# "Musician X is the greatest student of musician Y" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 4, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205 "2020-12-04T15:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/1 "2020-12-04T15:12:27Z")
Many musicians are standing on the shoulders of giants and took cues from their idols, be it instrumental or in their songwriting and/or arrangements. What clear examples can you name? Here are my suggestions: Keith Richards is the greatest student of Chuck Berry. J. Mascis/Neil Young Dave Grohl/Bob Mould Tom Morello/Jimi Hendrix Prince/Sly Stone ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/2 "2020-12-04T15:16:26Z")
Stevie Ray Vaugh/Albert King John Bonham/Gene Krupa or Buddy Rich Tom Petty/Bob Dylan Bob Dylan/Woody Guthrie The Bangles/The Beatles. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/3 "2020-12-04T15:17:22Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Stevie Ray Vaugh/Albert King All good ones, and that’s one I also had in mind, but forgot to mention. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/4 "2020-12-04T15:22:43Z")
The Bangles are a little iffy, while their main influence was the Beatles, there is probably another band that might qualify as the Beatles greatest student. ELO might take that honor. Let me add: Heart/Led Zeppelin ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/5 "2020-12-04T15:24:25Z")
Well, of course the Beatles maybe had the most disciples, also Badfinger or Big Star come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/6 "2020-12-04T15:25:44Z")
That one is tough, not sure who should wear the mantle. Adding: **Rush/Yes** they makes no bones about it and are the biggest reason Yes finally made it into the Rock & Roll HOF. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/7 "2020-12-04T15:26:39Z")
Billy Joel/Paul McCartney. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/8 "2020-12-04T16:03:44Z")
Béla Bartók/?? (Benny Goodman, Chick Corea, Frank Zappa, …) ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/9 "2020-12-04T17:27:45Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Well, of course the Beatles maybe had the most disciples, also Badfinger or Big Star come to mind. And Squeeze. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/10 "2020-12-04T17:34:10Z")
I think ELO was the most successful of the Beatles inspired bands, though the Bangles were pretty successful too. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/11 "2020-12-04T18:25:35Z")
Steve Vai / Zappa? Or perhaps Steve Vai / Joe Satriani. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/12 "2020-12-04T18:31:18Z")
Pretty much every bluegrass banjo player at some point in their career/Earl Scruggs I don’t mean to be facetious. I am completely serious. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/13 "2020-12-04T18:32:32Z")
I think the second one more. Satriani literally taught Steve Vai. Which is all kinds of cool. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/14 "2020-12-04T18:35:11Z")
The hard part is deciding who was the greatest student though. How about **Béla Fleck/Earl Scruggs** I’m going to add a weird one: **Arlo Guthrie/Pete Seeger/Woodie Guthrie.** ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/15 "2020-12-04T18:41:00Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The hard part is deciding who was the greatest student though. Indeed. For me, probably J.D. Crowe. But it could be Bill Emerson, Alan Munde, or a few others. Myself, I rarely have an absolute favorite of anything, so my opinion might change fairly often. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/16 "2020-12-04T18:41:06Z")
Carl Czerny & Co. in: “The Most Astonishing Musical Family Tree in History” [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Carl-Czerny-piano-heritage-tree.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Carl-Czerny-piano-heritage-tree.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/17 "2020-12-04T19:51:07Z")
Paul Simon has said there wouldn’t have been a Simon & Garfunkel were it not for the Everly Brothers. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/C7nW_S0EH00/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AGaBIAC6AKKAgwIABABGHIgRyg3MA8=&rs=AOn4CLDPdm1Buu4Ncdg_iu5iiHZ5jh1v3A "Simon & Garfunkel with Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love (New York 2003)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7nW_S0EH00) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/18 "2020-12-07T20:48:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Billy Joel/Paul McCartney. I can see absolutely see that, but I would have rather thought of Billy Joel/Elton John. Or is even Elton John/Paul McCartney valid, and they are all cut from the same cloth? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/19 "2020-12-07T23:44:25Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I can see absolutely see that, but I would have rather thought of Billy Joel/Elton John. Or is even Elton John/Paul McCartney valid, and they are all cut from the same cloth? I see Joel and John as basically the same generation; both are disciples of St. Paul. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/20 "2020-12-09T08:34:10Z")
Johnny Marr is literally the greatest student of Billy Duffy. Yes, Billy Duffy of The Cult taught Johnny Marr of The Smiths (who I consider the greatest living rock/pop guitarist) to play guitar. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > I’m going to add a weird one: > **Arlo Guthrie/Pete Seeger/Woodie Guthrie.** No offense to those guys, but **Billy Bragg** is the greatest student of Woody Guthrie. Nora Guthrie, Woody’s daughter, [agrees with me](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid_Avenue). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205.md?page=2)