Course Description

Instructor: Tom Dell

This class explores the impactful yet tragically short-lived careers of influential Rock and Roll artists who passed away at the height of their fame. Students will delve into the lives, music, and enduring legacies of stars like Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Alan Wilson, Linda Jones, Pete Ham, and others who left an indelible mark on the music industry despite their premature deaths.

Bio: My interest in Rock and Roll and music in general began in Atlanta in 1957 when I got my Stella four string guitar. Bands I was in played many high schools and colleges in the Southeast, along the East coast and we played clubs in Florida, Atlanta and New York.

I still get together regularly with men I have been working with for more than 50 years and we have played at all four Oakhurst "Porch Fests". I have been presenting my courses at Emory OLLI for the past four years. I also present at Central Dekalb Senior Center and Brenau Univ.

I graduated from Georgia State University earning a BBA after serving six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. My working career involved being a working musician, owning and operating a retail stereo equipment store, industrial sales of digital and fiber optic telephony hardware to the various operating telephone companies, sales management at the vice-president level, and building a functioning marketing department for a fiber optic equipment manufacturer.

Since retiring in 2013, I have enjoyed developing and delivering a series of courses for senior citizens involving the origins of Rock and Roll, playing in a rock and roll band, serving as a board member of the Grady High School Foundation, and watching our grandchildren (28, 10, and 9) grow into beautiful people. We have two daughters, one son-in-law, and one grandson-in-law. The daughters are beautiful and talented, and the son-in-law is a keeper. The grandson-in-law looks like he may qualify as a keeper as well.