Which rank does Keith Richards hold on ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine’s list of best guitarists?

Keith Richards (born 1943) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-principal songwriter of the band the ‘Rolling Stones’.

‘Rolling Stone’ magazine called him the creator of “rocks greatest single body of riffs” on guitar and ranked him fourth on its list of 100 best guitarist in 2011. The magazine lists 14 songs that Richards wrote with the band’s lead vocalist Mick Jagger (born 1943) on its “Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

Richards was born in Dartford, England and went to Dartford Technical School and then the Sidcup Art College.

During performances, Richards plays both lead and rhythm guitar parts, often in the same song, as the Stones are generally known for their interplay of rhythm and lead between Richards and the other guitarists- Brian Jones (1962-1969), Mick Taylor (1969-1975) and Ronnie Wood (1975 to present).

It was his maternal grandfather who also played with a band, who fostered Richard’s interest in the guitar. Richards has said that it was his grandfather who gave him his first guitar.

During Richards’ primary school days, he attended Wentworth Primary School with Mick Jagger and was his neighbor until 1954 when the Richards family moved.

Rolling Stone magazine’s other top guitarists include third best Jimmy Page (born 1944), second is Eric Clapton (born 1945) and number one at the top of the list of 100 best guitarists is Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970).