With the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, the lyrics and the songs that roused the world, and over four decades he lived the original rock and roll life: taking the chances he wanted, speaking his mind, and making it all work in a way that no one before him had ever done. Now, at last, the man himself tells us the story of life in the crossfire hurricane. And what a life. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records as a child in post-war Kent. Learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones' first fame and success as a bad-boy band. The notorious Redlands drug bust and subsequent series of confrontations with a nervous establishment that led to his enduring image as outlaw and folk hero. Creating immortal riffs such as the ones in 'Jumping Jack Flash' and 'Street Fighting Man' and 'Honky Tonk Women'. Falling in love with Anita Pallenberg and the death of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of the US, 'Exile on Main Street' and 'Some Girls'. Ever increasing fame, isolation and addiction. Falling in love with Patti Hansen. Estrangement from Mick Jagger and subsequent reconciliation. Solo albums and performances with his band the Xpensive Winos. Marriage, family and the road that goes on for ever. In a voice that is uniquely and intimately his own, with the disarming honesty that has always been his trademark, Keith Richards brings us the essential life story of our times.

About the Author

Keith Richards will be an improbable 65 in 2008, the year too of his 25th wedding anniversary. He continues to compose and play songs with the Rolling Stones.

Prizes

Once-in-a-generation memoir of a rock legend - the No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestseller.

Reviews

Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley capture Richards's rock 'n' roll spirit in a wise, charming, and textured narration of the famed guitarist's memoir. Tracing Richards's trajectory from boyhood in England through the formation of the Stones to the band's rise to world domination, this audiobook is chock-full of frank revelations and enlightening stories behind the music. The three readers do superb turns-but the seemingly arbitrary switches between them can be jarring and confusing. Depp's narration is steady, well-paced, clear, and grounded. He produces a delicious range of voices for dialogue (most notably a drunk judge in Arkansas), and Richards himself sounds a bit like an elderly, bluesy Jack Sparrow. Hurley captures the voice of Richards throughout, narrating in a gritty, growl that is spot-on. And sections read by Richards are a real treat; his raspy voice is unmistakable and haunting. A Little, Brown hardcover. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

This memoir by Rolling Stones guitarist/songwriter/cofounder Richards is one of the most entertaining rock autobiographies in recent years. A candid and foul-mouthed "Keef" reveals how he fell in love with Chicago blues music, shares intimate details of 50 years in "the world's greatest rock'n'roll band," and reflects on his infamously contentious relationships with Mick Jagger and the late Brian Jones, giving fans long-awaited insights into both his volatile band and his personal life. Musician Joe Hurley and actor Johnny Depp share narration duties, each convincingly producing a range of voices and channeling Richards's cool and cocky charm. Richards himself opens and closes the story. Highly recommended for adult listeners interested in Richards's experiences with fame and fortune and in the Stones' genesis, early years, inner workings, and creative growth. [Includes a bonus PDF of photos; the No. 1 LJ and New York Times best-selling Little, Brown hc also received a starred review, LJ Xpress Reviews, 12/17/10.-Ed.]-Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

a masterpiece, the most sustained, colourful and rambunctious rampage through his [Keith's] 67 years imaginable -- Mark Ellen THE WORD densely packed with incident ... immensely readable -- Lynn Barber SUNDAY TIMES Funny, poignant, brutally honest, engagingly colloquial, Life is pure Keith Richards, as good a rock memoir as you are likely to read. -- Sally Cousins SUNDAY TELEGRAPH This is a good, gossipy read. But the best stuff is Keith on music. Check out his wonderful passage on Charlie Watt's drumming. -- William Leith LONDON EVENING STANDARD Dark, honest and gleefully indiscreet from the first page to the last, it puts some of today's painfully dull musicians to shame. SHORTLIST Once you begin this, wild, wild horses couldn't drag you away. -- Boyd Tonkin INDEPENDENT A hilarious, ribald and often shocking tale told elegantly and with much candidness. CATHOLIC HERALD I was hooked from the start -- Giles Deacon HARPER'S BAZAAR Life may be the best rock star autobiography ever. CLASSIC ROCK A memoir so full of incident it feels like the author's lived three lives, not one. SUNDAY TIMES