Not worried about age or much of anything else, Rolling Stone rhythm guitarist Keith Richards (1943-) was born on this day in Dartford, England. Keef grew up with R&B and a passion for the music of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters.

“I read everything. It’s about the same as what I listen to. I listen to Mozart and I listen to AC/DC,” he once said.

“You can never get enough of the blues--or Mozart, or great reggae.”

Along with classmate Mick Jagger, Richards created riff-based rock songs of arrogance and rebellion.

“Success never came into it,” Richards explained. “We just thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could play one night a week with a few people dancing?’”

The Stone’s 1965 breakthrough hit, Satisfaction, began with Richards waking up in a Florida motel bed with the brutal riff and key lyrics “can’t get no satisfaction” roaring in his head.

The legendary guitarist of the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band” plays a 50s Fender Telecaster with low E string removed. He has a reputation for hard living, outspoken honesty, and remarkable musical ability.

About his success, he observed modestly, “A lick on a record--it doesn’t matter who played it. All that matters is how it fits. The chemistry to work together like that has to be there.”

Keith Richards endures because of his attention to what matters. He listens closely, to the blues that shaped him, to the musicians beside him, and to the slow changes of time itself. This fascination keeps his work and the spaces between the notes alive.