The best way to be a true expert in your field is to accept that you’re never going to know everything. Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Hornsby and Steve Cropper are all happy with this ideology.
It must be hard once you’ve had some hits and are selling out arenas to not just become a cocky musician who thinks they could conquer the world. You have people in the industry sucking up to you and crowds of thousands cheering at the mere sight of you, singing along to every word you’ve ever written, how do you stay humble when this is your life? Longevity exists within the artists who, despite these accolades, are still able to learn from and appreciate others.
There is no escaping that those three previously mentioned all have those artists that they look up to. For instance, a lot of Bruce Springsteen’s original inspiration came from Bob Dylan. Springsteen was such a big fan of Dylan that when he was originally signed by his record label, it was because they saw him as somewhat similar to the folk singer. Of course, his style has strayed from that of Dylan over the years, but the original influence will always exist.
“I want people to get the same experience from listening to one of my records as I had when I listened to Highway 61 Revisited,” explained Springsteen, “The idea that something was revealed to them that was fundamentally true and essential, and gave you a view of your world, your country, your town, your neighbours, your family.”
Meanwhile, you have Hornsby, who was a big fan of The Grateful Dead, so much so that he joined them for a stint towards the back end of the 1980s. He admitted if the option to join had come earlier in his career, before he had started making a name for himself, he would have happily stayed in the band for the rest of his days; however, he felt the need to leave so that he could focus on perfecting his own sound rather than just contributing to another bands.
“I said, ‘I’ll certainly help you out through this time, ’cause I know this is rough, but I’ve got this thing of my own going pretty well. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get this thing off the ground, and it’s off the ground now. If this had happened in 1984, then I’d have lived happily ever after being your piano player’,” said Hornsby in the book This Is All a Dream We Dreamed. “In 1990, I had four or five years of nice success in my own group, so I did that. I told them they needed to look for someone permanent.”
Despite the fact that everybody has different inspirations and a variety of artists that they would like to learn from, these three titans of music can all agree on who they think the greatest vocalist of all time is. When Cropper, Hornsby and Springsteen were all asked to fill out ballots with their favourite singers, the three agreed that the number one spot should go to Ray Charles.
It’s always good to see three musical legends agree on something, and if great minds are ever going to come together for one voice, it would be for someone like Ray Charles. Songs like ‘Hit the Road Jack’, ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ and ‘I Believe to My Soul’ are considered timeless classics, and while the quality of the song contributes a great deal to this, Charles’s blend of heart and soul that make up his stunning vocals are the major factor.
For musicians to have longevity, they need to acknowledge they’re not the best in their field, and we see three legends do that as they come together to give Ray Charles his flowers. Springsteen, Hornsby and Cropper can all agree that Charles is the best vocalist in the world, and if we’re being honest, they may just be right.
