Keith Richards Shares Sad Story of Guitar Legend Losing Everything

By the time The Rolling Stones entered the studio to record Let It Bleed, the group was already unraveling. Sessions were marked by dysfunction, with Brian Jones increasingly marginalized. He was often confined to a separate room, his microphone turned off to prevent interference, a stark indication of how far he had drifted from the band’s core.

Elsewhere, Mick Jagger was dividing his attention between the album and filming Performance. Off-camera, his personal life further complicated matters, as rumours swirled around an affair with Anita Pallenberg—formerly Jones’ partner and, at the time, involved with Keith Richards.

Despite the chaos, the band produced enduring tracks such as “Gimme Shelter” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” underscoring a remarkable ability to create amid instability.

The Breakdown of a Partnership

Behind the scenes, relationships within the band had deteriorated beyond repair. Jones’ substance abuse had severely impacted his reliability, leaving him unable to complete takes and increasingly alienated from the group. His behavior also strained personal ties; during a trip to Morocco, Richards reportedly intervened after witnessing Jones assault Pallenberg, bringing her back to England. Their subsequent relationship deepened the rift between the two musicians.

Once a dynamic creative pairing, Jones and Richards had previously thrived on collaborative experimentation, weaving intricate guitar parts together. By this stage, however, that synergy had vanished. Richards no longer wished to work alongside Jones, while Jones himself was no longer in a position to contribute meaningfully. The band began excluding him from sessions altogether, and when he did attend, his role was minimal. In parallel, Mick Taylor was quietly being ushered in as his replacement.

Inspiration Amid the Turmoil

As tensions escalated, additional complications arose from the orbit of Performance. Persistent rumours suggested that Jagger and Pallenberg’s on-screen intimacy extended into real life. At the same time, Jagger invited Jack Nitzsche to assist with the film’s soundtrack, further blurring the lines between film and band commitments.

Amid the disarray, Richards found renewed focus through Ry Cooder, who had accompanied Nitzsche. A musician steeped in country and blues traditions, Cooder became an unexpected creative influence. The two spent time experimenting with alternate tunings and working on parts, including contributions to “Love in Vain.”

Reflecting on the period, Richards later admitted, “I took Ry Cooder for all he was worth. His tuning, the fucking lot. I ripped him off.” The remark, characteristically blunt, reveals a deeper truth: at a time when The Rolling Stones were fracturing, Cooder’s influence helped reshape Richards’ musical direction in ways that would endure.