Over the course of his career, Paul Rodgers has played with a who’s who of the guitar world, from Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Brian May, all the way to Steve Cropper and Joe Bonamassa.
During his travels, Rodgers also closely played alongside a late trailblazing English rock guitar player whom he believes deserves far more credit than he’s usually given.
In a new interview with Guitar Player, during which he reflects on some of his most high-profile collaborators, Rodgers paid particular attention to Mick Ralphs – his former Bad Company bandmate and renowned guitar great, whose work with Mott the Hoople and beyond cemented his reputation as a true legend of rock music.
However, Rodgers insists Ralphs is seldom given the credit it fully deserves – and says his guitar playing is a lot more multi-faceted than conventional praise would have you believe.
Speaking of his partnership and friendship with Ralphs – who passed away earlier this year – Rodgers says, “We were ‘label buddies.’ Both our groups, Free and Mott the Hoople, signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records.
“I would see Mick in the office on Bodine St., Notting Hill Gate [London]. Then Mott the Hoople and my next band, Peace, toured the U.K. together. I got to know Mick and liked him as a person – always friendly and so funny.”
This connection soon turned into songwriting sessions, which laid the groundwork for Bad Company. In fact, one of their earliest sessions gave rise to Can’t Get Enough – a Ralphs-penned song that never quite cut it in Mott the Hoople.
“We started writing songs together, and songs being the lifeblood of any band, the songwriting turned into a band, Bad Company. He had Can’t Get Enough, Mott's Ian Hunter did not feel it suited the band's style, so when Mick played it for me I told Mick that the song was a hit and that I would love to sing it – and we were off to the races on our first album.”
At the core of it all was Ralphs’ guitar style, as Rodgers notes: “Mick was often described as a nuts-and-bolts guitar player, but to me he was always so much more than that. Being both a brilliant songwriter and guitarist. One of the great things about his sound was that he was multi-dimensional.
“Take Rock Steady or Burning Sky or Silver, Blue and Gold, and of course the unstoppable Can’t Get Enough or Movin’ On. If you picture each song or track and focus on the guitar, not just the part he chose to play but the actual sound, each song is a one-off – never been done before or since. Although there have been lots of copycat attempts – which is the highest praise, I’m told.
“I can’t say how he got the variety of sounds he did. They broke the mold when they made him. I’m so happy we learned about our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction while he was still alive. He was very happy when he heard the news.”
Ralphs passed away at the age of 81 earlier this year and left behind a formidable legacy, which Guitar World paid tribute to shortly after his death.
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