Keith also has the notion of being harsh when it comes to spitting on his hated musicians. But, there are also bands and musicians that he prefers and that side of him is usually unseen by many people. He is one of the sharpest tongues when it comes to the music scene. Which is the very reason his humbleness goes overlooked.
Keith Richards is the founding member of the rock band The Rolling Stones and has been a member of the band for more than 50 years. He is also one of the most talked about people when it comes to guitar and guitar-playing styles.
He has revealed his favorite bands and it was all the way back in 2008. It was during a project called ‘Living Legends’ and they had to answer the question asked by the fans. That’s when Richards and Jagger got along to answer the questions. Here are the bands that Keith Richards listed as his favorite ones.
Keith Richards’ Four Favorite Bands of All Time
The Hillbilly Cats
People may not know about them but the band was Elvis Presley’s backing band. He said, “I would start personally with probably The Hillbily Cats, Elvis’s band. Guitarist Scotty Moore, drummer D.J. Fontana, and bassist Bill Black. The most amazing stuff, and it was very early on.”
They were a group of all-star musicians, which included pianist Floyd Cramer, bassist Bill Black, drummer D.J. Fontana, and guitarist Scotty Moore. The Hillbilly Cats played a significant role in Presley’s ascent to popularity by contributing to the traditional country twang that marked his early work and contributed to the development of the rock and roll subgenre.
Keith had also talked about the band in 2001 during his chat with Classic Albums. The guitarist said, “He hit it like a bombshell. It was like the world went from black and white to technicolor. I guess they were the first white band that anybody heard of with a good lead singer that was sailable. They had the rhythm. The beautiful thing about Elvis was that he sort of turned everybody into everybody [and made people think] ‘maybe you can do it.’”
Dave Bartholomew’s Band
Legendary musician Dave Bartholomew is best remembered for having a significant impact on the creation of the New Orleans sound. In the 1940s, he founded and led his own band, Dave Bartholomew & His Orchestra. The band’s sound, which combined jazz, blues, and R&B performers, had a significant impact on the evolution of rock and roll.
About the band, Keith said, “At the same time (as Elvis’ band) then Dave Bartholomew’s band that back up Little Richard, Fats Domino, that was a great band.”
The Beatles
One of the most adored and significant musical groups in history, The Beatles are admired for their originality and influence on popular culture. They became an international sensation thanks to their ground-breaking sound, avant-garde songwriting, and ground-breaking music videos, and since the band split up in 1970, their legacy has only gotten stronger.
When he mentioned The Beatles, he said, “The Beatles, obviously! I mean, I sort of throw them in, obviously. I’m always caught up with that ‘Your Top Five Favourites’ and everything because I realize I’m gonna leave people out. The other one is The X-Pensive Winos laughs.”
Richards has expressed admiration for the Beatles throughout his career. He has praised them for their innovative songwriting and recording techniques, calling them “geniuses” and “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of all time.” Back in 2003, he revealed to his fan on his website section ‘Ask Keith’ that the fab four and the Rolling Stones are great friends. He revealed, “John was a particular good friend of mine. Stories that cannot be told (laughs). George was a lovely guy, we got Paul (a great songwriter) and Ringo, what a guy, what a steady (beat). They came to see us play, we were playing in a pub, at Station Hotel in Richmond, that was our gig.”
He also added, “We would collaborate with each other. So we didn’t go head to head, because otherwise it seemed like ‘you’re either Beatles or Stones’, bullshit. And we are so similar, that’s not true. We all recognized that and it was one of the great things about it. I mean, between the two bands there was never any sense of competition, was cooperation.”
Steve Marriott
Steve Marriott was the final musician Keith mentioned. He referred to him as a good friend and his favorite. He said, “I always liked Steve Marriott, very much from the English point of view. You know, The Small Faces and then he had Humble Pie. I’m not gonna say, like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath, I would only be lying; they’re not my favorites. They are all good, I know them, they are all good players and everything, but as a band, no.”
Marriott has also talked about their friendship and back in 1983 he revealed that he loves Keith too. They have a unique friendship and a close one. Marriott said, “The only people I keep in touch with are Keith Richards and people like that, ’cause they’re the only people I want to talk to. He loves me. He’s always been on my side. He got me out of the hole. So he’ll be around whatever happens (His upcoming album at the time). Whether he plays guitar, whether he pushes knobs, who cares? I’ll write on the back of the album in big black letters, “Thank you, Keith, for bailing me out!” My manager Moe says to me, “Ring Keith, ring Keith!” and I said, “Fuck it—for once in my life I’d like to ring Keith and just go, ‘How are you?’ instead of, ‘Keith help me do this, Keith help me do that.’”
