Keith Richards Biography

Legendary musician Keith Richards was born in 1943 in Kent, a suburb of London. He and Mick Jagger met while still in primary school, although it was for the moment a brief meeting, and the two would not reunite until they reached adulthood. As a child, Richards began playing guitar, and following his expulsion from school in 1959, Keith’s headmaster recommended that he try Sidcup Art School. It was there that Keith Richards met Dick Taylor, who was playing with Mick Jagger in a band. It was a fortuitous turn of events which led to the formation of what would become the Rolling Stones.

The Rolling Stones debuted in the summer of 1962, and by 1965 they’d become near superstars. Hits like “(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" brought them across the ocean to enormous success in the United States. By the 1970’s, the band was facing not only a staggering level of stardom, but also a frightening level of excess and drug addiction. Throughout the middle part of this decade, Keith Richards struggled with his personal demons and very little productive music was recorded.

The Rolling Stones returned with Some Girls in 1978, and the next few years were far more successful. A rather public riff between Jagger and Richards resulted in the launch of Mick Jagger’s solo career, however, and by 1988, Keith Richards had released his own solo album, Talk Is Cheap.  The album turned out to achieve even greater success than Jagger’s endeavor. The album went gold and spawned the single “Take It So Hard,” and launched Keith Richards on a highly successful supporting tour. The Rolling Stones returned with Steel Wheels in 1989, and in 1992, Keith Richards again released a solo album, Main Offender. Throughout the rest of the 1990’s, Keith Richards focused on his work with the Rolling Stones and their tours, which have been successful all the way into the new millennium.

As an artist, Keith Richards is recognized as among the greatest rhythm guitarists in music history, having crafted some of the most unforgettable riffs in the annals of rock and roll. He is among the most enduring figures in American music history and much to the surprise of everyone, is still going strong. His latest album, Crosseyed Heart—his third as a solo artist—was released in September of 2015.