We missed that the legendary Bobby Keys had passed away in early December, and we shouldn’t have.

The legendary saxman, and Keith Richards’ sidekick, was famous for being the only guy who could party as hard as Sir Keith (oddly they were born on the same day).

He was part of the legendary lost weekend in Los Angeles along with John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson and Keith Moon which is as rock n’ roll PAAARTY as it gets.

Whilst that is certainly a part of rock history it might be a bit of a mis-service.

Keys was pretty much the best rock n’roll saxophonist around, and his Stones solos are legendary.

Brown Sugar for one -

(the 1.39 mark is where he really honks the shit out of it)

It’s pretty much impossible to listen to Exile On Main Street (which for many people is the definitive Stones album) without digging Bobby because – without too much crazy soloing – he just brings the R&B and soul to that beautiful album.

But he was on everyone else’s records too which was why he never joined the Stones themselves.

So we thought it’d be nice to share a couple of his best.

One pre-Stones on a real classic street corner soul number with a solo that is elsewhere described as “a recorded wolf whistle”

(solo is at 1.42 but how could you bear to skip this great song)

And one outside the Stones where he gets as funky as he ever was…

(the first 15 seconds, and then fully badass at 1.02)

Keys also blew the shit up on classic albums like George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Dr John’s The Sun, The Moon & Herbs, and all the Harry Nilsson stuff. Which are just a few amongst many.

The party may have ended but he was always more than a party boy.

-TH