Bobby Keys passes away

Legendary saxophone player, both as a session and touring musician, Bobby Keys passed away at his home in Franklin, Tennessee on the morning of December 2nd.  His bandmate
Michael Webb, keyboardist for Bobby Keys and the Suffering Bastards, confirmed Keys' death saying he had been battling cancer and liver failure. He was 70 years old.

Keys was born in Lubbock Texas but has lived in Tennessee since the early 90's.  Keys is most famous for recording and touring with The Rolling Stones.  His signature solo on Brown Sugar is likely his best known work with the band.  Keys was a staple of The Rolling Stones touring machine and brought countless songs to life thrilling audiences.  Karl Denson (Greyboy Allstars, Lenny Kravitz) has been touring in place of Keys.


At the beginning of his career as a fresh young buck Keys toured with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars with artists he admired like Little Antony and the Imperials, Little Eva, Major Lance, Freddy Cannon and Billy Stewart.   He also toured with Buddy Holly and the Crickets, another Lubbock native four or five years older.  Keys is better known for his mid to late career work with artists like Delaney & Bonnie, B.B. King, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker even Carly Simon and Barbara Streisand.  tracks like Dion's The Wanderer, John Lennon's Whatever Gets You Thru The Night.

Ultimate Classic Rock rated the Top 10 Bobby Keys Rolling Stones Songs.  While the comprehensive list highlights staples like Emotional Rescue, Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Sweet Virginia and Brown Sugar it also highlights more obscure contributions like Rip This Joint or Casino Boogie (containing a 25 second solo) from 1972's Exile On Main Street.  On his passing Keith Richards remarked to the BBC: "I have lost the largest pal in the world and I can't express the sense of sadness I feel although Bobby would tell me to cheer up."

In 2012 Keys released a book about his storied career entitled Every Night's A Saturday Night.  Rolling Stone magazine has just released a Lost Interview from that time in which Keys recounts many of the highlights and wild times in his career.  In that interview he explains his approach to appearing on others records:

"I try to play the best I can every time I play. But there's just some folks that seem to draw a little bit of that extra special out of you. And that's what I've felt, primarily with the Stones and with John. And Delaney & Bonnie and Joe Cocker!" - Bobby Keys