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Keith Richards

Keith Richards was born in Dartford, Kent, England on December 18,1943. He started to play the guitar at the age of 5 and modeled his guitar playing after Chuck Berry.

He partnered with Mick Jagger, as one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones. In 1965 they released The Last Time. It was followed by many other successful singles like (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Get Off Of My Cloud, and Paint It Black. The riffs that Richards played became the forefront of their sound, and you could hear his name connected with Today's Pop Symphony when the Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra performed contemporary pop hits with his direction. The album that resulted became the first to bear his name without The Stones.

In 1968, The Stones went back to their original inspiration, R&B, and released Jumping Jack Flash, 'Honky Tonk Women (1969), and Brown Sugar (1971). All were well received, and Richards' riffs were highly recognizable through out the world.

Throughout the 70's, the band continued on with their international success, but personally, Richards life was in shreds by his drug abuse. The Stones continued on with albums such as Exile On Main , recorded in Richards French villa, and Some Girls. Richards completed several solo studio sessions during 1976-77, and in 1979 he released a Christmas single entitled Run Rudolph Run. That same year, he was convicted in Toronto for Heroin possession. His penance was a charity concert. He formed the band New Barbarians for the event featuring Ron Wood, Stanley Clarke, Ian McLagan, and Bobby Keys. The band also went on a tour of the USA and appeared at the Knebworth Festival in England before Richard left to resume his commitment to The Rolling Stones.

In 1986, a feud with Jagger reached its peak and threatened the future of the band. Richards left and began work with Chuck Berry and Aretha Franklin before beginning his first official solo album entitled Talk is Cheap. Richards and Jagger did reunite, though, and worked on Steel Wheels and the huge USA and European tour that followed.

Richards, with his extreme talent for creating a sound based on atmosphere rather than melody is sure to take him a long way. He doesn't need The Rolling Stones to succeed as he has well proved to us all with his solo career. If Jagger decided to quit, Richards would still prosper-most definitely.