The female singer that Keith Richards said that was fantastic

Born in Dartford, England back in 1943, the guitarist Keith Richards started his musical career at an early age in 1960 and two years later he helped to form The Rolling Stones. They were part of the so called British Invasion during that decade, become a world phenomenon and selling millions of records.

More than 60 years later the group is still active and had the chance to see over the decades the evolution of music, with the rise and fall of many incredible artists.

Keith is not only known for his incredible guitar playing and songwriting. But also for always saying what he really thinks about others. During his career he talked about many musicians and he once praised one female singer saying that she was fantastic.

The female singer that Keith Richards said that was fantastic

Rock and Roll music originated from Blues and The Rolling Stones is probably the most successful band from the British Invasion movement that mixed the two genres. Although the members of the group were heavily influenced by those two styles, they also loved other kinds of music, like Soul and Jazz.

Keith Richards has always been a fan of those American rhythms. He worked over the decades with many artists that made music that related to those genres. Although the Jazz and Soul music achieved their prime in the 20th century, new incredible artists continued to appear on the scene.

One of them was Amy Winehouse, that released her debut album in 2003 and was praised by Keith Richards, who said she was fantastic. When asked in 2008 which modern artists he liked and caught his attention, the Stones guitarist mentioned her. “There’s only one person, that girl Amy”.

He lamented when she passed away

In an interview with The Quietus in 2015, he talked about Amy’s passing and said that she was fantastic. “Amy Winehouse was a big disappointment because I was waiting for that girl to really bloom because she was really just starting. I thought she was fantastic. It was such a shame. But there’s a high rate of that sort of thing in this business,” Keith Richards said.

Amy started her career in 2002 and released only three records. They are: “Frank” (2003), “Back To Black” (2006) and the posthumous compilation “Lioness: Hidden Treasures” (2011). She battled addiction for years and died in 2011 at the age of 27, victim of alcohol poisoning.

Due to her age, she became part of the infamous “27 club”, of artists who died at the age of 27. Other famous artists who are part of that “group” are the ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, Jim Morrison (The Doors), Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain (Nirvana).

She performed live with The Rolling Stones

In 2007, Amy was invited by The Rolling Stones to join them on stage at the Isle of Weight Festival. She had released her famous album “Back To Black” one year before.

They performed the classic song “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”. The track was originally recorded by The Temptations in 1966. But was covered by The Stones in 1974, on their album “It’s Only Rock N’ Roll”.

Keith Richards warned Amy about getting sober

Especially during the first decades of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards wasn’t a really good role model of sobriety. However, he got clean during the last decades and tried to warn Amy Winehouse a few years before her death.

In an interview with The Mail in 2008 he talked about her addiction. “Amy’s got to get smart. That girl isn’t going to be around long unless she sorts herself out pretty quick. I’m not a preacher. But I’ve been there and you have to pass it on,” Keith Richards said. In the same conversation he praised her again and said she was her favorite contemporary singer.