The artist Ringo Starr called “sensational”
If there’s one thing Ringo Starr understands better than most, it is rock and roll. Starr and his bandmates in The Beatles rode on the coattails of the genre’s pioneers of the 1950s, and by taking notice of their tradition-defying music and antics, they emerged as the most vital band in history.
The Beatles were always open to discussing their influences, with Chuck Berry significantly impacting the Fab Four’s creative vision. His hallmarks can be found throughout their oeuvre, from covering his songs to, at times, blatantly ripping him off. Yet, it wasn’t just Berry who had a hand in establishing their distinctive style; the Everly Brothers have also been cited as a galvanising force. Alongside them, the man who brought rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream, Elvis Presley, was also crucial to the Liverpudlian quartet arranging their blueprint.
However, it is Little Richard, perhaps the most divisive figure from this era due to his sexually charged lyrics and lifestyle, who played a significant part in The Beatles’ own transformation. Richard turned the era’s social mores on their head, and in addition to his gaudy personality, he was a cause for celebration with the freedom-yearning youth and disgust with their elders.
While the band were known to cover his work during their early days, The Beatles member who was particularly inspired by Little Richard was their drummer, Ringo Starr. This makes sense in light of his playful personality, as Little Richard always promised a good time. He made clear that the rules were there to be broken, which is an attitude the quartet ran into the sunset with.
When listing his favourite songs for ABC News in 2009, Starr took fans on a history-spanning jaunt into his record collection and chose Little Richard’s 1958 recording of ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ as one of the stops. In his account of the record, Starr recalled that Little Richard was a “sensational” artist before calling him an “icon” of the rock ‘n’ roll genre.
“Little Richard and his band was so great,” Starr said. “Little Richard was sensational. And the power of it, when you’re a kid in Liverpool, of this guy in a band, and he was so just like, ‘Whooo,’ so strong. And it was great. The whole thing about Little Richard was great. And rock ‘n’ roll is so important to me, and he is certainly an icon of rock ‘n’ roll. He’d probably say, ‘the icon’.”
Listen to ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ below.
