Keith Richards’ favourite country singers
Let’s put it this way: one unsuspecting night out in London, you and a mate of yours (who happens to be called Mick Jagger) meet a friendly guy called Brian Jones. You all love music, but who doesn’t, really? Sod it, you think, and form a band together; you call it The Rolling Stones.
It’s 1962 then, but your career will still be thriving, even now. You’re sure as hell going to learn a thing or two about those who came before you, as well as the voice of your contemporaries, to give yourself every chance at success, right?
Sure enough, when Rolling Stone collated the definitive list of the 100 best singers of all time in 2008, they knew they had to ask Keith Richards. The faceless music critic, slouching over an archaic typewriter, wasn’t the only one to decide upon the rankings; rather, many famous musicians voted for their favourite artists so that the list was representative of both sides of the industry. With all that history and experience up his sleeve, Keith Richards input his top 20 singers of all time.
Luckily, we have a record of exactly who he included, as, sure enough, the list would be different now should Rolling Stone carry out the exercise, but its existence is a sort of time capsule, miraculous and perfect as an example of the decaying noughties.
Out of the list of 20 names, which included, unsurprisingly, the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Otis Redding, and Smokey Robinson, Richards exposed the country singers he deemed the biggest and the best of all time. From his point of view, it’d be pretty foolish not to shout out a good friend on such an important list.
Ever the genius, Richards, of course, knew this, his own name took the cheeky 20th spot of his suggestions, after all, but a little further down the line (nine names down, to be exact), he nodded to his good friend, Gram Parsons, as he has explained elsewhere that he had “one of the most solid and faithful followings of any artist that I can think of”.
Parsons was well-known for popularising what, in his language, was deemed ‘Cosmic American Music’, a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock. Both a solo artist and part of the International Submarine Band, The Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, music lovers couldn’t quite get enough of the singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. The industry mourned together when he died in 1973 at the tender age of 26; we might’ve had plenty more hits on our hands had the tragedy been avoided.
However, happily, one of Richards’ other favourite country singers is indeed alive today, and that’s Willie Nelson, leader of the Outlaw Country movement and singer of iconic trucker-dude hits like ‘On the Road Again’ and ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain’, with a career that spans seven whole decades. As is similar to Parsons’ shoutout, Richards and Nelson are friends, such that four years before the list was finalised, Richards performed with him at the Outlaws & Angels tribute in 2004.
Nelson’s career isn’t just in music; he’s acted in over 30 films (and counting!), and co-authored several books, has used his platform for initiatives close to his heart, including the use of biofuels and, just as importantly, some might say, the legalisation of marijuana. Ride on, Nelson.
The last of Richards’ favourite country singers likely didn’t have this penchant for getting zooted on a Saturday, though his appearance on the list will be a surprise to very few. Hailed globally as the greatest living country singer in the final two decades of his life, George Jones felt like a lifelong friend to anyone who listened to him. Something in the soft smoothness of his phrasing, the lilting cadence, and his silky, conversational voice meant that songs such as ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ became instant classics, loved by all, even Richards.
