Lemmy belonged to one of the last groups of rock stars who were alive to witness the beginnings of the genre. Even though Motörhead didn’t become well-known until long after the heyday of rock & roll, Lemmy was there. He witnessed the rise of people with guitars and songs about wanting to party till dawn igniting the world. When Lemmy sculpted the architects of rock, he had three pioneers in mind. There was undoubtedly a hierarchy surrounding the best of the best.
But when you give it some thought, Motörhead’s music doesn’t exactly sound like classic rock & roll. Not only was Lemmy one of the world’s fiercest frontmen, but he also wrote songs that seemed more akin to hard rock and metal than rock and roll. His music was always on the verge of chaos.
But as you go a little bit farther, you can see the cracks a little bit more. Sure, some of their songs have elements of the MC5 and even The Stooges. However, there are also a lot of similarities to Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others.
In the Lemmy documentary, Lemmy said that he thought Little Richard was the greatest rock singer of all time. He also mentioned that Little Richard had contributed to the acceptance of his singing style. Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and him. It’s difficult to determine who did the first one, but all of them started rock and roll.”
Even though it was much simpler to label Richard, Lewis, and Elvis as rock and rollers initially, they all shared the capacity to astound audiences. People genuinely believed that performers like Richard and Lewis were insane for what they were doing on stage. They typically let the music carry them and threw themselves into their pianos. This was in stark contrast to the more sophisticated artists of the era.
Elvis was the sole 1950s rock star who made middle-class Americans comfortable enjoying the genre. Thousands of other rock and roll bands were inspired by hearing a white man truly let loose to this type of music. He was shaking his ass and singing “Hound Dog” during the 1950s. This was a time when racial tensions in the US were still very much alive.
Actually, for leading the British Invasion before it had a name, all three of them deserve praise. The Beatles’ DNA was instantly altered into rock and roll by listening to songs like “Good Golly Miss Molly” and “A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” This transformation occurred when they were still schoolboys.
Additionally, that gritty vibe permeated almost every Motörhead release the band ever put out. Even with their increased use of distortion and louder playing, there’s still a hint of bluesiness in songs like “Overkill” and “Ace of Spades.” These tracks take you back to the days of classic rock & roll. Although the original artists’ music may sound repetitive after a few tracks, the barriers they broke down make today’s music sound so diverse.
