For every musician, there’s always that one artist that gets the ball rolling. Even if someone comes out of the blue playing some of the most singular music known to man, there will always be that one artist in their mind that lit a fire in them and made them want to pick up the instrument in the first place. Although it’s hard to tell where artists like Keith Richards got it from, time always led back to the blues.
From day one, The Stones were known as one of the most essential blues acts out of England, playing the kind of songs made popular by veterans of the American blues scene like Willie Dixon and Howlin Wolf. Although Richards always had reverence for acts like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, his rock and roll education was what really set him on the path to stardom.
Based on his playing style, it’s easy to see how Richards takes his cues from artists like Chuck Berry. From how he bends into certain notes to the signature rhythm that he puts into most of his songs, the language of ‘Keef’ always comes from the Berry songbook, painting vivid pictures with just a handful of chords. Though Berry might be one of his greatest influences, it wasn’t until a certain pretty boy came along that Richards started paying attention.
Although Richards loved the sound of rock and roll at the time, hearing Elvis Presley playing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ on Radio Luxembourg made him start thinking about being a rockstar. Recalling in his book Life, Richards was transfixed by the song. He said: “That was the stunner. I’d never heard it before or anything like it. It was almost as if I’d been waiting for it to happen. When I woke up the next day, I was a different guy”.
While Presley was known for his booming voice and massive hip gyration every time he took to the stage, it wasn’t the voice that made Richards turn his head. Becoming infatuated with the guitar playing, it was Scotty Moore’s lead breaks on the tune that sent Richards into a frenzy, continuing: “I knew what I wanted to do in life. All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like the way Scotty Moore did. Everyone wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty”.
As Richards developed his language on the guitar, it’s easy to see where he got some of his signature licks. Taking pages from Moore’s playbook, most of Keef’s lead work tends to be fairly lyrical, only looking to serve the song and not get in the way of the main vocal melody. His approach to riffs was fairly similar, always making short and sweet statements rather than something that would showcase his skill.
Richards wasn’t the only English kid being affected by the power of Elvis, either. When talking about his roots, George Harrison also recalled that his first memory of music was hearing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ blaring out on the radio. Although rock and roll may have started in America with acts like Elvis, his influence on the young English music scene was about to turn rock and roll on its axis.
