How Steve Jordan Shaped Keith Richards' Solo Sound and Influenced the Rolling Stones

Steve Jordan wasn’t just a hired gun on Keith Richards’ first solo record. He was the co-writer and musical foil that helped Keith step out from the Stones’ shadow. Jordan, already a seasoned session drummer who had played with everyone from Stevie Wonder to John Lennon, clicked with Keith immediately during a 1986 session for Chuck Berry’s Hail! Hail! Rock ’n’ Roll film. That chemistry led to Talk Is Cheap (1988), where Keith sang lead, Jordan co-wrote nearly every track, and the rhythm section locked into a looser, more R&B-driven groove than the Stones had explored in years.

The partnership deepened when they formed the X-Pensive Winos, a band that let Keith be the frontman and Jordan be the musical director. Unlike the Stones’ sprawling operation, the Winos rehearsed tight, recorded fast, and toured small venues. Jordan’s drumming—sharp, funky, always pushing the beat—pushed Keith into a more aggressive guitar style and a newfound confidence as a vocalist. Their second record, Main Offender (1992), tightened that sound even further, and the live album Live at the Hollywood Palladium captured a band that sounded hungry and spontaneous.

This influence didn’t stay in the solo lane. When Keith brought Jordan into the Rolling Stones’ orbit—first as a percussionist on Voodoo Lounge (1994), then as a key contributor to Bridges to Babylon (1997)—the band’s rhythm section started shedding some of its stadium stiffness. Jordan’s approach to pocket drumming, with