“He was important to American music – and to all music”: Keith Richards pays tribute to Lou Reed with cover of I’m Waiting for the Man

He might be an octogenarian now, but Keith Richards is still recording new music.

This time, however, he’s not working with Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood on new material from The Rolling Stones. Rather, he’s paying tribute to the late Lou Reed by covering The Velvet Underground’s classic track I’m Waiting for the Man. It’s set to be included on the upcoming album The Power Of The Heart: A Tribute To Lou Reed.

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Richards says, “To me, Lou stood out. The real deal! Something important to American music and to all music. I miss him and his dog.”

Also contributing to the compilation in honour of Reed, who died at the age of 71 in 2013, are the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Rosanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Afghan Whigs, Bobby Rush, among others.

I’m Waiting for the Man first came out in 1967, on The Velvet Underground’s debut album The Velvet Underground & Nico. Reed, Nico, Mo Tucker and John Cale have all covered the track as solo artists, while the likes of David Bowie, UK Subs, Pink Fairies, The Georgia Satellites and Cheap Trick have covered it too.

If you’d like to get your hands on the tribute album, it’ll be coming out on ‘Silver Nugget’ vinyl on Record Store Day (20 April) at participating record stores. Or, if you prefer a different format, it’s coming out on CD and on streaming platforms too.

The album’s liner notes are written by Bill Bentley, who’s worked on tribute albums to the likes of Roky Erickson, Skip Spence, and Doug Sahm too. Bentley was in a band with Sterling Morrison in college, before the guitarist joined The Velvet Underground, while he was Reed’s publicist for 25 years.

The find out more about the album, head to Light In The Attic. And check out Richards’ cover below: