Guitarist Profile

KEITH RICHARDS

Career Highlights

BORN: December 18, 1943 Dartford, Kent, England NOTED GUITAR: 50s Fender Telecaster with low E string removed NICKNAMES: Keef one half of the "Glimmer Twins" BEST KNOWN FOR: inhuman constitution SELECT DISCOGRAPHY: SOLO: 1992 Main Offender 1991 Live at Hollywood Palladium 1988 Talk is Cheap w. ROLLING STONES: 1998 No Security 1997 Bridges to Babylon 1994 Voodoo Lounge 1989 Steel Wheels 1983 Undercover 1981 Tattoo You 1978 Some Girls 1973 Goat's Head Soup 1972 Exile on Main Street 1971 Sticky Fingers 1970 Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out 1969 Let it Bleed 1968 Beggar's Banquet 1967 Between the Buttons 1966 Aftermath 1965 Out of Our Heads 1965 Rolling Stones Now! 1964 12x5 1964 England's Newest Hitmakers

"Keith Richards IS the Rolling Stones." It's an oft-heard statement that shocks casual Stones followers, yet elicits nods of agreement from many serious fans of the band. For while the public sees Mick Jagger as the leader of the Rolling Stones, it is Keith who writes the bulk of the band's music. Indeed, Keith's personality embodies the very essence of The Rolling Stones. Whereas Jagger is often considered to be insecure, and always very self-conscious about how he presents himself to other people, Keith is brash, angry, and unconcerned with what others think about him. It's this sort of "take me or leave me" attitude that gives classic Stones tracks their fire.

Musically, Keith has drawn from a wide variety of influences, to create a unique, and influential guitar style. After learning about the intricacies of tuning his guitar to open G (thanks to input from Ry Cooder), Keith began to explore this alternate tuning extensively, creating from it a whole style of guitar playing. Richards even went so far as to remove the low E string from many of his guitars, as he found it a hindrance when playing in open G. Although he doesn't always play in this tuning, if you study Rolling Stones tablature, and listen to their music, you'll begin to understand just how often it is used.

Thankfully, there's a ton of good Keith Richards info available on the web. From online bios and interviews, to insight into Keef's guitar playing, to nude photos (yikes!), you'll find a wealth of material via the links below.

The Rolling Stones Guitar Tab
Almost 140 songs are available here, arranged alphabetically, in both chord and tablature format. The best Stones tab archive available on the web.

The Rolling Stones Lyrics
A large assortment of Stones lyrics, organized alphabetically. Only one song per page - so printing should be relatively painless.

Keith Richards Bio
From Mr. Showbiz, a well written, if not very thorough, overview of Richards' personal and professional life.

Keith Richards' Guitars
A great page which details several of Keith's favorite guitars, and in some cases, includes information on how they are set up. Some basic amplifier information is also included.

The Rolling Stones Official Site
Lots of info here (like tour dates, etc.), and fun stuff to do - like play Stones games, check out video and audio footage, and more. Well done.

Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll
Of course, no matter what the guitarist has written and recorded, Keith will always be MOST famous for his legendary drug abuse throughout the 1970s. Classic rock guide Patty Williams gives us a glimpse into Keef's darker side, including a summary of Richards' arrest record, and even links to nude photos of the guitarist.

Keith Richards Guitar Lesson
A nice page that offers a Keith bio, information on his gear, info on his open G tuning preference, and a tutorial on how to play like Keith, illustrated via tablature of many classic Rolling Stones riffs.

Keith Richards' Style Analyzed
Okay okay... so it's in French. Truth is, there is a bunch of tablature examples throughout, and it should be easy enough to learn from, even if you don't understand the text.

Guitar Player Interview
From 1983, an article and accompanying interview with Keith Richards. Entertaining.

Guitar World Interview
During the recording of "Bridges to Babylon", Keith sat down and talked with one of the writers of Guitar World magazine. Part II of the article is here.

Another Guitar World Interview
Another Guitar World interview, this time during the release of the Rolling Stones album Stripped.

Rolling Stones Pics
A few really nice pics of Keith during various phases in his career, as well as some other images of the rest of the band.

Keith Richards Bootlegs
A nice website listing track details for all of Keef's bootlegs, plus album cover graphics and more.

Keith Richards Quotes
A collection of one short quotes Keith has made in public. There are some great ones here! Worth checking out.

Keith Richards Urban Legends
Well... you had to figure that not ALL of the Keef stories circulating were true. This brief page outlines the rumors about Richards that have been proven false.

Operation - Keith Richards Detox
Remember that obnoxious buzzer game you used to play as a kid? Well, now you can play it online - and the patient is none other than our very own Keef!

Keith Richards' Sheperd's Pie Recipe
Richards has been quoted as saying sheperd's pie is his favorite food. Now, you can get Keith's recipe for this popular UK meal, which is essentially ground beef, mashed potatoes, and spices, all cooked in one dish.

Subscribe to the Newsletter
Name	Email