(Credits: Far Out / Bent Rej)
Mon 11 August 2025 16:00, UK
Rock and roll would be a very different place without the wild antics, eccentric personality, and incredible songwriting of Keith Richards. Right from the outset of his extensive music career, however, the Rolling Stones’ guitarist has been indebted to his wide-ranging influences.
Growing up in 1950s Britain didn’t offer a lot of excitement for a young Keith Richards, or the other kids of the post-war generation. The nation was still struggling to rebuild following the devastation of World War II, and rationing was still in effect until 1954. It is no surprise, therefore, that the future Rolling Stones songwriter turned to music, finding solace in the fresh, new, and exciting sounds of American rock ‘n’ roll, along with age-old American blues records, too.
It was these influences that set Richards on a path to musical greatness, as well as uniting him with his bandmates. When the Stones first formed back in 1962, under the leadership of Brian Jones, they were endlessly devoted to American blues, covering a wealth of tracks by the likes of Howlin’ Wolf or Muddy Waters, in addition to a few rock and roll anthems and blues standards. In fact, it could certainly be argued that the Rolling Stones were essential in introducing those songs and artists to young, mainstream audiences in the UK.
Inevitably, though, a band can only last so long playing cover versions of old blues tracks. The Stones’ manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, was the first to recognise that fact and spurred Richards and Mick Jagger to begin writing their own original material, following in the footsteps of The Beatles and their countless self-penned hit singles.
To say that their decision to start writing songs worked out would be a catastrophic understatement. The Jagger-Richards partnership quickly produced a litany of rock’s most iconic anthems, from ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ to ‘Sympathy for the Devil’.
Yet, according to Keith Richards himself, the writing process of those tracks had little to do with him. Speaking to the Brazilian programme Gente de Expressão in 1998, he explained how songs are all floating around in the ether, and his job is just to pluck them out and put them onto tape. “Really, I see myself as an antenna, a receiver,” he shared.
So what is Richards’ method for dragging these legendary songs from the air? Seemingly, it all comes down to the influence of his most beloved artists. “I pick up my guitar, or I sit at the piano, and I’ll play my favourite songs, Buddy Holly, or I’ll do some Nat King Cole,” the guitarist shared. Apparently, those rather disparate influences then go on to conjure up new material for the Stones, despite their obvious differences in sound. “A musician is only a result of what he hears,” the songwriter added.
Buddy Holly is an obvious muse for Richards. After all, the young songwriter typified the first age of rock ‘n’ roll, providing inspiration to an entire generation of songwriters and guitarists, before tragically passing away, thus cementing his legacy indefinitely. The Rolling Stones exercised their love for the thick-rimmed spectacle-wearing rock and roller in 1964, covering his track ‘Not Fade Away’ as their first single in the US.
Nat King Cole, on the other hand, doesn’t immediately draw parallels with the Stones’ work. Nevertheless, Richards has always maintained a deep appreciation for his iconic voice, likely owing to the jazz music which made up his mother’s listening habits throughout his childhood back in the 1950s.
Keith Richards certainly owes a lot to those two major muses, as they seem to have inspired the work which first launched him into rock and roll stardom, and have kept him there for upwards of 60 years.
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