Keys met the Rolling Stones at the San Antonio Teen Fair while sharing a bill with the group as a member of Vee 's band in 1964 . He is best known for his impressive resume as a musician ( most notably the saxophone solo on the 1971 Rolling Stones hit " Brown Sugar " ) and his friendship with Keith Richards . Keys and Richards share exactly the same date of birth . Notably , Keys and Richards threw a television set from the 10th floor of the Continental Hyatt House in West Hollywood , California during the group 's 1972 American tour , as seen in the Stones ' unreleased 1972 concert movie '' Cocksucker Blues '' . After renewing his acquaintance with the band via Gram Parsons , a mutual friend , Keys made his debut with The Rolling Stones on the '' Let It Bleed '' track " Live with Me " in 1969 . In addition to " Brown Sugar , " he was prominently featured on such early 1970s Stones songs as " Ca n't You Hear Me Knocking , " " Rip This Joint " and " Sweet Virginia . " Keys and Mick Jagger also became close in the early 1970s , with Keys serving as best man at Jagger 's wedding . Together with Jim Price on trumpet , Keys toured with the Stones from 1970 to 1973 . Along with trumpeter Steve Madaio and fellow saxophonist Trevor Lawrence , Keys continued as a touring member for the first half of the 1973 European tour before leaving in Frankfurt , Germany on September 30 . According to legend , Keys was abruptly dismissed by an incensed Jagger after filling a bathtub with Dom Perignon champagne ( resulting in a debt to the band that significantly exceeded his entire salary for the tour ) and drinking most of it . Although Keys did not dispute the veracity of the incident , he subsequently maintained in his memoir that he left the tour of his own volition to curtail his heroin addiction for the sake of his family . As a result of his strained relationship with Jagger , Keys only guested on some shows of the 1975 and 1978 American tours , missing the 1976 European tour completely . He performed only four tracks on the 1981 tour , on which Ernie Watts was the saxophonist . Keys was reinstated as the band 's main touring saxophonist on the 1982 European Tour , together with Gene Barge . Keys played with the Stones on all subsequent tours up to his death
1972 American tour
The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972
Bobby Keys