Keith Richards(II)
- Music Artist
- Composer
- Music Department
Keith Richards is an internationally recognized iconic figure in
contemporary culture and popular music as a singer, guitar player,
songwriter, film actor, and public figure. He was voted 10th greatest
guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine, and was elected to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, as founding member of the legendary
rock band The Rolling Stones.
Together with his song-writing partner, Mick Jagger, he wrote and
recorded hundreds of songs, including their monster hit 'Satisfaction',
one of the defining songs of the era.
He was born on December 18, 1943, in Dartford, Kent,
England, UK. His father, Bert Richards, a factory worker, was injured
during the WWII. His mother, Doris (Dupree), introduced him to music of
jazz, and also encouraged his singing performances with a choir in
Westminster Abbey. Keith Richards met
Mick Jagger when he attended primary school
during the 1950s, albeit when they went into secondary schools they
lost touch for a while. But one day in 1960 they accidentally met on a
train and talked about starting up a band. Eventually, Richards and
Jagger made their dream come true. They established one of the most
legendary life-long songwriting partnerships, following the example of
John Lennon and
Paul McCartney's songwriting for
The Beatles. Besides their main success in
popular music and entertainment, Richards and Jagger had carried on
their early image of unkempt and surly youth that many others would
emulate, and spread their influence across traditional boundaries of
genres and styles into filmmaking, art, fashion, and contemporary
lifestyle, thus turning Jagger and Richards into cross-cultural
trend-setters.
Since The Rolling Stones were formed
in 1962, Richards and Jagger were continuously absorbing from many
musical styles and assimilated various genres and artistic influences,
ultimately creating their very own inimitable style. Together they
undergone transformation from semi-amateur local musicians to the
leading international superstars. Both Richards and Jagger became
poster boys for excess, however, they had survived ups and downs in
their careers and personal lives, and remained the core of the band.
Initially they shared a flat with the late Brian Jones in London, in
1962. The first lineup of the Stones consisted of Mick Jagger on lead
vocal and harmonica Keith Richards on guitar,
Bill Wyman on bass,
Charlie Watts on drums and
Brian Jones on guitar. In 1964 they
released their first album titled "The Rolling Stones." In 1965
Richards and Jagger wrote their single, "The Last Time," that became
their first number 1 hit in the UK. Then came "Satisfaction" (1965),
which was composed by Keith Richards in his sleep, and with the
addition of provocative lyrics by Mick Jagger it became the greatest
hit and their calling card on each and every show.
In 1966, after The Beatles stopped giving
live performances, The Rolling Stones
took over as the unofficial "biggest touring band in the world" for the
next few years. During 1966-1969 they toured the world, and constantly
updated their song-list with many great hits like "Lets Spend the night
together" (1967), "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968) and "Honky tonk
woman" (1969). The incredible international success of the Stones came
with a sad side, caused by Brian's drug and alcohol abuse that impaired
his speech and appearance, so the band-mates had to replace him. In
July 1969, Brian Jones died of drowning in his swimming pool while
having signs of drug overdose. Upon Richards's and Jagger's approval,
guitarist Mick Taylor took Brian's place.
Brian's death at age 27 made him one of the first members of the
infamous "27 Club" of rock stars who died at that age. Although Brian's
estrangement from his band-mates, and his numerous arrests were caused
by his personal problems with drugs, both Richards and Jagger were
blamed at the time for Brian's death. The loss of one of their founding
members was a painful moment for the Stones. However, at the end of the
1960s their creativity reached the new highs. Their albums "Beggars
Banquet" (1968) and "Sticky Fingers" (1971) were among the most popular
albums they ever made, having such hits as "Wild Horses" and "Brown
Sugar."
