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(Credits: Bent Rej)
No artist is an island. People can try to claim that they stand as an individual, or possess a singular mind or vision, but the truth is that’s a lie. Every artist, no matter what, is in some way inspired by someone else – there is no escaping that. Take Keith Richards as a prime example.
By now, Keith Richards is one of the most influential musicians to have ever lived. As a guitarist, it’s tough to find another player who doesn’t revere and respect what Keef has done, especially with his philosophy of keeping things simple.
While plenty of rock and roll guitarists are out to impress, Richards’ whole thing has always been keeping it classic and timeless. His ethos of ‘riffs, not solos’ defines that as he’d rather write something enduringly hooky that benefits the whole song, rather than a distracting solo to grab the spotlight. In that same vein, he also shrugs off outsider help like pedals or too much distortion, as that too is all part of his mission to make things timeless rather than trending.
It’s led to a decades-long career that has inspired generations of fans and players. His own peers worshipped him back in the 1960s, and still today, young artists coming up are just as obsessed with Richards as you have people like Devon Ross stating, “It goes without saying, but his songwriting and playing were revolutionary for pretty much every guitar player ever, and he is the coolest person alive and always has been.”
But despite Richards’ own influence, he’s never once tried to claim that it came from nowhere, or that he isn’t the result of the work of others. Instead, he’s always been upfront about his own talent and sound, essentially being a tapestry of his inspirations. He’s also been honest that a good proportion of it all comes from one man – Chuck Berry.
“To me, (Berry’s music) had sort of a crystal clear clarity of what I wanted to hear, and what I was aiming for,” Richards said to the LA Times during one of the many interviews of this that had landed back at him talking about his idol. “They were having fun – that was the underlying aspect of it all,” he added, reflecting on Berry’s magic. “There was an exuberance, and they were not too serious. What was serious was what was going down – they weren’t serious about it.”
It taught him to approach music with joy and passion, knowing that would bleed into the tunes. That was one of the many, many lessons learnt from Berry, as Richards would never deny that out of the entire music work, Berry is certainly the one he’s emulated the most, or even copied.
“I stole every lick of mine from Chuck Berry,” Richards said as he helped induct Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He meant it as a compliment or to acknowledge Berry’s influence, later telling Jimmy Fallon, “Chuck was a major influence, not just guitar playing but songwriting.”
However, it did lead to tension between Richards and his own idol, who seemed suspicious of the guitar’s loud and proud claims of copying. It culminated in a moment where Richards crossed the line when he dared to play Berry’s guitar. “As I’m just plucking the strings, Chuck walked in and gave me this wallop to the frickin’ left eye,” Richards recalled as the icon put him back in his place.
He kept him there. Later, when they performed together, Berry turned round like an angry music teacher and said, “We’re going to play this the way Chuck Berry plays this,” making the point that if Richards is going to say he’s spent his whole career copying Berry, he should have perfected playing his tunes right by now.
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