Mick Jagger and Grace Slick have both built stellar reputations in the rock ‘n’ roll scene during the genre’s golden era. Jagger made a name as the energetic frontman of the Rolling Stones, while Slick became the first designated ‘Acid Queen’ thanks to her time as the lead singer of the psychedelic titans, the Jefferson Airplane. However, achieving success and building a solid reputation took time.
As Jagger put all his eggs in one basket and settled on a band a little sooner than Slick, he became an inspiration and a role model for many artists, including her. Once she was introduced to the Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger, she learned the principles of becoming a great lead vocalist in the rock ‘n’ roll scene, which impacted her career as it encouraged her to be bolder on stage.
What Did Mick Jagger Teach Grace Slick?
Even though Grace Slick moved on from her Jefferson Airplane’s frontwoman days when she was killing it on stage, the rocker still has many beautiful memories from her time in the rock ‘n’ roll band. Although her journey started like any other rocker, since she had to figure out her stance and power to attract the spotlight, she had someone very iconic to look up to who taught her how to be a rock star.
Grace recalled the time she became aware of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones in a Morley Views interview. Previously a friend of hers had called her to invite her to meet the Beatles. Her friend had hyped them up so much that when Grace met them in real life, she didn’t vibe with them. She didn’t like that they were wearing ‘cutesy little suits’ and singing about holding hands because that wasn’t rock ‘n’ roll.
However, when Grace saw the Rolling Stones, they were the pinnacle of rock ‘n’ roll. Their stage performances and the way they captured a crowd were what Grace wanted for her stage performances. She knew that if you didn’t have that rock star quality, it was a hard thing to fake. Bringing everything on the stage was important as there was no room for fidgeting around on the stage or being shy. Rock ‘n’ roll took a different level of star energy, and Grace was fortunate enough to learn from Mick Jagger how to front a band.
Slick’s words about the lessons she learned from Mick Jagger:
“Mick, I learned how to be on a rock and roll stage from him. I didn’t imitate him. But the only thing at the beginning was a girlfriend called me up and said, ‘Oh, you’ve got to get over here because these new guys from Britain are going to be on Ed Sullivan, and they’re called the Beatles.’ And she had this big party about it. And I looked at her, and I thought, ‘Here are four guys in their 20s dressed in these cutesy little suits, with cutesy little hair, singing ‘I want to hold your hand?’ and I’m going, ‘I don’t think so.’
But then I saw the Rolling Stones. That’s rock and roll. So how do you behave on the stage? You have to own the stage. If you don’t own it, sorry, you’re out of the picture, you know? You can’t get up there, play with the side of your pants, turn your back on the audience, and act shy. No, no, no. That’s not rock ‘n’ roll. So I learned a lot from Keith, but I also learned from Mick Jagger how to front a rock ‘n’ roll band.“
After Grace decided to retire and put down her mic in 1989, she became obsessed with the paintbrush, which led her to have another blossoming career in the arts. Today, Grace is making headlines with her spectacular artwork, which has broadened her audience profile from her rock following to people from all walks of life that are interested in her art.