During the 1970s The Rolling Stones
remained the biggest band in the world, albeit they were rivaled by the
Led Zeppelin. The Stones made thousands of
live performances and multi-million record sales with hits like "Angie"
(1973), "It's Only Rock and Roll" (1974), "Hot Stuff" (1976) and
"Respectable" (1978). At that time both Keith Richards and Mick Jagger
had individual ambitions, and applied their untamed creativity in
various projects outside the Stones. Keith released his own single. In
1974 Ron Wood had replaced Mick Taylor on guitar and Keith and Ron both
played lead guitars. During the decade Keith Richards had a family
crisis on his hands, and suffered through emotional pain and drug
abuse, albeit it didn't stop him from being himself. In 1980 the group
released "Emotional Rescue" which Keith Richards didn't care for, and
the group didn't even tour to promote the album. In 1981 with the
release of 'Tattoo You', the group went on a major world tour filling
stadiums in the US and in Europe. In 1983 the Stones recorded the album
"Undercover" at the Compass Point in Nassau and during this time Mick
and Keith were having arguments over rights of the group. After having
created tens of albums and over a hundred popular songs together, their
legendary song-writing partnership was undergoing the most painful
test: the bitter rivalry between two enormously talented and equally
ambitious superstars.
Outside of The Rolling Stones, Richards toured with The New Barbarians,
and also was the front-man of the X-Pensive Winos in the 1980s. In 1985
Keith Richards took part in the "Artists United Against Apartheid"
charity project, and has been a participant in many more charitable
concerts ever since. In 1992 he released his solo album titled 'Main
Offender', which got him back on the road with a promotional tour. Also
during the tour he continued singing a few Stones songs. But individual
career and solo performances did not bring Richards as much
satisfaction as he experienced together with his writing partner.
Eventually, Jagger and Richards got together in Barbados and started to
write new songs for the album "Steel Wheels." After the Stones recorded
it they went back on the road. It was the first tour of
The Rolling Stones in 7 years. But in
1992 Bill Wyman announced that he was going to leave the group. In 1993
Keith Richards and his band released an album and toured for a few
months. However, his artistic and personal connection with the Stones
had eventually prevailed, and Richards reunited with his former
band-mates.
In 1994 The Rolling Stones got back
together again and recorded the album "Voodoo Lounge" and toured the
world extensively. In 1995 an album of their warm up gig in a pub in
Denmark was released. It was an acoustic live album called "Stripped".
In 1997 they released the album "Bridges to Babylon" and started a new
tour promoting the album. In 1998 a live album "No Security" was
released. Their 1999 the tour ended and the group hasn't performed
together until 2002. At that time Keith Richards continued playing
guitar for various projects and artists, such as
Norah Jones, and
Aretha Franklin among others. Richards
has been good friends with Johnny Depp, who
modeled the character of Capt. Jack Sparrow after him, including his
voice, his mannerisms, his personality, and aspects of his appearance.
In return, Johnny Depp invited Keith Richards to play his father,
Captain Teague, in the third installment of the "Pirates" franchise,
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).
The Rolling Stones have released 55
albums of original work and compilations, and sold over 200 million
records word-wide during their career spanning over 45 years. "The
Stones" played in all kinds of spaces from small clubs to big stadium
arenas, they remained one of the biggest entertainment acts touring the
world with a retinue of jet-set hangers-on. Their inimitable shows, no
matter the best, or the worst, has been played with fire and emotion,
giving their audiences the kind of music they do best - it's only
rock'n roll. In 2007 they even rocked the Tsar's Winter Palace with
fifty thousand fans in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the communist
revolution took place. They gave more large-scale shows internationally
than any other existing band in the world, culminating in their
2005-2007 "A Bigger Band" tour with 147 concerts, the highest grossing
tour of all time with $559 million earned. At their shows, even if you
don't shake your hips like Mick Jagger, just hold on to your hat as
tears go by, and they can start you up and get you rocking. You can
make it if you try.
Since 1962, during the career spanning over 45 years, Keith Richards
has been the lead guitarist and primary musical force behind
The Rolling Stones, as well as
songwriter for the band. He also continues making numerous guest
performances as guitarist, as well as actor and producer active in
various other projects. Besides his favorite Telecaster and Gibson
guitars, Keith Richards owns a valuable collection of about one
thousand vintage guitars of various brands, many of which he takes
along on concert tours and studio gigs.
