his death. Drake struggled with depression and died from an overdose of prescription antidepressants in 1974 aged just 26. I will never grow tired of this track, sublime.

J DILLA - Nothing Like This

James Dewitt Yancey aka Dilla had a massive impact on the trajectory of hip hop and modern music in his short life. His production skills and beats were the fuel for a virtual who's who of hip hop and R&B. He worked with Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu, Common, Busta Rhymes and MadLib among others. He died 2006 aged 32 from a rare blood disease.

JIM MORRISON - THE DOORS Riders On The Storm

Jim Morrison's life and demise has been well documented. There is no denying he was a poet. Sometimes people get put on a pedestal as an artist when they pass away but Morrison probably deserves this. It would be interesting to hear what he would be making if he were still alive today.

OTIS REDDING - I've Been Loving You Too Long

Otis Redding was hugely successful and was one of the higher earners in the sixties music industry. He was able to afford a private aircraft to fly between live venues but unfortunately his plane went down in bad weather. He died in 1967 aged 26.

AALIYAH - Try Again

Aaliyah was signed to Jive records at the age of 12. She had an incredible voice and likely would have gone on to have the same kind of impact as Beyonce had she lived. Like Redding she also died in a plane crash in 2001 aged just 22.