Thoughts on the Blues

I made an interesting discovery on You Tube this week. Rarely do I like one artist's interpretation of another artist composition, especially when it is a classic, and even more so if it is a blues song. That is almost always the case when a young artist tries to outdo a veteran performer. But when I listened to Keith Richards playing a Freddie King classic, Goin Down, I had to acknowledge just how skillful a musician Keith Richards really is. Keith, that "wild and crazy druggie kind of guy", has often lived in the shadow of Mick Jagger, but as most devotees of The Stones know, without Keith - there is no Stones. Of course the same can be said for Jagger, but the one major difference is that Richards is truly and amazing guitarist, as well as a better than adequate singer of the Blues. As you might have deciphered by now, I think Keith Richards version of Goin Down is superior to Freddie King's. That is really saying something, since King is a master in his own right, but it just goes to show how good Keith Richards really can be - as part, or apart, from the Stones. Richards can take a "standard" and make it even better - amazing.Take a listen to the two versions of the song on You Tube and let me know what you think.