Keys, Bobby (18 December 1943-2nd December 2014)

He was a saxophonist, born to a military family at Lubbock Army Airfield in Texas and then when his family relocated to New Mexico when he was still very young he remained in Slaton, Texas with his grandparents.

He was only fifteen years old when he first started playing saxophone in concert and on tour with the likes of Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox, and Bobby Vee.

In the late ’60s, he hooked up with The Rolling Stones, and has been an unofficial member of the band ever since. (That’s Bobby blowing the sax on “Brown Sugar”.) He was also involved in the infamous television-throwing incident with Keith Richards, with whom he shares a birthday and has bonded from the start. Bobby was also a part of Joe Cocker’s legendary Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour, and the subsequent concert video.

A mainstay with the famous Muscle Shoals horn section, he collaborated with an impressive array of artists and groups, including Ace, Chuck Berry, Bonnie Bramlett, Eric Carmen, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Dr. John, Marvin Gaye, Andrew Gold, George Harrison, Nicky Hopkins, Etta James, B.B. King, John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Graham Nash, Harry Nilsson, Yoko Ono, Billy Preston, Martha Reeves, Leo Sayer, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Barbra Streisand, The Who, Gary Wright, and Warren Zevon.

You can see him performing in the concert films Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, Let’s Spend the Night Together, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones.

In 2013 he debuted with the Rolling Stones at Glastonbury Festival and his final gig with the stoned was in Denmark on their 14 on Fire tour.

He passed away at home in Franklin, Tennessee, suffering from liver cancer. He was 70 years old.

Sources:

Keys, Bobby (18 December 1943-2nd December 2014)

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