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Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on Buddy Holly: Mick: “To English people he was an enormous inspiration. Therein lies the difference because he was a songwriter, which Elvis wasn’t. And he wrote very simple songs, sort of lesson one in songwriting. Great songs, which had simple changes and nice melodies and changes of tempo and all that. You could learn from Buddy Holly how to write songs, the way he put them together. He was a beautiful writer.” Keith: “Mick had been singing with some rock and roll bands, doing Buddy Holly… He was in England as solid as Elvis. Everything that came out was a record smash No. 1. By about ’58, it was either Elvis or him. It was split into two camps. The Elvis fans were the heavy leather boys and the Holly ones all somehow looked like Buddy Holly.”
The Stones have had a profound influence on the music industry. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the iconic frontmen of the band, have often expressed their admiration for various artists who have inspired them throughout their career. One such artist who left an indelible mark on them is the legendary Buddy Holly.
It is evident that Buddy Holly’s musical legacy has left a lasting impression on Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones, known for their raw and rebellious sound, credit Holly’s innovation and talent as a driving force behind their own success. Through their quotes, Jagger and Richards emphasize the importance of Holly’s contribution to the development of rock and roll music.
They acknowledge his influence on their own artistry, recognizing that his music paved the way for future generations of musicians. Buddy Holly’s impact on the Rolling Stones cannot be underestimated. His rock and roll spirit and timeless melodies continue to inspire Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and countless other artists to push the boundaries of music.
Buddy Holly’s legacy lives on through the words and music of these rock icons, forever reminding us of the power of artistic influence and the pursuit of musical excellence.
From Biography.com: Buddy Holly was an American singer/songwriter who produced some of the most distinctive and influential work in rock music. Already well versed in several music styles, he was a seasoned performer by age 16. With hits such as “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll Be the Day,” Holly was a rising star when a tragic plane crash struck him down in 1959 at age 22.
After high school, Holly formed a band and played country and western songs regularly on a Lubbock radio station. He frequently opened for more prominent national acts that toured through town. Bandmate Sonny Curtis viewed Holly’s opening for Elvis Presley in 1955 as a crucial turning point for the singer. “When Elvis came along,” Curtis recalls, “Buddy fell in love with Elvis and we began to change. The next day we became Elvis clones.” Although the bespectacled, bow-tied youth lacked Elvis’s incendiary sex appeal, Holly’s conversion from country to rock ‘n’ roll did not go unnoticed. A record company talent scout soon caught his act at a skating rink and signed him to a contract.
