The musician Keith Richards calls his “soul brother”
“Soul brother” – When the words come out of Keith Richards’ mouth, they could have many targets. Not only has the guitarist played with the Rolling Stones practically forever, spending the majority of his life collaborating with Mick Jagger, he’s worked with a long run of other musical legends and been friends with even more.
I can’t help but wonder if Jagger get a little hurt when he hears things like this and finds that it’s not attached to him. When the duo met back when they were teenagers, it felt like fate. Growing up in the same area and attending the same primary school as kids before being separated, the moment they bumped into each other again was the start of something historic. “You know I was keen on Chuck Berry, and I thought I was the only fan for miles but one mornin’ on Dartford Stn. (that’s so I don’t have to write a long word like station) I was holding one of Chuck’s records when a guy I knew at primary school 7-11 yrs y’know came up to me,” Richards wrote to his Aunty, overjoyed.
Despite the fights that would plague their relationship later on, there’s no denying that the pair are soul brothers, whether Richards wanted to say it or not. Their connection powers one of history’s finest bands and some of the best rock music this century. Still touring around the world together, that’s a bond unlike any other. But in this conversation with Mojo, Jagger isn’t the man he’s talking about.
Another option that came to mind as to who Richards might love on that level was Tom Waits. “I love Tom dearly,” Richards said of Waits, seeing him as another key counterpart when they began collaborating and found just how compatible they are, calling him a “Brilliant guy, brilliant musician.”
But for Richards, the man who earned the title is a man who was always more behind the scenes but crucial to so much incredible music. “When you say “soul brother” – him and me!” Richards said, talking about Bobby Keys.
While history tends to focus on the official band members, it’s men like Keys that make the music world go round. In the 1970s, Keys played saxophone on a long resume of tracks for a long list of icons. George Harrison, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Chuck Berry, and even Elvis Presley called on Keys in his early days. So, when the Stones needed a sax player, they knew exactly who to bring in.
It’s more than music, though. Sure, Keys became an incredible musical fit for the band and an unofficial member. But for Richards, he was a partner in crime, becoming one of his closest friends during his chaotic days in the ‘70s.
“That cat had Buddy Holly as a neighbour, he was out on the road playing with Buddy Knox by the time he was 15. He was the repository of rock’n’roll – the stories, the people he played with,” Richards said, recounting his friend’s legacy after Keys sadly passed in 2014.
“I never know whether to laugh or cry when I think of Bob. I tend to go to the laughing side,” he said, and if that isn’t a beautiful tribute to a friend, or a “soul brother”, I don’t know what is.
