Keith Richards

Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of <a href="/facts/The_Rolling_Stones/15fCN7RF">the Rolling Stones</a>. His <a href="/facts/Jagger%25E2%2580%2593Richards/fkI8USAv">songwriting partnership</a> with the band's lead vocalist <a href="/facts/Mick_Jagger/vSaC62yn">Mick Jagger</a> is one of the most successful in history. His career spans over six decades, and his guitar playing style has been a trademark of the Rolling Stones throughout the band's career. Richards gained press notoriety for his romantic involvements and illicit drug use, and he was often portrayed as a <a href="/facts/Counterculture/8vyVeL92">countercultural</a> figure. First professionally known as Keith Richard, by the early 1970s he had fully asserted his family name.
Richards was born in and grew up in <a href="/facts/Dartford%2c_Kent/f6JpkLxn">Dartford, Kent</a>. He studied at the <a href="/facts/Wilmington_Grammar_School_for_Boys/X9cvI889">Dartford Technical School</a> and <a href="/facts/Sidcup_Art_College/PJUJ2kxV">Sidcup Art College</a>. After graduating, Richards befriended Jagger, <a href="/facts/Bill_Wyman/XL5p84qc">Bill Wyman</a>, <a href="/facts/Charlie_Watts/B32TVtHv">Charlie Watts</a>, <a href="/facts/Ian_Stewart_(musician)/EgrQMCYD">Ian Stewart</a> and <a href="/facts/Brian_Jones/9Fe9JxYG">Brian Jones</a> and joined the Rolling Stones. As a member of the group, Richards also sings lead on some of their songs, typically at least one song per concert, including "<a href="/facts/Happy_(Rolling_Stones_song)/lMnPp5td">Happy</a>", "<a href="/facts/Before_They_Make_Me_Run/MHhDENQf">Before They Make Me Run</a>", and "<a href="/facts/Connection_(Rolling_Stones_song)/EIFAbU4V">Connection</a>". Outside of his career with the Rolling Stones, Richards has also played with his own side-project, The X-Pensive Winos. He also appeared in two <a href="/facts/Pirates_of_the_Caribbean_(film_series)/afUUbD9h">Pirates of the Caribbean</a> films as <a href="/facts/Captain_Teague/b5vD6dy2">Captain Teague</a>, father of <a href="/facts/Jack_Sparrow/4YYBdzKE">Jack Sparrow</a>, whose look and characterisation were inspired by Richards himself.
In 1989, Richards was inducted into the <a href="/facts/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame/6hRagsTD">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a> and in 2004 into the <a href="/facts/UK_Music_Hall_of_Fame/m355nFeJ">UK Music Hall of Fame</a> with the Rolling Stones. <a href="/facts/Rolling_Stone/HhCFoJ9F">Rolling Stone</a> magazine ranked him fourth on its list of 100 best guitarists in 2011. In 2023, Rolling Stone's ranking was 15th. The magazine listed fourteen songs that Richards wrote with Jagger on its "<a href="/facts/Rolling_Stone%2527s_500_Greatest_Songs_of_All_Time/GEJnGkat">500 Greatest Songs of All Time</a>" list.

Keith Richards open-in-new

Keith Richards