Richards Credits Scouts With Making Him A Leader

ROLLING STONES rocker KEITH RICHARDS has credited a stint in the Boy Scouts as a child with nurturing his leadership skills.
The guitarist quickly moved up through the ranks in the youth organization, and insists the experience honed his ability to guide others.
He tells British magazine Esquire, "I got to be patrol leader within six weeks - I just shot to the top. That was the first time I realized I might have that (leadership) possibility. I'm like, 'Hey, I'm just going to duck and dive.' "Once I had a bunch of guys together, it doesn't matter if it was the Scouts or a band, I could see my way clear to pull all their various talents together."

The above article appeared on PR-inside.com.

Comments

[James P. Harte]

Hello. I found this and I love it. I am a former scout (Troop 62, Summit NJ) and current scouter (Troop 220, Irondequoit NY) and long-time Rolling Stones fan. I have been telling people this story for years (it's not the first time Keith's told it) and made sure he was included on an on-line list of famous scouts. As I've always said, scouting is most important for the "bad" boys, because the "good" ones will do just fine anyhow. I continue to believe that scouting is the best program in the world for boys just as The Rolling Stones are the Best Rock n' Roll Band in the World.

Just for fun, I made a cut and paste of Keith in his scouting days. I can't send the picture here, but I'll copy the link. It's to an artist who painted portraits of the band from current and childhood photos. The childhood one of Keith shows him in his school uniform. The caption is mine. I hope you enjoy it.

Yours in Scouting,

James P. Harte
Committee Member
Troop 220
Irondequoit NY

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