Rolling Stones guitarist, Keith Richards, once commented about their longtime keyboard player, Chuck Leavell: “Without the continuity that Chuck brings to us, the Stones would not be the Stones.” Leavell describes his role with the band as a “sort of musical navigator” who keeps track of arrangements and keeps things balanced in addition to spicing up the music with his keyboards.

And as you would imagine, there’s more to Chuck’s artistry than his work with the Rolling Stones, who by the way, are in the middle of their No Filter tour right now.

I managed to catch up with Chuck Leavell in between gigs to talk about the Stones, Eric Clapton’s unplugged album, his work as a writer, and his definition of success as an artist.