Keith Richards | Artist
Keith Richards is an English rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter born 1943 in Dartford, Kent. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine called Richards the creator of "rock's greatest single body of riffs" on guitar and ranked him fourth on its list of 100 best guitarists in 2011 - hence his affectionate nickname "The Human Riff". The magazine lists fourteen songs that Richards wrote with Mick Jagger on its "Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of all Time" list. In the recording studio Richards sometimes plays all of the guitar parts - including bass, notably on the songs "Paint it Black", "Ruby Tuesday", "Sympathy for the Devil", and "Gimme Shelter". He is also a vocalist, singing backing on many Stones songs as well as occasional lead vocals, such as on the 1972 single "Happy", as well as on his solo albums and with his side project, the X-Pensive Winos. Richards was drawn to the guitar from an early age and whilst a student at Sidcup Art College, he devoted most of his time playing guitar. At this point Richards had learned most of Chuck Berry's solos. Richards met Mick Jagger on a train platform when Jagger was heading for classes at the LSE and they became firm friends, drawn by their mutual love of the R&B music on Chess Records by artists such as Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. Richards left art college in 1962 and went on to form the Rolling stones with Jagger and Brian Jones. In 1987, after Mick Jagger pursued a solo recording and touring career, Richards formed the "X-Pensive Winos" with co-songwriter and co-producer Steve Jordan. Other band members were guitarist Waddy Wachel, saxophonist Bobby Keys, keyboardist Ivan Neville, and Charley Drayton on bass. Richards and his band have released 3 studio albums to-date: Talk is Cheap (1988), Main Offender (1992) and Crosseyed Heart (2015), plus the 1991 release Live at the Hollywood Palladium, December 15 1988. All these albums are highly recommended, highlighted by Richards' characteristic guitar riffs, together with a crack backup outfit. Always one to acknowledge his influences, Richards assembled the excellent documentary film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll for his hero Chuck Berry, plus he has made countless appearances to pay tribute to artists who inspired and encouraged him, such as Gram Parsons, Muddy Waters, Scotty Moore, and Toots Hibbert. In 2009, a book of Richards' quotations was published, titled What Would Keith Richards Do?: Daily Affirmations from a Rock 'n' Roll Survivor. Richards's autobiography, Life, was published on 26 October 2010.
Artist Website: keithrichards.com
Featured Albums: Keith Richards
Related Artists: Rolling Stones, X-Pensive Winos, New Barbarians
