Little Richard: The musician Bob Dylan called his “shining star, my guiding light”
Songwriters as prolific as Bob Dylan are not formed out of the ether; they are the product of multiple different inspirations and influences. Figures like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger had a huge role to play in inspiring a young Dylan to follow the path of folk music, but they were certainly not the only ones guiding the young songwriter down the road of musical excellence. In fact, the landscape of early rock ‘n’ roll music had just as much of an impact on carving out Dylan’s sound, even if those early albums fail to reflect that fact.
Rock and roll music began to dominate the popular culture of the United States during the mid-1950s. Blending previously disparate styles like R&B, country, gospel, and even jazz, artists like Fats Domino and Chuck Berry struck upon a captivating new sound that immediately gripped the youth of the world. Sure, the music might not have boasted the same centuries-old history or social realism as the world of folk, but the impact of the rock and roll boom was felt throughout virtually all forms of music; it was entirely unavoidable.
For somebody like Dylan, who was coming-of-age during the mid-1950s, it was inevitable that rock and roll would impact his life. Aside from anything else, rock and roll placed the power of music into the hands of America’s youth, of which Dylan was firmly a member. Throughout it all, there was one rock pioneer who the future folk star always looked up to: Little Richard.
One of the biggest stars of the early rock and roll age, Richard rose from modest beginnings in Georgia to become a key architect of the genre. Not only did the pianist perfect lightning-fast delivery and catchy rhythms, he was also essential in establishing the performance style of rock. Complete with glamorous outfits and a hefty volume of make-up, Richard was a keen individualist whose influence still permeates throughout rock today, over half a century since he first burst onto the scene.
In fact, Richard’s influence is still felt in virtually all forms of popular music, whether it sounds like rock and roll or not. The all-encompassing impact of the ‘Tutti Frutti’ singer was most obvious when Richard passed away in 2020 as a result of bone cancer. Everybody from Paul McCartney to Elton John was quick to pay tribute to the rock star, but one of the most touching tributes came from Bob Dylan.
Posting on social media around the time of Richard’s death, Dylan shared, “I just heard the news about Little Richard and I’m so grieved. He was my shining star and guiding light back when I was only a little boy. His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything I would do.” So, while it might have been Woody Guthrie who inspired Dylan to move to New York and dedicate himself to folk music, it was Little Richard who first inspired the songwriter down the path of music.
Such was Dylan’s appreciation for Richard that the pair even toured together during the 1990s. In his tribute, Dylan recalled, “I played some shows with him in Europe in the early nineties and got to hang out in his dressing room a lot. He was always generous, kind and humble. And still dynamite as a performer and a musician and you could still learn plenty from him.”
Even though these shows saw Richard performing in old age, Dylan affirms, “In his presence he was always the same Little Richard that I first heard and was awed by growing up and I always was the same little boy. Of course he’ll live forever. But it’s like a part of your life is gone.” The folk hero was right in the fact that Richard’s music will never truly die out, as his trailblazing influence over popular music continues to find relevancy to this very day.
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