‘Solos come and go – riffs last forever‘
Keith Richards

An early photo of Keith Richards along with his Mom Doris, depicts the young Dartmouth lad on a leash. Presumably – Mrs. Richards needed to harness Keith’s rambunctious nature. We all know now what happened once the ‘reins’ were removed.

Chris DeBurgh

Keith Richards, or as he is fondly known; ‘Keef‘ – generally gets a raw deal from the masses. Sure diehard Stones’ fans, true musicians and true music fans recognize his brilliance on guitar and songwriting ability yet – many of them say things like ‘what is he doing on the Top Ten list of all time guitarists?’

The world is obsessed with hiring people or praising people who are technically precise. Folks who can play piano better than 97% of other piano players. Folks who can sing pitch perfectly and with a wide range of power are the ones habitually on a Top Ten list. These lists cater to the same readers who believe Taylor Swift is one of the best performers, singers and songwriters in the past twenty years. In other words – people who are trained to believe everything the media tells them or more precisely; sells them.

What the media has sold the masses over the years is not how Keith Richards took a guitar that his Grandfather Gus gave to him and spent hours learning to play on his own and with feel. The days and sleepless nights Mr.Richards spent along with fellow co – founder of The Rolling Stones, Brian Jones, learning every nuance – every note provided to them by the records of The Blues masters. The men whose music came from their soul through suffering. These men were Mr. Richards teachers. Soulful music connected with Richards’ own soul and a deal was made as long as Keith passed the ‘test.’

The tabloids, the nightly news – when speaking of Keith, have done what the media does best. Sell sensationalism. Headlines and partial research to grab advertisers and readers / buyers. Starting in the mid Sixties – the masses were schooled in Keith Richards’ ( and The Stones) rebellious nature. They were spoon – fed Keith’s drug use, addiction and arrests. Headline after headline was about what Richards (and his band) were doing to the poor kids around the globe. Words on front pages asking “Would You Let Your Daughter Marry a Rolling Stone?’ Only the music magazines devoted to music spoke about Keith’s guitar playing (vaguely) yet they too, concentrated more on Richards’ image than his playing and songwriting.

Now – let’s look at the musicians, songwriters or guitar players who have come along since Richards picked up his ‘axe’ and chopped down six decades with 400 songs ( more if you count his solo records). For the most part, when pressed – the majority of people trying to make a go (made a go) in music, cite many influences. A bevy of guitar players and songwriters come to mind before Keith Richards’ mind and fingers arrive in their thoughts. Guitar players and songwriters have also been sold on technical prowess and the ‘flavor of the moment’ talent / trend.

All these influences which affected each generation had a shelf life of about eight years and at the most – twenty great songs ( Beatles the exception but they had George Martin).

The musicians themselves who intentionally or unintentionally ‘ignored’ Richards craftsmanship and learned from the ‘eight year‘ career artists – also went on to have an average eight year career.

Is Richards and his band partly responsible for people not understanding or realizing the talent and feeling from deep inside Keith’s person? Did they indirectly feed the media the type of food media ‘stars’ get protein from? Surely but at the same time; Richards (The Stones) played the media like fiddles. Richards’ lore was part fantasy and marketing by the band and early manager Andrew Loog Oldham. The Beatles wore White Hats – The Stones wore the Black Hats. Princes become Kings – villains get banished.

Music fans, musicians or anyone with a curious nature – do yourselves a favor. Think outside of the box. Think outside of the ‘lists’ and outside of what is the preconceived norm. Take an afternoon. Take an evening or a few hours here and there. Listen to all The Rolling Stones albums and Keith Richards’ solo discs. Concentrate on Richards’ acoustic warmth and electric rhythm. Focus on Richards’ soul flowing through to his instrument and into your ears. Learn from Keith as Keith learned from Robert Johnson, Elmore James and Muddy Waters. Seven straight decades with an original album in the top ten sure beats an eight year shelf life.