The musicians Rod Stewart would have loved to sing with: “It was a big influence on us”
He’s one of the most enigmatic frontmen of the British rock and roll renaissance, but Rod Stewart certainly isn’t 100% original. The singer for The Faces and one of the most beloved rockers of the last six decades, Stewart has become a byword for entertainment, even if it has become something closer to a cruise ship pastiche than many would have hoped in the 1960s.
Like most singers of the day, Stewart was helplessly influenced by a wide range of bands and artists. His body of work reflects a range of diverse influences. From cheesy pop to rich soul, Stewart has had his fingers in many pies over the years, but perhaps The Rolling Stones had the greatest impact on him and his band, The Faces.
This was revealed when, during an appearance on BBC Radio 2, a fellow pop frontman, Robbie Williams, posed a question to the ‘Maggie May’ singer. He asked which band out of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones Stewart would have loved to have fronted. Stewart’s answer was a simple one: “Yeah, I would have liked to have fronted the Stones,” he replied.
The reasoning was fairly simple, too, though The Beatles were perhaps the biggest band in the world, for a Londoner like Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones meant everything. He continued: “They were a London band, we all loved them. With The Faces, we listened to Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out — it was a big influence on us when we used to go on stage. So definitely the Stones.”
But Williams’ question was a two-parter, and the second part of the quiz revealed Stewart’s myriad of influences. He may have had his foundations in the blues rock of London’s swinging streets, but he also had a deep affection for jazz. When Williams asked which band he would have loved to have fronted outside of his own groups, his answer showcased his love for the genre.
“I would have loved to have sung with someone like Duke Ellington,” answered the veteran singer with a shining smile. But it didn’t stop there: “Or Count Basie or maybe been the other half of Sam and Dave… y’know, Sam and Rod!”
It’s easy to dismiss Rod Stewart as a showbiz singer. His discography isn’t exactly shimmering with deeply introspective gems or emotionally laden verse. His penchant is for bright pop, delivered with a swaggering saunter and the kind of charisma that only Pepé Le Pew could manage to equal. But, perhaps that’s because we never got to see Stewart in the realm of some of the jazz greats. Though, on reflection, they might not be able to handle the virtuosity of ‘Da Ya think I’m Sexy‘.
