The Wallflowers' Influences

"I remember spending a lot of time trying to figure out who the people I like liked. I'd see this photo of the Clash playing with Lee Dorsey, and I'd say, 'Who the hell is Lee Dorsey?' You'd listen to that and it would turn you on to the Meters. Then, 'Who wrote those songs?' Allen Toussaint." (Jakob Dylan, Rolling Stone)

"I would listen to Elvis Costello and read his interviews and find out what he was listening to, and I would go out and buy those records." (Jakob Dylan, 11.12.97)

There's no better way to find good music than to find out what the Wallflowers are listening to!

The following lists of musicians were gathered from various articles and interviews available on this website. Each list contains musicians, bands and/or records, stated by a band member, as being influential, inspirational or just music they've enjoyed listening to at one time or another. When specific song or album titles were mentioned, we included those in italics.


999 The Band The Beatles Beck Big Sky Black Flag Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen The Buzzcocks Charlie Rich (Don't Put No Headstone on My Grave) (I Feel Like Going Home) The Clash (London Calling) Dan Penn Elvis Costello Elvis Presley Eric Clapton Elvis	The Everly Brothers The Exploited Garbage George Jones Golden Smog Husker Du The Jam Jerry Lee Lewis Joe Henry Junior Brown Lefty Frizzell (I want to be with you always) Leon Russell Leonard Cohen The Meters Miles Davis Minutemen Mississippi John Hurt Neil Young Nick Drake Sad Cowboy Songs (any artist)	Oasis Paul Westerberg Radiohead (Ok Computer) Ralph Stanley Randy Newman Replacements Ryan Adams Sam Cooke Skip James Smokey Robinson Steve Earle Stiff Little Fingers The Stray Cats Television Tom Waits (Closing Time) The Who Van Morrison (TB Sheets) Wilco X


Angus and Malcolm Young Bjork Blur Boo 500 (apparently his dog inspires his playing!) Derek Bailey Elvin Jones Flaming Lips Fugazi Hans Reichel J.S. Bach Jesus Lizard Jimmy Page Joe Diorio	John Coltrane John McLaughlin Kiss Lee Renaldo Mark Hollis Massive Attack Miles Davis Nick Cave Pearl Jam PJ Harvey Radiohead REM Sean Lennon	Sonic Youth Spiritualized Tennessee Phillips Ward (Terri Phillips - his wife) Thurston Moore Tricky Waylon Jennings Wes Montgomery


Ryan Adams The Band The Beatles (Revolver) Booker T and the MG's David Bowie Jon Brion Johnny Cash Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Cheap Trick The Clash Elvis Costello & the Attractions Jimmy Cliff Pete Droge Bob Dylan Tim Finn Aretha Franklin The Grateful Dead Al Green Gomez Emmy Lou Harris Isaac Hayes Jackson 5	Jayhawks Jefferson Airplane Jerry Lee Lewis Dr. John Ricky Lee Jones Kiss John Lennon Professor Longhair Los Lobos Shelby Lynn Aimee Mann Bob Marley Jimmy McGriff The Meters Joni Mitchell Randy Newman Carl Perkins The Police Iggy Pop Iggy & the Stooges Elvis Presley Prince & the Revolution	Otis Redding Lou Reed The Replacements The Rolling Stones Leon Russell Santana Jimmy Smith Steely Dan Travis T-Rex Benmont Tench Toots & the Maytals Van Morrison Velvet Underground Tom Waits The Who Wilco Hank Williams X Neil Young Led Zeppelin


The Band Band of Gypsies Art Blakey Beastie Boys (Hello Nasty) Booker T. & the MG’s James Brown Jeff Buckley (Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk) Billy Cobham John Coltrane Sheryl Crow (The Globe Sessions) Jack DeJohnette Delfonics Bob Dylan (Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert) (The Bootleg Series Vol. 4.)	Aretha Franklin Eddie Harris PJ Harvey (Is This Desire?) Jimi Hendrix Billy Higgins Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill) Elvin Jones Albert King Ben E. King Fela Kuti Little Feat Los Lobos Bob Marley The Meters Massive Attack (Mezzanine)	Ozomatli (Ozomatli) Pearl Jam (Yield) Liz Phair The Police Raven Sly & the Family Stone Elliott Smith (XO) Bill Stewart Third World Toots & the Maytals Stevie Ray Vaughn Weather Report The Who Led Zeppelin


The Animals Fiona Apple Average White Band Beatles The Band The Beta Band Jeff Beck Belle & Sebastian Frank Black Blur David Bowie Richard Buckner Buena Vista Social Club Donald Byrd The Byrds The Cars Ron Carter Johnny Cash Nick Cave Eric Clapton The Clash Albert Collins John Coltrane Ry Cooder Cornershop Elvis Costello	Hank Crawford Cream The Cure Miles Davis Bob Dylan Dire Straits Echo & the Bunnymen The Fall fIREHOSE Folk Implosion Gang of Four Gomez Guided By Voices Husker Du Jayhawks King Crimson Kinks Los Lobos Bob Marley Jimmy McGriff Meat Puppets Pat Metheny Charles Mingus The Minutemen Hank Mobley Randy Newman	Pavement Pearl Jam Tom Petty Pil The Police The Replacements Siouxsie & the Banshees Soul Asylum Super Grass Television Pete Townshend T. Rex Water Boys Paul Weller The Who Wire Wire Train Bob Wiseman World Party X XTC Yo La Tengo Neil Young Led Zeppelin


Woody Allen Lowell George	Garth Hudson David Lindley	Richard Thompson


Barkmarket The Clash Elvis Costello	Gang of Four The Jam The Replacements	Rocket From the Crypt Rolling Stones Tom Waits


The Beatles Buddy Holly Elvis Costello	John Entwhistle King Crimson Neil Young	Phil Lesch Ben Arnold