3 Classic Rock Musicians That Were Investigated by the FBI

Classic rock stars have a tendency to get in trouble here and there, but few have been explicitly investigated by the FBI. Unfortunately, these three famous musicians had some serious run-ins with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

1. John Lennon

Back in 1972, John Lennon said to millions of viewers on Dick Cavett’s show that the FBI was watching him. Some thought it was a clear sign of psychosis from the famed Beatle, but it ended up being very much a true statement.

It was an election year, and also the first in which 18-year-olds would be able to vote (previously, you had to be 21 to cast your vote). Young people at the time were extremely anti-war, and John Lennon was fuelling the fire of rebelling with his solo music. It certainly makes sense why the FBI had an eye on him. We can thank Jon Wiener for getting those files released to the public, too.

2. Jim Morrison

He incited riots, allegedly exposed himself, and generally had a contentious relationship with the police. Is anyone surprised that The Doors frontman had a run-in with the FBI?

While on a plane in 1969, a drunk Morrison and company began to harass the flight attendants and get a bit too rowdy. The pilot threatened Morrison with arrest and also threatened to land the plane, so he more or less settled down. However, once the plane landed at their destination in Phoenix, Morrison was greeted by federal agents and arrested. Apparently, his aerial antics were so wild that the feds wanted to wave a hijacking charge over his head.

3. Owsley Stanley

Out of all the classic rock FBI run-ins on this list, this one is particularly fascinating. And if you’re a Steely Dan fan, you likely have already heard this audio engineer/musician/drug lord’s story.

The jazz-rock outfit Steely Dan penned a song called “Kid Charlemagne” in 1976 about LSD chemist and drug lord (best known on the East Coast) Owsley Stanley. Stanley also happened to be an audio engineer associated with bands like Grateful Dead. Some even describe Stanley as an outlier member of the Grateful Dead. Stanley had been under investigation by the FBI for quite some time and was ultimately arrested in 1967.

Photo by Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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