The “biggest inspiration” on Mick Jagger as a teenager
During the 1960s, England was the epicentre of a new cultural revolution. Young people were keen to pioneer new styles and sounds, leading to a wave of British rock bands forming nationwide. Bands such as The Beatles, The Kinks and The Who were hugely successful, making their way to the United States in a musical phenomenon known as the ‘British Invasion’.
However, one of the most popular bands from this period, The Rolling Stones, managed to endure longer than their counterparts, still performing some six decades later. The group originated from Mick Jagger’s time playing covers in a garage band during the 1950s. After bumping into his childhood friend Keith Richards at a train station, the two realised they had a shared interest in the same music, leading them to begin playing together.
Eventually, after several lineup changes, The Rolling Stones were formed, beginning their career by playing cover songs. In the early 1960s, their popularity grew, leading them to sign a management deal with the 19-year-old Andrew Loog Oldham, who had a monumental impact on their development as a band. The young manager encouraged Jagger to take the reigns and act as frontman rather than Brian Jones. Shortly after, he convinced the band to begin writing their own songs and shaped their image to rival The Beatles, painting them as a cooler, more provocative act.
By the mid-1960s, The Rolling Stones were at the height of their fame, finding international success with hits such as ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and ‘Paint It Black’. During their sold-out tours, crowds went absolutely crazy for the British rockers, who were not only seen as musical icons but sex symbols. However, their monumental career wouldn’t have been half as successful if they didn’t begin as a covers band, honing their skills and soaking up the influences of early rock and roll and R&B artists. When Jagger played covers in his ’50s garage outfit, he was mainly interested in musicians such as Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry.
However, there was one musician that Jagger referred to as “the biggest inspiration of my early teens”, and that was the great Little Richard. The iconic rock and roll artist greatly influenced the development of countless genres, including hip-hop and modern rock as we know it. His androgynous style was also hugely important, undoubtedly inspiring Jagger’s outfits.
Much to the delight of Jagger, Little Richard and Bo Diddley headlined the Rolling Stones’ first-ever tour in 1963, where the young band played covers of songs such as ‘Money’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Route 66’.
Taking to Twitter after Richard passed away in 2020, Jagger wrote, “His music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it first shot through the music scene in the mid ’50s.”
He added: “When we were on tour with him I would watch his moves every night and learn from him how to entertain and involve the audience and he was always so generous with advice to me. He contributed do much to popular music I will miss you Richard, God bless.”
