Day Tripping: December 18
“It’s great to be here. It’s great to be anywhere.”
The only child of Doris and Herbert, Keith Richards was born in Dartford, Kent in 1943. His father was a factory worker after being wounded in the invasion of Normandy during WWII. Herbert’s parents were civil activists credited with creating the Labour Party in Walthamstow, both serving as Mayor for the municipality.
But it was Keith’s maternal grandfather who influenced his musical journey. Augustus Theodore Gus Dupree led a jazz band that toured Britain and gave Keith his first guitar only after the bot was able to climb up and reach the instrument from its perch.
When Keith finally retrieved the guitar, it was never out of his sight. With a few lessons from Gus, Richards worked day and night to learn his first song, a Cuban piece called Malagueña. He spent most of his other time listening to Billy Holliday, Duke Ellington, and Muddy Waters.
Although they met in primary school, Mick Jagger had moved away to another neighborhood. Keith kept playing and learning every riff from Chuck berry’s records. When Keith happened upon Mick again when they were teenagers, Jagger was carrying a stack of Chess Records albums including Chick Berry.
Fifty-two years on, The Glitter Twins keep rolling as they approach their eighties.
“I mean some doctor told me I had six months to live and I went to their funeral.”
The indestructible Keith Richards is 78 today and still going strong. One time sax player for the Stones, Bobby Keys was born on the very same day as Keith, but sadly, he passed away in 2014.
Interesting Notes
In 1981 on his 38th birthday, The Rolling Stones were doing a gig in Virginia when an unruly fan jumped on stage and rushed Keith Richards. Keith pulled his guitar over his head and swats the fan with the back of his guitar in the middle of Satisfaction. After taking out the errant fan, Keith slipped the instrument back on and continued playing the song.
Gone But Not Forgotten
Another gifted comedian succumbed to excess when Chris Farley died of a drug overdose in 1997. He was only 33.
Notable Births
1946 — Steven Spielberg: “When I grow up, I still want to be a director.”
1963 — Brad Pitt: “Success is a beast. And it actually puts the emphasis on the wrong thing. You get away with more instead of looking within.”
K. Barrett Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr. Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, Ph.D. Terry Trueman Dr. Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora Thewriteyard David Perlmutter Joe Luca Holly Kellums Michael Burg, MD Lucy Dan Dave Logan
All previous Day Tripping entries are available at the following links:
The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present
A comprehensive directory for Day Tripping
