“Everyman’s music for everyman”: the musician Phil Collins compared to Chuck Berry
The vital importance of the Missouri guitar hero Chuck Berry on the development of rock ‘n’ roll cannot be overstated. Berry spawned a musical revolution with a Gibson guitar as his weapon of choice. Known for his furiously fast and complex playing style, it goes without saying that, without Berry, there is no Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, or Jimmy Page. As such, comparing anybody to Chuck Berry is fairly contentious, but that did not stop Genesis drummer Phil Collins from giving it a go.
Collins himself has a lot to thank Berry for. Although he would find fame as the drummer and vocalist for progressive rock giants Genesis, the lineage of progressive rock – in addition to the vast majority of rock subgenres – can easily be traced back to the distinctive tones of Berry. After Genesis went on a brief hiatus in 1978, Collins began to sew the seeds of a successful solo career, during which he would lean heavily into pop and rock sensibilities, as laid out by Chuck Berry all those years ago.
Admittedly, not many people would listen to the likes of ‘Sussudio’ and immediately equate it to the rockabilly revolution of ‘Johnny B. Goode’, but Berry was always on the mind of Collins. So, when asked to share his opinions on some of his contemporaries, it was inevitable that Berry might pop up at some point. In an interview, Collins voiced his views on the likes of Prince, Madonna and Sting, but his views on the Americana rock legend Bruce Springsteen provided some particularly interesting results.
“I’ve always liked the idea of Springsteen,” Collins shared before dubbing his music, “everyman’s music for everyman”. It’s hard to disagree with Collins here, though when he adds, “It captures the imagination of the working man,” you are left wondering what exactly the millionaire songwriter Phil Collins – or, indeed, Bruce Springsteen – knows about the minds of the working man. Somehow, that statement was not the most contentious part of the interview, as Collins goes on to compare Springsteen to none other than Chuck Berry.
“Chuck Berry did the same thing,” the Genesis drummer argues, “I don’t know that much about Springsteen’s older songs, but I like what he stands for.” Collins does not go on to explain what exactly he thinks Springsteen “stands for,” but we can assume that that statement is in relation to his previous affirmation about capturing “the imagination of the working man”.
Even if you enjoy the works of both Springsteen and Berry, it is difficult to really understand what Collins is trying to get at here. Aside from the obvious rock influence that Chuck Berry lent to the work of Springsteen, it is difficult to join any solid parallels between the two.
Seemingly, Collins compares the two musicians based solely on their attitudes rather than on artistic similarities between the pair. The drummer seems to be arguing that both artists create music for the masses, but surely the same could be said for virtually every pop and rock musician on the planet. Lots of artists are creating work in the hopes that it will have mass appeal, Collins included, and yet they rarely draw parallels with the rock genius that was Chuck Berry.
