Little Richard names the two bands he thought were better than The Beatles

Two bands were seen as better than The Beatles by rock and roll legend Little Richard.

While the Tutti Frutti hitmaker had plenty of respect for the Fab Four, even touring with them in 1964, he says two bands were far more impressive. The influential rock figurehead had high praise for The Rolling Stones, a band whose friendly relationship with The Beatles turned sour, according to John Lennon, and another group. The latter band never hit as many highs as The Stones or The Beatles, but they enjoyed huge success with a cover of a traditional song. The Animals were called “the best band” Richard had ever heard of, and their influence has gone somewhat unnoticed when compared to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

The Animals are partly the reason behind Bob Dylan’s decision to go electric, a controversial moment at the time which led to some of the Mr. Tambourine Man songwriter’s best efforts. Richard seems to have picked up on their potential, sharing highlights from a tour with The Beatles were not the band he was travelling with, but those back home.

He told American Bandstand in 1964: “I’ve just finished a tour with The Beatles, in fact I toured with The Beatles right before they made their first hit, and I was the star of the show… you wouldn’t believe it.

“They had never made a record at the time, and I was with them for 15 days, and that was right before they got their start.” Richard would single out Ringo Starr as a “wonderful person” before turning his attention to other bands in the UK which had impressed him.

He said: “The Rolling Stones. I just left England about four weeks ago after doing a tour, and The Rolling Stones they’re number one in England at this present time.” High praise for The Animals was shared too, with Richard calling them “the best band he has ever heard of.”

Richard said: “I’ve just finished a tour with The Animals… really, to me, they are the best band I’ve ever heard.” Interviewer Dick Clark then asked Richard what he thought of bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles taking songs from the likes of Chuck Berry and using them in their set.

Richard replied: “I must be truthful, I’m very grateful to know that my material is the type of material that the entertainers today would like to use.” The interview came as a way for Richard to promote his US tour at the time, which happened to feature him on the bill with another band set for huge acclaim.

The Good Golly Miss Molly hitmaker said: “My first date with my tour will be September 11, I’m going to appear at the Hollywood Bowl along with The Beach Boys.”