KEITH RICHARDS – Birthday

KEITH RICHARDS – STORY

Keith Richards was born, 18 December 1943, Dartford, Kent, England. As founding member and principal guitarist of the Rolling Stones, Richards occupies a unique place in rock's pantheon.

Although not a recognized frontman, his incisive rhythm work, initially modelled on Chuck Berry, has provided the template for many of his group's finest moments.

He became the partner of Mick Jagger when a need for original material arose, and although their early efforts betrayed an immaturity, their work flourished on completing "The Last Time" in 1965. The first in a series of excellent singles, including "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Get Off Of My Cloud" (both 1965) and "Paint It Black" (1966), Richards's riffs provided the cornerstone to a sound which relied on atmosphere, rather than melody, for effect.

Despite this, his name was attached to TODAY'S POP SYMPHONY, wherein the Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra performed contemporary pop hits under his ‘direction’. The project was doubtlessly inspired by manager Andrew Loog Oldham, as it mirrored his own similar ventures, but the album was nonetheless the first to bear Richards's name without the Stones.

The group survived what was, for the Stones, an awkward psychedelic era (and its attendant arrests) by reconnecting with R&B, which had provided their initial inspiration. Richards's riffs for "Jumping Jack Flash" (1968), "Honky Tonk Women" (1969) and "Brown Sugar" (1971) were instantly recognizable and their international success enhanced an artistically fertile period.

Richards's drug dependency, which would bedevil the guitarist throughout the '70s, blighted his private life, but musically there continued to be several highlights including EXILE ON MAIN STREET, a much-lauded album recorded at his French villa, and SOME GIRLS, the group's controversial post-punk set. His obligatory vocal tracks included "Happy" and "Before They Make Me Run," and such performances were eagerly awaited by a loyal core of aficionados.

Richards completed several solo studio sessions during 1976 and 1977, but their sole product was the belated Christmas single, "Run Rudolph Run" (1979). That same year he was convicted of heroin charges by a Toronto court. His penance was a charity concert for which he formed the New Barbarians with Ron Wood, Stanley Clarke, Ian McLagan and saxophonist Bobby Keys. The group also undertook a tour of the USA and at the Knebworth Festival in England, before Richards resumed his commitment to the Rolling Stones.

He appeared at Live Aid in 1985 as part of the ramshackle trio of Bob Dylan and Ron Wood.

A feud with Mick Jagger reached its peak in 1986, threatening the future of the group. Richards subsequently worked with Chuck Berry and Aretha Franklin before beginning his first official solo album. TALK IS CHEAP

offered the sparkle and commitment missing from several latter-day Stones' releases, and in "Don't Take It So Hard" Keith offered an invective to his estranged partner. However, the pair were later reconciled and worked on the parent group's STEEL WHEELS and the mammoth USA and European tour which followed.

Richards has always argued that the Stones should be his prime vehicle, but their increasingly disparate status would suggest that the guitarist's solo career may yet assume paramount importance.

If Jagger decides to call it a day, it is Richards the man with ten lives that will prosper.

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