Keith Richards at Bedtime

Culture
1

Being something of a Rolling Stones fan, I like the sounds of this, from the BBC entertainment news:


Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has teamed up with his artist daughter to write a picture book inspired by his grandfather teaching him to play.


Gus and Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar is a "rare and intimate look" into his early years.


Richards was introduced to music by his grandfather, jazz musician Theodore Augustus Dupree.


It will be published as a hardback and ebook later this year.


"I have just become a grandfather for the fifth time, so I know what I'm talking about," said Richards.


"The bond, the special bond, between kids and grandparents is unique and should be treasured. This is a story of one of those magical moments. May I be as great a grandfather as Gus was to me."


Publishers Little, Brown confirmed Richards' "talented" daughter Theodora Dupree Richards will illustrate the "vivid and moving story", marking her book debut.


"To be able to explore my father's relationship with his grandfather was a gift in itself. The things that I've learnt during this whole process have just been life affirming," she said.


Richards' 2010 memoir Life was a best seller, shifting more than two million copies around the world.


"Who wouldn't welcome the opportunity to meet Keith Richards as a young boy?" said Little, Brown's Megan Tingley.


She continued: "Gus and Me invites readers to be in the room at the electrifying moment that Keith holds a guitar in his hands for the first time."'


see: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26531630

2

I didn't see Dylan until 1978. Dylan was best for me in Cardiff 2000, where he opened with a 30 minutes acoustic set, all acoustic instruments, and he included Desolation Row and My Back Pages.

Cohen in 1974, and every tour since.

3

I was lucky. I lived in SW London, Crawdaddy Club and Eel Pie Island were where the Stones were resident for a couple of years. Then we had the Yardbirds and more. Chris Barber was a key figure in all of that, his musical life usually centred somehow or other around Richmond, since apart from his own jazz he was the one most influential figure in the blues, r'n'b domain. He brought Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy and Howlin' Wolf to the UK, encouraged Alexis Korner and John Mayall to start up and basically opened up the whole pop scene. The heart of that was Richmond and Twickenham. Otherwise it would have been Beatles type music influenced for many years no doubt.

As for Dylan, I still remember him opening with the Times are a changin' at the Albert Hall, I have the programme somewhere still. Spring 1965.

4

Keith Richards biography is excellent.

I love the Stones up to around 1972 and have everything of that era including the compilations.

I had a very sensible brother, 5 years older than me, who took me to see them for my 12th birthday at the Leicester Odoen in 1965. (But why of why of why didn't he take me to see Bob Dylan in 1965/1966 when he came to Leicester? And the Beatles in 1964 at Leicester?) He saw the Beatles. Helen Shapiro was topping the bill.)

5

Oh yessss! I go all the way back to the Stones topping the bill at the National Jazz and Blues at Richmond Athletic Ground and the Crawdaddy Club at the Station Hotel when I was 15. To get this off the old rocker is pure bliss. Nostalgia rules OK. Now where my good old 45s?