The two singers that combine Mick Jagger’s talents, according to Keith Richards
There is an obvious reason why Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are such a powerful songwriting duo. Having been friends and collaborators since they were barely adults, they learnt how to make music together, meaning that their entire energy and skill set is crafted towards their own unique talents. Jagger writes songs for Richards to play on, while Richards always writes with Jagger’s voice in mind, thinking of him as a perfect mix of two vastly different singers.
Everything opened up one day on a train platform. “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 excitedly to his aunt as the now 18-year-old reunited with his old school friend, Mick Jagger. Now bonded over a mutual love for the same music, they began playing in bands together and learning how to write songs.
Later, when they also took on the reigns of production across The Rolling Stones’ records, they called themselves The Glimmer Twins, clearly seeing themselves more like brothers or two halves of the same person than merely two individuals. Even during periods of major conflict, their shared love and understanding have brought them back together.
It’s also the thing that fuels their music. Whether they like it or not, the fact that all they’re really known in the music world is how to collaborate with one another means that naturally, their work takes each other’s form. “See, I write songs for Mick to sing. That’s what I do,” Richards told NPR in 2015. To him, that’s the key to making a truly special Stones song as he added, “I mean, you don’t get ‘Midnight Ramblers’ out of nowhere. You don’t get ‘Gimme Shelters’ out of nowhere.”
After decades of collaboration, the two artists know each other’s talents and capabilities like their own. Richards explained, “I know this guy can handle this and nobody will ever be able to handle it any other way.”
But the type of voice he’s writing for is something unique. From the first day he heard Jagger sing through to their ongoing career today, Richards has always been blown away by his bandmate’s interesting tone, likening it to two very different icons.
“Hey, you’re talking about a mixture of James Brown and Maria Callas here, you know?” he said. At once, he connected Jagger to the Godfather of Soul and to Callas, a Greek opera singer famed in the world of theatrical performance. Somewhere in between the two, taking some of Brown’s swagger and spirit and mixing it with Callas’ range and emotive technicality, Richards sees Jagger’s voice existing in a strange yet golden midground.
