Excited by the opportunity, Keith commented: “It’s been a real privilege to be _MOJO_’s Guest Editor, thanks you guys. What a great idea. I’ve really enjoyed it. Good luck to the next editor! I seem to have left the office in an awful mess. But it was real fun. I’ve always loved _MOJO_, it’s always been a straight-up chat with you guys. That’s what I admire. It’s been a pleasure.”

Editor John Mulvey added: “It isn’t often that an editor can be excited about losing their job, but I’m honoured to hand over the MOJO reins this month to Keith Richards. As well as one of the greatest musicians Britain has ever produced, Keith is a passionate scholar of rock, a man of significant wealth and taste. He’s brought a deep love and knowledge of rock’n’roll, the blues, reggae, funk and much more to this very special issue of our magazine; MOJO couldn’t have been put in safer hands.”

The issue includes an in-depth new interview with Keith, in which he discusses the Rolling Stones’ forthcoming plans, plus interviews and features with some of his favourite artists including Norah Jones, Peter Tosh, Muddy Waters, Bobby Keys and The Neville Brothers.

The exclusive package hits the newsstands on 19 February but an exclusive preview issue will be available to buy from 11am on Wednesday 13 February online via greatmagazines.co.uk/keithrichards

In addition, a specially curated CD entitled Memory Motel offers a glimpse Inside the World of Keith Richards: 15 Tracks from his friends, Heroes and Soulmates and includes tracks from Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Patti Labelle & the Blue Belles and Funkadelic, to name a few.

Speaking about the exclusive CD, Keith said: “I think great music has to have a sense of joy, even if it’s not a particularly joyful subject you’re singing about. Just the playing of music is one of the most *civilized things I can think of. A bunch of guys get together, and instead of shooting each other they sit around with instruments and say, ‘Hey man’. What happens to guys when they’re playing together has always fascinated me. Musicians are a weird bunch because they have this second conversation going on all the time, via music. This other language. It could just be a couple of guitars playing, it could be a sound, it could be anything. And of course, in music, there has to be an agreement. As I say, it’s actually a very civilized thing. It’s in the dressing room later on that maybe gets less civilized!”

The 30th Anniversary reissue of Keith Richard’s first solo album Talk Is Cheap (BMG) is available on 29 March.