Even if Keith Richards did not vote for Mick Jagger in Rolling Stone magazine’s recent poll of the 100 greatest singers of all time, all is apparently peace and love with rock’s longest-wed couple.
The Rolling Stones guitarist was one of 179 high-profile voters in the survey. They had to choose their top 20 singers in order, and the magazine has published some of the ballots on its Web site (http://www.rollingstone.com/photos/gallery/24160218/the_100_greatest_singers_inside_t/photo/1).
Richards’ top pick was Aretha Franklin, who ended up coming in at No. 1 overall. His ballot included the usual suspects: collaborators (George Jones, Toots Hibbert), people whose songs he has covered (Jimmy Cliff, Buddy Holly), and old buddies (Gram Parsons, Tom Waits). And of course, he voted for himself at No. 20.
One glaring omission: his former schoolmate and current bandmate of almost half a century, Mick Jagger, who came in at No. 16 on the overall list. 
The so-called “Glimmer Twins” have had their issues in the past, breaking up the band in the 1980s, and even as recently as 2003 an infuriated Richards tried to push Jagger off the stage during a concert in Osaka for no apparent reason.
But Richards’ manager Jane Rose — each member has his own manager — quickly doused any talk of a new rift.
“They are all getting on well,” she wrote via email. “When Keith got the ballot he just thought his vote was for ‘outside’ the family. If Keith Richards did not think Mick was his favorite, they would not be the Glimmer Twins!”
So why the vote for himself? Richards sings two songs at every Stones show, an interlude that usually sends the uncultured masses to the beer stands. For the die-hards, it’s the best thing about the show.
When Q magazine asked Jagger in 1989 if Richards’ voice was one that only a mother could love, he diplomatically sidestepped the issue: “You said that, I didn’t! Ask his mum! Ask Doris! That’s it! I ain’t saying any more!”
If there’s any consolation for Mick, it’s that Keith did not vote for a certain person with whom he has an even more complex relationship, Chuck Berry (No. 41 overall). But that’s another can of worms…
Reporting by Dean Goodman
Photos by Reuters
Trackback
4 comments so far
Make No Mistake about the voice of Keith Richards, Bindy.
- Posted by Geoff BakerJane Rose is right, no problem here. Its polite not to vote for your own band. Must be a low news day….
- Posted by Lisa CAs with most such contests/surveys, this means very little. As surmised, people vote due to relationships (including a monumental ego, as in the case of Richards), and even memory (more recent singers have an advantage). Aretha Franklin as the best singer ever? She has been a very good singer with some catchy tunes, but best ever? Sometimes a good singer gets lost in the shuffle (e.g., Roberta Flack is widely remembered as the singer of “Killing Me Softly,” though Lori Lieberman recorded it first– and it was based on a poem she wrote– and, in my humble opinion, did a better job).
- Posted by Steve[...] of all time were in a recent poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards neglected to mention his close friend and bandmate, Mick Jagger. Instead, Richards chose to include the likes of Aretha Franklin (who eventually came in at [...]
- Posted by It’s All Just Peace and Love