The Sidekick has a long history in other pop culture forms. Robin. Tonto. Dr. Watson. Mindy. Ginger Rogers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But not so much in rock & roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I first thought of this I figured there had to be plenty and yet I could only come up with a handful. I\u2019m counting on Rock Town Hall to expand my list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what defines a rock & roll sidekick to me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t think Keith Richards<\/strong> qualifies. Mick is definitely top dog, but Keith is too much a part of the mythos and music to be a mere sidekick. Feel free to argue this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Dave Davies<\/strong> doesn\u2019t qualify. He\u2019s not Keith but he was there at the beginning, there\u2019s the whole knife-in-the-amplifier thing, and the whole brother-hate bit. Again, argue away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a choice for the archetypal rock & roll sidekick \u2013 Richie Sambora<\/strong>. Would anyone know who he is if not for Bon Jovi? And yet he is rich and well-known and I don\u2019t think you can chalk it up to the T.J. Hooker Effect<\/strong> (see: Heather Locklear).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could put up a video of Sambora with or without Bon Jovi but what would be the point? The nature of the sidekick argues against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which raise the questions, \u201cIs a sidekick good? Necessary? A bad idea? Does rock & roll need a Robin or Dr. Watson?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m interested in your input. What\u2019s your definition? Who else qualifies? Who doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I could only think of 4 more that fit my definition but I\u2019ll hold them back for now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think?<\/p>\n