Till there was rock, you only had God…
Both David Bowie and Mick Ronson made the grade, with explanations regarding why they deserve the accolade from Rick Wakeman of Yes and Billy Duffy of The Cult respectively.
Here’s what they both had to say.
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David Bowie by Rick Wakeman
I was very fortunate to have worked as a session musician during four of the most productive years of music: 1968-1972. In that time I worked with some of the all-time greats such as Alice Cooper, T. Rex, Elton John and Cat Stevens, to name but a few.
Of all the people I worked with, though, one person stands out a mile: David Bowie. David was the consummate professional in every respect. I can honestly say that I learned so much from him, both in the studio and just through spending time with him.
He always knew what he wanted and would not be influenced by managers, record companies or, in fact, anybody whom he thought had not get genuine musical knowledge or ability. He was always under control in the studio, and knew how to get the best out of musicians.
For me, David could well go down in rock history as the man who not only sold the world, but also bought it back in order to give it the music he’d collected along the way.
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Mick Ronson by Billy Duffy
I think Mick Ronson’s contribution to rock’n’roll guitar playing can never be overestimated. He’s been a huge influence on my playing, in fact I use Les Pauls that are made to look like one of his guitars.
That period, when he played on David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Pin Ups, was fantastic. Bowie was cool, but I always wanted to be a guitar player, not a singer, so he was the guy I really liked.
That band, and those songs, and that whole era wouldn’t have been the same without Mick Ronson.
I recommend that guitar players listen to some of the live recordings of Bowie in 1972 and 1973, particularly the Santa Monica Civic show, to hear a guitar player who was not scared to play a bum note in search for the ultimate fuckin’ expression.
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Cool stuff, though one has to wonder if Rick had enjoyed some special herbs before he composed his concluding sentence! };-)