The guitarist Mick Jagger said inspired every member of The Rolling Stones: “An uncle and a teacher”
One of the reasons why Keith Richards’ guitar playing in The Rolling Stones is considered to be up there with the greats is not because he has a higher level of proficiency.
In fact, most would argue that Richards barely has any proficiency at all, instead rising to the top solely because of his incredible knack for a good riff and rhythm.
When we look at some of the band’s greatest songs, like ‘Gimme Shelter’ and ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, they’re great because they sound great, capturing everything we could possibly want in a Stones song, from the infectiousness of the lyrics and melodies to the unique way in which Richards played some of their best riffs.
In fact, these songs have even been recognised by the other members as tracks that gained success because of Richards’ guitar playing. His work captured both the simple joy of escaping into a good ol’ blues-inspired rock tune and the defiant, yet disillusioned spirit of an entire generation. What makes this even more interesting is that these iconic ideas often fall out of Richards when he least expects them.
‘Gimme Shelter’, for instance, was born one day when Richards was messing around with someone else’s guitar. “At the very last note of the take, the whole neck fell off. You can hear it on the original track,” he later recalled, saying that it was “quite poetic” that they ended the track that way, with an instrument he never used again.
Similarly, he recorded part of the ‘Satisfaction’ riff one night just before he’d accidentally fallen asleep. Apparently, he’d had no idea he’d written it, and only discovered it when he listened to the tape recording the next day, which was essentially just two minutes of him playing the guitar followed by “me snoring for the next 40 minutes”.
Although such excellence rarely appears by accident, it’s possible that such instincts were in-built from the start, especially when every single member of the group had their own heroes whom they looked up to when it came to shaping their own musical approach. Some ventured more towards good rhythm players, while others appreciated those with more precision, bringing songs to life in ways that used the instrument almost as if it were another vocal.
One guitarist they could all agree on, however, and someone who set an entirely new standard for guitar-playing excellence, was none other than Howlin’ Wolf’s guitar-playing sidekick, Hubert Sumlin. As a guitar player, Sumlin pretty much ticked all the boxes, particularly when it came to the more nuanced and meticulous approaches that gave Howlin’ Wolf his unique sound.
Sumlin was so impactful, in fact, that each member has at some point praised his work and named him as a seminal influence, with Ronnie Wood calling him “fantastic” and Charlie Watts saying he was “a dream of a guy”. Richards also said he was like “an uncle and a teacher”, while Mick Jagger took the opportunity to go into more detail about why he remains such a pivotal figure for the entire group.
“Hubert was an incisive yet delicate blues player,” he said, concluding, “He had a really distinctive and original tone and was a wonderful foil for Howlin’ Wolf’s growling vocal style. On a song like ‘Goin’ Down Slow’, he could produce heart-rending emotion, and on a piece like ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ an almost playful femininity. He was an inspiration to us all.”
Never Miss A Tale
The Far Out Classic Rock Newsletter
All the latest Classic Rock content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.