Walter Becker Quotes

My mom listened to the Beatles and Elvis, a lot of different types of music.

The Rascals are something else. They're up there with the Beatles, and Stones and Byrds. That level of musicality. They have a real chemistry. It is like magic.

Certainly, the Beach Boys and the early Beatles records were a huge influence on me lyrically.

I've written quite a variety of songs, everything from kids songs to political satire, and my dad covered a fairly large range, also.

The Stones were a big influence on me and the Beatles, obviously.

I think all of The Beatles were from an era when certainly playing was important to them, and they were cutting edge. But for all time, they're master composers.

I would say seeing the original Yardbirds with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page at the old Fillmore was a pretty powerful influence on me.

I don't really have a lot of hip-hop and all of that, so I have a lot of John Lennon. That's one that I really like, and The Clash, the Rolling Stones, groups that I think are kind of timeless.

Every night I fell asleep to a different Beatles album. So I'm very familiar with the Beatles; Ringo was my favorite Beatle until I grew up and then changed. I made the switch over to George Harrison just in time to regain my cool.

The Beatles had just come out, and everybody had a band. It was incredible competition out there.

I like the Beatles. They're at the core of my musicality. And John Lennon's my spiritual father.

I was growing up listening to Queen. Freddie Mercury threw those incredible melodies into his songs.

When I hit 11 so did the careers of Dylan and the Stones. A year later it was the Who and the Kinks.

My inspirations include the Beatles - love, love, love them - Elton John, Carole King, and Stevie Wonder.

Writing songs with Brian and performing them with Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, David Marks, Bruce Johnston and many other brilliant musicians over the years is my legacy, and something of which I am very proud and protective.

My first two records were influenced by the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

My mother was an opera singer and my grandmother a concert pianist, and they only liked classical music. If I put on a pop record, they would tell me to turn it off, so I only listen to classical.

I was in about in the 8th grade when I started recording R&B, so much of what was on was the Motown sound, and The Beatles had pretty much come over and taken America by storm.

The Beach Boys have always been a part of the '60s spectrum, with The Beatles and that kind of thing. They were a part of the music business like everyone else. And they did quite well as a singing group, and I finished a lot of good records, and I'm very proud of them.

Hanson will be associated with 'MMMBop' and long blonde hair in the same way the Beatles are associated with mop tops and suits.

I think the Beatles is one band that, if I'm working on a song arrangement or if I have some idea for a song, and there's a little bit of a Beatles quality to it, I never avoid that. I always will steer into it.

I honestly grew up listening to the Stones more. But that doesn't mean I don't love the Beatles.

We just try to write about things that are close to our hearts. We don't sit around trying to write another 'Free Bird' or 'Sweet Home Alabama.'

Robert Plant, Kenny Chesney, Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal, this incredible array of folks, all taught me a way to carry yourself with dignity.

When the Eagles were starting out in the early '70s, it would have been hard to imagine anyone in the fledgling, country-accented rock group someday seriously challenging the artistic punch of Neil Young or Joni Mitchell.