Rod Stewart has at all times been open in regards to the music that influenced him.

The legendary performer, who spent his childhood immersed in soul, R&B, blues and the early days of rock and roll, beforehand shared an intriguing number of his favorite songs of all time – together with one monitor that sparked his enduring ardour for rock.

Initially launched in 1956 and featured within the Jayne Mansfield movie bearing the identical title, ‘The Woman Cannot Assist It’ went on to change into considered one of Little Richard’s most iconic numbers.

With its highly effective rhythm, exuberant vocal efficiency and vibrant piano association, the track captured the essence of Fifties rock and roll – leaving an indelible mark on a younger Rod Stewart.

Throughout a 2018 dialog with BBC Radio 2’s Ken Bruce, Stewart reminisced about how he first found the track by way of his elder brother. “After I was little, my brother Bob, who was a little bit of a teddy boy, he introduced this document [‘Little Richard’] residence,” he recounted.

“I put it on time and time and time once more – one other one which was a giant affect on me.”

For Stewart, the affect prolonged past simply the music itself – it was additionally in regards to the artist who created it. “Then I met him,” he remarked warmly. What a sweetheart of a person. Bless him.”

Little Richard, born Richard Penniman, stood as some of the charismatic trailblazers of early rock music, celebrated for his electrifying stage presence and groundbreaking affect on musicians from The Beatles by way of to Prince.

‘The Woman Cannot Assist It’ was successful in its personal proper, climbing to No.7 on the Billboard R&B Finest Sellers chart. Its affect prolonged properly past the Fifties, with British rock band The Animals overlaying it and Fergie sampling it for her 2006 smash ‘Clumsy’.

Stewart’s respect for Little Richard has been a relentless all through his profession, evident within the rawness of his vocals and the unbridled vitality that characterises his stay exhibits.

‘The Woman Cannot Assist It’ is only one of 10 songs Stewart recognized as his all-time favourites, an inventory that showcases his eclectic style and musical influences.

Among the many different choices was Al Jolson’s ‘Sonny Boy’, a heartwarming traditional from 1928 that Stewart grew up listening to on his dad and mom’ gramophone. “All of us beloved Al Jolson. I used to be made to like Al Jolson,” he shared.

“This man sang with out a microphone, which to me is incredulous.”

He additionally selected Otis Redding’s emotionally highly effective ‘Strive a Little Tenderness’, a track he witnessed being carried out stay in 1967 – an expertise that moved him to tears. “I cried my eyes out when he sang this track,” Stewart recalled. “It was simply stunning.”

A extra modern selection was ‘Uptown Funk’ by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, which Stewart hailed as “top-of-the-line data ever made.”

Regardless of being famend for his personal traditional rock hits, Stewart expressed profound admiration for Mars’s vocal prowess and Ronson’s polished manufacturing, stating: “Bruno Mars… he’s doing one thing completely sensible.”