Keith Richards says he has enjoyed a kind of telepathic understanding with the other guitarists who’ve played alongside him in The Rolling Stones – and hails the band’s founder and former leader Brian Jones as a hugely influential figure.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Richards talks to writer Joel McIver about a whole host of legendary guitar players – not only his fellow Stones, but also Scotty Moore, Elmore James and Jimi Hendrix.
Asked whether he ever wanted to be a virtuoso soloist like Hendrix, Richards replies: “No, I have never really wanted to go down that path. I mean, with solos, I admire the virtuoso and the technique and the nimbleness, but at the end of the day, what are you soloing over? You’re the icing on the cake. And I’m the cake!”
As arguably the most famous rhythm guitarist of all time, Richards is known for putting groove into his playing and hanging back behind the beat, of which he says: “It’s actually nothing you can put into words, because it’s just the way I feel the rhythm.
“I always say that I can only do this because I’ve been blessed with the best drummers in the world. I have the luxury of knowing that the guy knows what he’s doing, you know?”
He adds: “I very rarely play with stiffs! I’ve been lucky to play with the best. Listen, I’ve played with the guys I grew up listening to. Little Richard, Scotty Moore. Jesus Christ, should I go on?”
Richards also discusses his working relationships with the Stones’ other guitarists – Brian Jones, Mick Taylor and Ronnie Wood.
Asked if the way he weaves lead and rhythm parts playing with Ronnie Wood is an unspoken thing, Richards says: “Oh, absolutely. There’s something between us.
“It was the same with me and with Mick Taylor, and also with Brian Jones, back at the beginning. You’d meet the right guys and automatically they knew that ‘You take over here, I’ll come in underneath’, and there was a beautiful little ballet going on.
“That’s amazing, and that’s what makes it worth doing, you know – this interconnection between musicians.”
He continues: “It is kinda telepathic, in a way. I suppose. You can put that word on it. And it’s something you don’t wanna fuck with.
“Once it’s there, you don’t talk about it amongst yourselves. It’s an unspoken reliance upon each other, which is a beautiful thing.”
Richards also pays tribute to Brian Jones and praises his impact on the Stones in their early days.
“Personally, he was the first steel slide player I heard,” Richards says. “His middle name could have been Elmore, because he used to just play Elmore James stuff.
“He was really, really in front of that game, and that’s what I really admired about him when we first started playing together.
“This band was started by a piano player, Ian Stewart, and he had Brian with him. Once I heard Brian playing Elmore James, I thought, ‘I’ve found a guy here who I can mess with’, and then we got into Jimmy Reed stuff and, of course, Muddy Waters, all of that…”
He says with a laugh: “I wouldn’t call it a university education!”
The full interview is in the new issue of Guitar World out now.
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