The one musician Keith Richards called bigger than Texas: “And that’s saying something”
Alongside The Beatles, it was The Rolling Stones who dominated the countercultural scene that boomed in the 1960s, irrevocably transforming popular culture.
While the former had a more significant cultural influence, The Rolling Stones are still going strong, having released 25 studio albums over the decades. The prolific band remains one of the only popular groups from the 1960s that still make music today, as well as touring for generations of devoted fans.
At the core of The Rolling Stones are Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, with their writing partnership spawning some of the most iconic rock songs of all time. The pair were childhood friends, although they reconnected as teenagers after bumping into each other at Dartford train station. Jagger was armed with rock and roll and blues records, of which Richards was a fan, leading the two to discuss music. Soon enough, they’d formed a band, eventually settling on the name ‘The Rolling Stones’ after the Muddy Waters song ‘Rollin’ Stone’.
Although the band began by covering blues tracks, they soon evolved into an established rock and roll band, with their manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, assisting them in refining their style. The Rolling Stones became a sensation, encapsulating the scandalous ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ lifestyle. While all the band members were wild at some point in their lives, often finding themselves in the tabloids for their salacious behaviour, Richards was perhaps the most notorious.
However, Richards’ illicit behaviour never stopped him from finding musical success. Alongside The Rolling Stones, Richards has contributed to other artists’ albums as a session musician and even launched a solo career. The guitarist released his first solo album, Talk Is Cheap, in 1988, before following it up four years later with Main Offender. Yet, Richards abandoned his solo career for 23 years before returning with 2015’s Crosseyed Heart.
The record was Richard’s highest-charting solo effort, peaking at number seven on the UK Album Charts compared to Main Offender’s position at 45. Crosseyed Heart featured various collaborators, such as Norah Jones, Larry Campbell and Sarah Dash. However, it also inlcuded the final performance from Bobby Keys, a close friend and collaborator of The Rolling Stones.
Keys, an American saxophonist, often joined in with Richards’ crazy behaviour while working with the Stones, such as throwing a television set out of a window with the guitarist. He even played the iconic solo in ‘Brown Sugar’ and toured with the band, famously joining them for their Glastonbury debut in 2013. Richards deeply admired Keys, calling him “larger than Texas”.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he reflected on Keys’ legacy, explaining: “Oh, man. Bob just comes and he’s ready to rock”.
He added: “The man was larger than Texas, and that’s saying something. Of course, we had no idea that this would be his last recordings. God, I miss that man. He was a damn good friend and a brilliant sax player. He’d been with me most of my working life. I’m still pretending he’s alive. But I know he ain’t. I miss him sorely, yeah.”
Keys passed away in 2014 after a decades-long career in music. His work with The Rolling Stones cemented his legacy, although he also performed with artists from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to Lynyrd Skynyrd. He made his debut with The Rolling Stones as far back as 1969 on ‘Live With Me’, although his tenure with the band came to a temporary halt when his heroin addiction became too much to handle. However, Keys subsequently renewed his time with the band a few years later, becoming a staple touring member until his death.
In many ways, Bobby Keys embodied the loose, unpredictable spirit that made The Rolling Stones such a force in the first place. He was never just a sideman ticking boxes in the background, but an integral part of the band’s extended family, adding a raw, soulful edge that elevated their sound whenever he stepped into the spotlight.
Looking back, his presence on Crosseyed Heart feels like a fitting full-circle moment for Richards. After decades of chaos, creativity, and camaraderie, having one last recording with his longtime partner in crime gave the album an added emotional weight, serving as both a celebration of their shared history and a quiet farewell to one of rock’s most colourful characters.
