# Honky Tonk Women guitar solo

> Keith Richards's guitar solo on Honky Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones (1969) starts at about 1:34. From the album Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2).

Canonical URL: <https://greatestsolos.com/song/the-rolling-stones-honky-tonk-woman/>

The Rolling Stones, 1969, from *Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2)*. Solo by *Keith Richards*.

Honky Tonk Women is built on Keith Richards's open-G riffing, a sound that became central to the Rolling Stones. The guitar parts are loose and swaggering, with country-flavored licks and ringing chords that give the song its barroom feel. Rather than a long solo, the lead work is short and punchy, fitting into the gaps between vocal lines. The Telecaster tone is bright and twangy, perfect for the song's rough, rollicking groove. The song showed how rhythm guitar and small lead fills could be as memorable as any extended solo. Listen for the way the guitar riffs start and stop around the cowbell and drums, leaving space and letting the groove breathe.

Honky Tonk Women by The Rolling Stones is ranked #248 in our consensus of 80 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Keith Richards and the song was released in 1969. It appears on 2 lists, placing as high as #30 (Guitar Tricks).

## In our lists

- [The Road Trip 50](https://greatestsolos.com/list/road-trip/) — #46
- [The Best Keith Richards Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/keith-richards-guitar-solos/) — #9
- [Top 20 Guitar Solos of 1969](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-guitar-solos-1969/) — #12

## Sources

- [Guitar Tricks: 200 Best Guitar Solos of All Time](https://www.guitartricks.com/blog/200-Best-Guitar-Solos-of-All-Time) — #30
- [Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos](https://bombaylives.substack.com/p/100-greatest-guitar-solos) — #96

### Who played the guitar solo on Honky Tonk Women?

Keith Richards played the solo on The Rolling Stones's Honky Tonk Women (1969).

### What guitar was used on the Honky Tonk Women solo?

A fender telecaster, according to widely reported accounts.

### Where does Honky Tonk Women rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#248 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 80 published lists; it appears on 2 of them.

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