The country star Keith Richards idolised
Ask any modern guitar player, and Keith Richards is probably high on the list of legends they’re hoping to emulate. As the guitarist for The Rolling Stones, Richards is responsible for some of the most iconic riffs ever written, composing a long list of tracks that have reshaped the sound of rock and roll. But when it comes to his own playing, he’s always looked towards one country star for his inspiration.
Country has always been in the mix when it comes to The Rolling Stones. From the moment they first broke out, their sound has always been a unique merge of country and blues, playing a major role in the early crafting of the rock and roll sound from those two more traditional genres. Throughout their discography, they routinely ditched the rock star to become cowboys on tracks like ‘Wild Horses’ or ‘Far Away Eyes’ which are outright country tracks, proving their love for and interest in the sound.
For Richards especially, country music perhaps even comes first ahead of rock and roll. When it comes to his guitar playing and the heroes he looks up to, he looks outside of the genre he’s mastered and into the country world.
Mick Jagger said of his bandmate: “I distinctly remember this conversation I had with Keith (when we first knew each other). We lived in the same block and I asked Keith what he wanted to do when he grew up. He said he wanted to be like Roy Rogers and play guitar.”
Roy Rogers isn’t just a country musician but is the epitome of one as part of the ‘singing cowboys’ phenomenon of the 1930s. Not only did he sing and play guitar on classic country tunes, but he was also a rodeo performer and actor who embodied the cowboy character that has always been the stereotype of the sound. So, for Richards to look to him for inspiration, he wasn’t just looking at any old country music; he was looking at the ultimate example of the spirit, energy and atmosphere of country music and its culture.
“I wasn’t particularly impressed with the Roy Rogers bit but the part about guitar did interest me,” Jagger admitted. It certainly is interesting, but it seems to make sense. Richards has become known in the guitar world for his philosophy of riffs, not solos. He also famously doesn’t use pedals or really any distortion, as he prefers to focus on getting the right sound coming straight out of his instrument and straight out of the amp. He’s a simple yet effective player who shrugs off bells, whistles or technology in favour of rawness.
That’s undeniably a country music lesson, as the acoustic guitar Roy Rogers first started out on couldn’t have done anything high-tech. Instead, he learned his instrument and got good at it in its simplest form. With that foundation in place, he could then build upon it, learning to be a catchy player and a true entertainer without needing to rely on tech tricks or flashing details.
It’s the same basis that serves Richards well, as his compositions focus on the power of a good riff and the capabilities of a good guitar in the hands of a great player.
