Keith Richards
“For legions of Rolling Stones fans, Keith Richards is not only the heart and soul of the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band, he’s also the very avatar of rebellion: the desperado, the buccaneer, the poète maudit, the soul survivor and main offender, the torn and frayed outlaw, and the coolest dude on the planet, named both No. 1 on the rock stars most-likely-to-die list and the one life form (besides the cockroach) capable of surviving nuclear war.” – NYT 10/25/2010
Mick Jagger & Keith Richards
“If Mick Jagger is the face and the brain of the Rolling Stones, guitarist Keith Richards is its heart, the embodiment of the band’s rakish rock & roll spirit and commitment to hard rhythm & blues.” – Rolling Stone bio
“He’s the king or inventor of that certain rock-and-roll archetype, that debauched aristocratic archetype of rock and roll, and even that is so intertwined with a certain graciousness and humanity.” – Spin Magazine, 1993
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Keith Richards & Patti Hansen 2008
2013 has been a big year for Keith Richards. 50 years with the Rolling Stones. 30 years with wife Patti Hansen. And today, perhaps most improbably, 70 years on planet Earth.
Still rocking, the band recently announced 14 tour dates for early 2014 (on what we assume will be the final “Farewell Tour” – but we’ve said that before).
Official Happy Birthday video from the Stones is below.