Keith Richards

BIOGRAPHY – Keith Richards

Keith Richards was born on the 18 December 1943 in Dartford, Kent. He is best known as guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones. Keith Richard was bought his first guitar by his mother who introduced him to jazz music at an early age.

Attending Wentworth Primary School, Keith Richard met and became friends with Mick Jagger the future lead singer of the Rolling Stones. The pair lost contact in 1954 when he was transferred to Dartford Technical School.

Keith was an unenthusiastic student who was expelled for truancy but he managed to continue his education at Sidcup Art School where he swapped some records for his first electric guitar.

A chance meeting on a train in 1961 reunited Keith Richards with Mick Jagger, and through their shared tastes in music, they formed a band.

Soon afterwards, Jagger and Richards met Brian Jones and Ian Stewart changing the band name to “The Rolling Stones”. In 1963 the band signed up with pop producer Andrew Loog Oldham. Keith Richards dropped the “s” from his surname and with Mick Jagger began writing hit songs for other artists. However it wasn’t until 1965 that they had their own successes with “The last time” and (I can’t get no) “Satisfaction”.

Keith Richard’s guitar style is usually based in riffs and in tandem with another guitarist. His style is often played off the beat and in some of his most memorable songs he uses open tunings or with the 6th string on his guitar missing altogether.

Keith Richards has described his style as “the ancient art of weaving”. Keith Richards aided by Mick Jagger has produced many of the Rolling Stones and other artist’s albums since 1974, often under the pseudonym “The Glimmer twins”.

Keith has had a history of drink and drug use and has been described as Mad, bad and dangerous to know. In 1994 Richards said of his image: “It’s something you drag around behind you like a long shadow. Even though that was nearly twenty years ago, you cannot convince some people that you’re not a mad drug addict.

Keith Richards has been tried on drug-related charges five times: in 1967, twice in 1973, in 1977 and in 1978.

From 1963 onwards, Keith Richards has been a prolific songwriter and has written 14 of the Rolling Stone Magazines’ 500 top songs of all time.