At face value, it seems like one of those cringey quote photographs that a local dealer might post on Facebook, but it’s true that greatness recognises greatness. Over the years, every single artist deemed as being culturally valuable has spent time praising others who are equally as impactful. It’s just one of those things, and a reflection of the way that influence spreads.
Yet, it is true that every great artist is influenced by others of such standing. This was particularly true during the classic rock period, when influence was more linear, and the types of music on offer weren’t as multifarious as in today’s digital world. If you were a rock musician, the chances are you had the same influences as your peers, as broadly speaking, the proliferation of popular music was still in its infancy, so the pioneers were that to the letter, and this select few were leading the way, with everybody else following.
It wasn’t like the contemporary era, where broadly speaking, those at the forefront of music are unknowns posting music on Soundcloud or regularly playing London’s Cafe Oto, signed to niche labels that only sell music on tape.
During these early years, there was a distinct lineage, from blues to R&B to rock ‘n’ roll, then onto classic rock, and its later offshoots such as psychedelia, prog, metal and everything that came after.
That’s why all of the 1960s rock icons, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton were avowed disciples of those who put rock ‘n’ roll on the map and soundtracked their teenage revolution, such as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. Not only did they recognise the greatness of those American heroes, but they knew that they wouldn’t have had such sturdy artistic and spiritual foundations without their efforts.
Despite there being a clear horizontal essence to the proliferation of music during this era, it’s safe to say there was also a fair amount of the innovators amping each other up, and taking cues from each other. This is something the ‘Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ himself, Chuck Berry, the man whose creative and extra-musical spirit most closely aligns with those of the aforementioned classic rock icons, outlined when discussing an era-defining peer, Elvis Presley.
Despite Presley facing criticism from other Black musicians for what was essentially musical cultural appropriation, Berry was having none of it. He believed that Presley was the best to ever do it. Praising the ‘Jailhouse Rock’ singer, he once dubbed him “the greatest who ever was, is or ever will be”. Noting how he crossed the segregational divide of America at the time, Berry added: “Blacks didn’t have the airwaves Elvis had. He delivered what he obtained beautifully”.
