Keith Richards, rock’s titanium man, has seen many come and go. Since his early 1960s debut, numerous ships have passed by the Londoner’s harbor as he has seen life change. The guitarist, one of the last remnants of a bygone age, has been around since the climax and seen both positive and negative results of his work. Rockstars need daring and self-confidence, which can be mistaken for arrogance, to rebel against tradition and innovate. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, and other 1960s bands arrived with unstoppable swagger, fueling the uprising against the existing quo.
As the world changed and success’s supporting factors turned this generation into hateful caricatures, many of Richards’ contemporaries lost their domains. For the most part, the ‘Gimme Shelter’ songwriter and his band survived the clock. They’ve stayed one of the world’s most successful bands. While their brand has survived, Richards has had his share of death, law, and other misfortunes that would have destroyed others. However, with divine intervention, the cat-like musician has avoided many dangers and continued playing music. Unfortunately, Richards, Mick Jagger, and their generation’s hedonistic lifestyle led to countless tragedies, including the 1969 death of founding Stone Brian Jones, aged 27. Since Jones departed the band, they’ve had many versions, with rock excess and other factors resulting in this colorful cast. Richards has publicly acknowledged The Rolling Stones’ rotating roster, even choosing his favorite era—Jones, Mick Taylor, or Ronnie Wood.
Richards told Rolling Stone in 1987 that Taylor’s best work, including Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers, came during this time. However, the part with former Faces legend Wood was his favorite. Jones’ fate is well known, so Richards didn’t mention it. He said: “Ronnnie is the most fun. His transparency is the highest. We arguably did our best work with Mick Taylor. Ronnie is undervalued in many ways. Due to his surface flippancy, he’s more complex than you realize. He has more depth than most people realize. I’ve always enjoyed working with him.” I adore his passion. He’s the Stones’ longest-serving member. That was wonderful during Dirty Work: “Do you realize, Ronnie, that you’ve been in this band longer than Brian was? Longer than Mick Taylor? You remain the new boy.” [Laughs.]”
