Mick Jagger may be the greatest frontman. He’s the flashy, golden example of the term. Jagger, the band’s all-singing, all-dancing face, still gives his all on stage. His style is copied yet unbeatable. He claims he got the style from two old tales. Few singers are as legendary as Jagger. The band’s anthemic songs gave them a worldwide hit, but their frontman’s on-stage swagger has made them one of the most sought-after live acts. Even though they’re O.A.P., the singer still races across the stage with his hip wiggle, finger point, and clap. Even when the band started, Jagger’s stage presence was notable. Their other musicians noticed, and many seemed to mimic the Stones, irking them. In an interview, Steven Tyler criticized Aerosmith’s lack of originality, asking, “Here, what are you playing at, fuckin’ impersonating me?” Jagger was particularly upset. Maybe it was hypocritical.
Jagger is a great frontman, but he didn’t create it. He acknowledges two performers who came before him for inspired him to rock out with charm and groove right away. “I used to do mad things – you know, I used to go and do these shows and go on my knees and roll on the ground – when I was 15,16 years old,” he recalled of his early school talent contest and neighborhood open mic performances. Even as a teenager, he resembled the performers he admired. Elvis and Gene Vincent were his first influences, he told Rolling Stone. With rockabilly, Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent led the initial rock and roll wave. Jagger is in their genealogy since both those two vocalists and the Stones combined blues or black American musicians with pop to produce their own rock and roll. He joins a long line of performers with a fascinating on-stage intensity that has propelled their careers. Elvis was famous from the moment his scandalous hips trembled. Gene Vincent’s performances were seductive, as if music was turning him on. Putting them together creates a Mick Jagger blueprint.
However, they’re largely entertainers who appear to like performing. Jagger stated, “It’s a real buzz, even in front of 20 people, to make a complete fool of yourself,” but people liked it. I wouldn’t have continued if somebody threw tomatoes at me. But they all enjoyed it and it always seemed to work, shocking folks. I saw it on their faces.” The Rolling Stones are still popular after 60 years. Jagger, along with his heroes, will be remembered for his theatrical presence.
