[arrogantsob]

There are few, if any, “original styles” in music to rip off. Little Richard's greatness makes any borrowings of style irrelevant except to those who like to trace geneologies. How many rock stars ripped off Bo Diddley?

[hellbender]

The Beatles were also influenced by Buddy Holly, who was in turn influenced by R&B, country, and Mexican music. Musicians love to copy from each other, even in classical music. I’ve enjoyed listening to Roger McGuinn of the Byrds telling how he was influenced by John Coltrane and J.S. Bach.