Back in the 60s and 70s, doctors already suspected that listening to blaring rock music for hours on end could someday lead to a condition known as tinnitus or “ringing in the ears.” It appears those doctors knew what they were talking about.

We’re now learning that aging boomers who cranked up the volume when they listened to music are more likely to have hearing problems than generations that came before. There’s growing evidence that years of exposure to loud music can definitely damage your ears.

Just look the roster of “veteran” rock musicians who now hear constant ringing in the ears and other ear noise caused by tinnitus. Just look at the celebrity rockers who now hear ear noises that won’t go away are.

Start with The Who’s Pete Townshend and John Entwhistle. Townshend can no longer hear at all in one ear. His deafness is probably the result of high volume music and explosions that were part of their concert act, in addition to listening to super-amplified playbacks during studio recording sessions.

Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood has been quoted in Rolling Stones Magazine as saying, “The world’s worst is when you find yourself going like Mother Hubbard and cupping your hand behind your ear. I was a major glutton for volume: ‘Gotta feel it, gotta hear it.’ Sooner or later you’re going to pay the reaper.”

Neil Young of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Jeff Beck of the Yardbirds, Ted Nugent, Huey Lewis, and Bono (U2) have suffered tinnitus or other forms of hearing problems during their careers.

Rockers from other groups (Metallica, My Bloody Valentine, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) now hear noises in their ears too.

Tinnitus and other ear noises have become an ongoing daily challenge for other entertainers too – not just musicians.

Star Trek icons William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy now hear ear noises due damage they suffered due to a prop that exploded on the set during the filming of a Star Trek episode back in the 1960s.

Steve Martin, the actor and comedian, acquired tinnitus in the mid 80′s while filming a pistol-shooting scene for the movie “