Bobby Keys is no ordinary saxophonist. He may not have the aura of the great jazz and soul instrumentalists, but his collaboration with major artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Marvin Gaye, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, John Lennon and Chuck Berry have made him a key figure in the golden age of rock. Born on December 18, 1943 in Slaton, Texas, he was touring at the age of fifteen with rock'n'roll pioneers Bobby Vee and Buddy Holly. The Rolling Stones, with whom he collaborated from 1969 onwards, proved to be an ideal partner for this colorful character. It was with the solo on "Brown Sugar " that he gained notoriety and entered the collective memory in 1971. The list of major albums in which he participated is long, starting with Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen and Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On. A friend of the stars, during the 1980s he managed a club owned by Ron Wood, but only released one solo album, Bobby Keys, in 1972. In February 2014, he took part in The Rolling Stones' 14 On Fire tour. It was his last with the band. Bobby Keys died on December 2, 2014 of cirrhosis at his home in Franklin, Tennessee.
