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Rolling Stones quotes: Keith Richards about Ian Stewart
KEITH RICHARDS ON STU: PURE BOOGIE MAGIC Back in ’62, a young Keith Richards stumbled into the Soho pub scene and met Ian Stewart, and wow—he was blown away. Stu was already jamming with Brian Jones, playing boogie-woogie piano like a jazz master, totally unlike anything Keith had heard before. No fancy career plans, no art school stress—just raw talent and killer grooves. That first encounter? It left a mark that Richards never forgot.
“I left art school and I didn’t even bother to get a job. We were still kids. Mick was still serious, he thought he was, everyone told him he ought to be serious about a career in economics… But Brian, he was already working at it… He invited me to listen to what he was getting together in some pub in London. It’s then it starts getting into backrooms of pubs in Soho and places. That’s where I met him. He was with Brian. They’d just met. He used to play boogie-woogie piano in jazz clubs, apart from his regular job. He blew my head off too, when he started to play. I never heard a white piano like that before. Real Albert Ammons stuff. This is all ’62.”
Most people know the Rolling Stones as rock royalty—Mick Jagger’s swagger, Keith Richards’ riffs, and Ronnie Wood’s presence—but there’s one key figure often overlooked: Ian ‘Stu’ Stewart. A founding member alongside Brian Jones, Stewart officially played with the band for about a year before stepping back in 1963. Despite rarely appearing in headlines or discussions of the Stones’ legacy, Stewart was deeply respected and loved by his bandmates. To them, he was more than a keyboardist; he was a cornerstone of the group’s early spirit.
From Scotland to the Stones
Born on July 18, 1938, in Fife, Scotland, Ian Andrew Robert Stewart moved to London as a child and discovered a lifelong passion for music. Piano first, then banjo, music shaped his youth but remained a hobby until 1962. That year, he answered an ad from Brian Jones looking for members for a rhythm and blues group—a group that would evolve into the Rolling Stones. Though Stewart stepped out of the spotlight, his influence never faded. Loved for his talent, wit, and unshakable support, he remained a trusted member of the Stones’ inner circle, quietly helping define their early sound while staying mostly behind the scenes. Stewart’s story reminds us that sometimes the most essential figures are those who work silently, leaving an enduring mark without demanding the spotlight.
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