Since Richards wrote the signature "Satisfaction" guitar riff, that was
called by Newsweek "five notes that took the world," his influence on
popular music had never stopped. In his own words, Keith Richards has
been dedicated to "grow this music up" beyond the theatrics of the
rock's past and "keep it fresh."
contemporary culture and popular music as a singer, guitar player,
songwriter, film actor, and public figure. He was voted 10th greatest
guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine, and was elected to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, as founding member of the legendary
rock band The Rolling Stones.
Together with his song-writing partner, Mick Jagger, he wrote and
recorded hundreds of songs, including their monster hit 'Satisfaction',
one of the defining songs of the era.
He was born on December 18, 1943, in Dartford, Kent,
England, UK. His father, Bert Richards, a factory worker, was injured
during the WWII. His mother, Doris (Dupree), introduced him to music of
jazz, and also encouraged his singing performances with a choir in
Westminster Abbey. Keith Richards met
Mick Jagger when he attended primary school
during the 1950s, albeit when they went into secondary schools they
lost touch for a while. But one day in 1960 they accidentally met on a
train and talked about starting up a band. Eventually, Richards and
Jagger made their dream come true. They established one of the most
legendary life-long songwriting partnerships, following the example of
John Lennon and
Paul McCartney's songwriting for
The Beatles. Besides their main success in
popular music and entertainment, Richards and Jagger had carried on
their early image of unkempt and surly youth that many others would
emulate, and spread their influence across traditional boundaries of
genres and styles into filmmaking, art, fashion, and contemporary
lifestyle, thus turning Jagger and Richards into cross-cultural
trend-setters.
Since The Rolling Stones were formed
in 1962, Richards and Jagger were continuously absorbing from many
musical styles and assimilated various genres and artistic influences,
ultimately creating their very own inimitable style. Together they
undergone transformation from semi-amateur local musicians to the
leading international superstars. Both Richards and Jagger became
poster boys for excess, however, they had survived ups and downs in
their careers and personal lives, and remained the core of the band.
Initially they shared a flat with the late Brian Jones in London, in
1962. The first lineup of the Stones consisted of Mick Jagger on lead
vocal and harmonica Keith Richards on guitar,
Bill Wyman on bass,
Charlie Watts on drums and
Brian Jones on guitar. In 1964 they
released their first album titled "The Rolling Stones." In 1965
Richards and Jagger wrote their single, "The Last Time," that became
their first number 1 hit in the UK. Then came "Satisfaction" (1965),
which was composed by Keith Richards in his sleep, and with the
addition of provocative lyrics by Mick Jagger it became the greatest
hit and their calling card on each and every show.
In 1966, after The Beatles stopped giving
live performances, The Rolling Stones
took over as the unofficial "biggest touring band in the world" for the
next few years. During 1966-1969 they toured the world, and constantly
updated their song-list with many great hits like "Lets Spend the night
together" (1967), "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968) and "Honky tonk
woman" (1969). The incredible international success of the Stones came
with a sad side, caused by Brian's drug and alcohol abuse that impaired
his speech and appearance, so the band-mates had to replace him. In
July 1969, Brian Jones died of drowning in his swimming pool while
having signs of drug overdose. Upon Richards's and Jagger's approval,
guitarist Mick Taylor took Brian's place.
Brian's death at age 27 made him one of the first members of the
infamous "27 Club" of rock stars who died at that age. Although Brian's
estrangement from his band-mates, and his numerous arrests were caused
by his personal problems with drugs, both Richards and Jagger were
blamed at the time for Brian's death. The loss of one of their founding
members was a painful moment for the Stones. However, at the end of the
1960s their creativity reached the new highs. Their albums "Beggars
Banquet" (1968) and "Sticky Fingers" (1971) were among the most popular
albums they ever made, having such hits as "Wild Horses" and "Brown
Sugar."
