Keith Richards is the like renegade swashbuckling pirate of rock and roll – isn’t he? It’s no wonder that Johnny Depp modeled his character of Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean after him. He’s like the original rocker that keeps on rockin’! His licks are just timeless, and it’s not like he’s any kind of shredder, or blues genius – he doesn’t have to be! He just oozes cool, both onstage and off. And is there another guy really who’s smoked as many years as he has and is still standing?

Norah Jones and Keith Richards: Love Hurts

Keith Richards: Eileen

Keith Richards: Somethin’ Else

Rolling Stones: Honky Tonk Woman

What’s your favorite song with Keith Richards on guitar?

I love Billy Gibbons! I’ve always liked ZZ Top, and to those of you that think this band is just “Sharp Dressed Man”, and “Legs” – you have no clue! ZZ Top has a catalogue of blistering blues songs like “Just Got Paid”, “Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers”, “La Grange”, “Tube Snake Boogie”, “Tush”, and more songs than you can count on all fingers and toes! Billy Gibbons is ‘that bearded guy’ with the Cheap Sunglasses, and he can lay out the blues licks – and the slide guitar, like nobody you’ve ever seen.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Billy Gibbons

Maybe I like Billy because I know he was good friends with Stevie Ray Vaughan – another person near and dear to my guitar playing heart. They were good friends, regulars of the Texas music scene – both cutting their teeth on the dust bowl blues circuit.

Billy Gibbons Tells a Blonde Joke

Billy’s a funny guy, quite a character – here’s Billy telling a Blonde joke…

Billy Gibbons Slide solo on “Just Got Paid”

As I said, Billy is a great slide guitar player – watch him play the solo on his classic song “Just Got Paid”:

Buddy Guy & Billy Gibbons: Montreux Jazz Festival 2008

Billy likes to jump on stage whenever he gets the chance, and there’s a lot of YouTube videos of him with other guitar players and bands – check him on stage here with Buddy Guy at Montreux!

Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top in Texas Monthly 1976

If you’re interested in the history of ZZ Top, you can always read about Billy Gibbons on Wikipedia, but here’s something really cool…check out this magazine article from 1976 in the early beginnings of ZZ Top:

Billy Gibbons remains one of my favorite guitar players, and in my cover band we play at least a half dozen ZZ top classics every time we gig out. Which ZZ Top songs are your favorite?

Also read: Billy Biggons ZZ Top Lesson