Keith Richards Interview with EQ
Keith Richards has been involved in side projects throughout his career with the Rolling Stones, producing albums for artists ranging from '50s rock icon Chuck Berry to late reggae superstar Peter Tosh. Richards' latest endeavor, the debut release of his Mindless Records label, is the first recorded performance by the Wingless Angels, a group of Jamaican Rastafarian Nyabinghi drummers and singers. Coproducing the album with Rob Fraboni (known for his work with Bob Marley), Richards also added his acoustic guitar nuances and the subtle strains of Frankie Gavin's violin to the Angels' devotional and harmonious praises of Jah Rastafari.
Question: You've had an extensive relationship with Jamaican music, producing and playing with many reggae artists. Hoe did you first become involved with the music?
Answer: I'd been living in Jamaica on and off since 1972, but [when I was] growing up in London, there was a big West Indian community, even in the1950s. So I was real into it before I ever got to Jamaica. When I first got there, the Wailers had made their first record, "Catch a Fire", and Jimmy Cliff was all over the place with "The Harder They Come", so it was a very interesting time to be there.
Question: How did you meet the Wingless Angels?
Answer: We had finished recording "Goats Head Soup" in 1972, and I went to Ocho Rios; within a day I met Locksie and Neville on the beach. We got to talking, and they were kind enough to let me come up to Steer Town, where they live, to listen to their playing, and it was some serious roots music. I played along with them on acoustic guitar, and we did it every day. Then they brought the drums down to my house. It took me a long time to realize that they didn't often have other people playing with them. They let me keep the drums, which is an incredible honor.
Question: When did you decide to record them?
Answer: Well, I didn't! Jah led the way. I finished the Voodoo Lounge tour in '95 and I went back to Jamaica as I usually do to kick back, and they were really enthusiastic about playing together. We started playing in my front room, and some people came by from the Jamaica Film Board. They said I should record this, but that you can't take them into the studio? too much "Babylon" [a Rastafarian term referring to the establishment or "the system"] there. The next day, a huge truck arrives with recording equipment. Then I thought, "Who could engineer this?" And there's a knock on the door, and it's the one person who can possibly do it, Rob Fraboni. Within a few days Chris Blackwell [CEO of Island Records] walked in and said, "When you're finished with this, I'll take it." So suddenly it turned into a record.
Question: How did Frankie Gavin get involved?
Answer: Jack [a member of the Wingless Angels who died after the recording was completed] kept saying, "I hear old squeeze boxes on this record," and I knew what he meant. The melodies are all old English, Scottish, [and] Irish folk songs or hymns, and I was thinking about where the songs come from, cut with what the Angels have done with them, and the only guy I knew who could play the right sound was Frankie Gavin. When I got back to New York City, I got a call from Frankie, and he said he was in town for a couple of weeks, did I have anything to do? So, in a way, Jah led the way.
Question: Do you envision taking the Wingless Angels to play any dates in America?
Answer: I talked to them about it, and they say, "You go out there and work, we'll stay here in paradise." But if they wanted to go, and the opportunity arose, I'd take them anywhere. We fly without wings, too."
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