During the 1970s The Rolling Stones
remained the biggest band in the world, albeit they were rivaled by the
Led Zeppelin. The Stones made thousands of
live performances and multi-million record sales with hits like "Angie"
(1973), "It's Only Rock and Roll" (1974), "Hot Stuff" (1976) and
"Respectable" (1978). At that time both Keith Richards and Mick Jagger
had individual ambitions, and applied their untamed creativity in
various projects outside the Stones. Keith released his own single. In
1974 Ron Wood had replaced Mick Taylor on guitar and Keith and Ron both
played lead guitars. During the decade Keith Richards had a family
crisis on his hands, and suffered through emotional pain and drug
abuse, albeit it didn't stop him from being himself. In 1980 the group
released "Emotional Rescue" which Keith Richards didn't care for, and
the group didn't even tour to promote the album. In 1981 with the
release of 'Tattoo You', the group went on a major world tour filling
stadiums in the US and in Europe. In 1983 the Stones recorded the album
"Undercover" at the Compass Point in Nassau and during this time Mick
and Keith were having arguments over rights of the group. After having
created tens of albums and over a hundred popular songs together, their
legendary song-writing partnership was undergoing the most painful
test: the bitter rivalry between two enormously talented and equally
ambitious superstars.
Outside of The Rolling Stones, Richards toured with The New Barbarians,
and also was the front-man of the X-Pensive Winos in the 1980s. In 1985
Keith Richards took part in the "Artists United Against Apartheid"
charity project, and has been a participant in many more charitable
concerts ever since. In 1992 he released his solo album titled 'Main
Offender', which got him back on the road with a promotional tour. Also
during the tour he continued singing a few Stones songs. But individual
career and solo performances did not bring Richards as much
satisfaction as he experienced together with his writing partner.
Eventually, Jagger and Richards got together in Barbados and started to
write new songs for the album "Steel Wheels." After the Stones recorded
it they went back on the road. It was the first tour of
The Rolling Stones in 7 years. But in
1992 Bill Wyman announced that he was going to leave the group. In 1993
Keith Richards and his band released an album and toured for a few
months. However, his artistic and personal connection with the Stones
had eventually prevailed, and Richards reunited with his former
band-mates.
In 1994 The Rolling Stones got back
together again and recorded the album "Voodoo Lounge" and toured the
world extensively. In 1995 an album of their warm up gig in a pub in
Denmark was released. It was an acoustic live album called "Stripped".
In 1997 they released the album "Bridges to Babylon" and started a new
tour promoting the album. In 1998 a live album "No Security" was
released. Their 1999 the tour ended and the group hasn't performed
together until 2002. At that time Keith Richards continued playing
guitar for various projects and artists, such as
Norah Jones, and
Aretha Franklin among others. Richards
has been good friends with Johnny Depp, who
modeled the character of Capt. Jack Sparrow after him, including his
voice, his mannerisms, his personality, and aspects of his appearance.
In return, Johnny Depp invited Keith Richards to play his father,
Captain Teague, in the third installment of the "Pirates" franchise,
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).
The Rolling Stones have released 55
albums of original work and compilations, and sold over 200 million
records word-wide during their career spanning over 45 years. "The
Stones" played in all kinds of spaces from small clubs to big stadium
arenas, they remained one of the biggest entertainment acts touring the
world with a retinue of jet-set hangers-on. Their inimitable shows, no
matter the best, or the worst, has been played with fire and emotion,
giving their audiences the kind of music they do best - it's only
rock'n roll. In 2007 they even rocked the Tsar's Winter Palace with
fifty thousand fans in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the communist
revolution took place. They gave more large-scale shows internationally
than any other existing band in the world, culminating in their
2005-2007 "A Bigger Band" tour with 147 concerts, the highest grossing
tour of all time with $559 million earned. At their shows, even if you
don't shake your hips like Mick Jagger, just hold on to your hat as
tears go by, and they can start you up and get you rocking. You can
make it if you try.
Since 1962, during the career spanning over 45 years, Keith Richards
has been the lead guitarist and primary musical force behind
The Rolling Stones, as well as
songwriter for the band. He also continues making numerous guest
performances as guitarist, as well as actor and producer active in
various other projects. Besides his favorite Telecaster and Gibson
guitars, Keith Richards owns a valuable collection of about one
thousand vintage guitars of various brands, many of which he takes
along on concert tours and studio gigs.
Since Richards wrote the signature "Satisfaction" guitar riff, that was
called by Newsweek "five notes that took the world," his influence on
popular music had never stopped. In his own words, Keith Richards has
been dedicated to "grow this music up" beyond the theatrics of the
rock's past and "keep it fresh."