The Rolling Stones would have been something else if Keith Richards was not there in the band and The Rolling Stones would have been with Keith and no one else. Known for his renowned guitar riffs and blues-styled tones, Keith has made Rolling Stones what it is today.
American Blues heavily inspired the Rolling Stones and they set out to popularize the genre again in the 1960s. The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and Brain Jones were the ones who set out on the adventure of making blues great again. And guess what, they totally made headlines with their music.
Being in this star game for so long, fans of Keith have always wondered about his favorite songs over the years. As his biggest inspirations consisted of blues, the list of his songs is surely filled with them and yes, he is proud to have them. The covers of blues songs in their early days surely helped them gain the milestone they have today. The cover of, ‘Little Red Rooster’ was number one on the UK Chart, all the way back in 1964, and was the starting point for the band.
Also, the list consists of singers and guitarists like Chuck Berry, BB King, Elvis Presley, and so on. The artist gives credit to everyone who deserves it and doesn’t shy away from mentioning his musical inspirations.
The Rolling Stones have helped their idols in every way possible to keep the Blues genre alive for so many decades to come. Matter of fact, it has inspired the current generation with that too.
The list is comprised of many interviews Keith has given throughout his career. And we can see very clearly that he loves various genres such as folk, country, and classic other than blues.
Back in 2015, he chose songs that shaped his life when he was featured in MOJO while he was releasing his solo album, Crosseyed Heart. He went on to name his biggest inspirations during the show. One of the very best songs was by Chuck Berry. It was ‘Jazz on a Summer’s Day’, and he also commented, “Chuck took them all by storm and played against their animosity. To me, that’s blues. That’s the attitude and the guts it takes. That’s what I wanted to be, except I was white.” He also added,
“I listened to every lick he played and picked it up. Chuck got it from T-Bone Walker, and I got it from Chuck, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, and B.B. King. We’re all part of this family that goes back thousands of years. Really, we’re all passing it on.”
Keith also mentioned other songs like Lucille, and artists such as Buddy Guy and Little Richard.
In a more recent interview with Planet Rock Richards went on to pick more of his favorite songs. This was in 2021 and he went on to give credit to his mother for influencing his taste in music. He said, “My mother, she loved jazz: she loved Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, and Duke Ellington, and that’s what was around the house,” Richards explains how his parent’s taste in music influenced his own. “There’s a lot of blues in jazz. And so, in a way, it was in the bones before I actually got to hear country blues – I already felt familiar with it.”
Richards even went on to give credit to the classic guy, Vivaldi. He said his classical taste in music was influenced because Mozart was the guy but then realized Vivaldi was the guy. He said, “I was agonizing about this as Mozart was my man. But I found out while reading some of his letters, that the only good word he had to say about any composer in the world was Vivaldi.”
Here’s a list of Keith Richards’ Favorite Songs
- Chuck Berry – ‘Little Queenie’
- Little Richard – ‘Lucille’
- Bo Diddley – ‘Diddley Daddy’
- Buddy Guy – ‘First Time I Met The Blues’
- Pat Hare – ‘I’m Gonna Murder My Baby’
- Muddy Waters – ‘Rollin’ Stone’
- Sonny Boy Williamson II – ‘Checkin Up On My Baby’
- Jimmy Reed – ‘You Got Me Dizzy’
- Muddy Waters -‘Still a Fool’
- Little Walter – ‘Key to the Highway’
- Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters – ‘The Red Rooster’
- John Lee Hooker – ‘Boom Boom’
- Otis Redding – ‘These Arms of Mine’
- Freddie King – ‘Going Down’
- Robert Johnson – ‘Love In Vain’
- The Beatles – ‘Please Please Me’
- Chuck Berry – ‘Wee Wee Hours’
- Hank Williams – ‘You Win Again’
- Aaron Neville – ‘My True Story’
- Etta James – ‘Sugar On The Floor’
- Freddie Scott – ‘Are You Lonely For Me’
- Gregory Isaacs – ‘Extra Classic’
- Al Green – ‘Take Me To The River’
- Booker T & The MGs – ‘Baby, Scratch My Back’
- Otis Redding – ‘Pain In My Heart’
- Irma Thomas – ‘Ruler Of My Heart’
- Albert King – ‘That’s What The Blues Is All About’
- Aaron Neville – ‘Tell It Like It Is’
- Clarence ‘Bon Ton’ Garlow – ‘Bon Ton Roulet’
- Blind Willie McTell – ‘Talkin’ To Your Mama’
- Howlin’ Wolf – ‘Moanin’ At Midnight’
- T-Bone Walker – ‘(They Call It) Stormy Monday’
- BB King – ‘Everyday I Have The Blues’
- Ike & Tina Turner – ‘I Can’t Believe What You Say’
- Bob Marley & The Wailers – ‘Jah Is Mighty’
- John Lee Hooker – ‘I’m In The Mood’
- Billie Holiday – ‘He’s Funny That Way’
- Little Richard – ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’
- Professor Longhair & His Shuffling Hungarians – ‘Mardi Gras In New Orleans’
- Clifton Chenier – ‘Ay-Te Te Fee’
- Amos Milburn – ‘Down The Road Apiece’
- Jackie Brenston – ‘Rocket 88’
- Robert Johnson – ‘Preachin’ Blues (Up Jumped The Devil)’
- Jimmy Rogers – ‘Goin’ Away Baby’
- Lead Belly – ‘The Midnight Special’
- Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown – ‘Okie Dokie Stomp’
- Elvis Presley – ‘Heartbreak Hotel’
