RICHARDS THE RACONTEUR

In addition to being a great songwriter and rhythm guitarist, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones is a good talker.

If the subject is a musician he admires -- Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry or Muddy Waters, for example -- Richards will be off and running, punctuating his anecdotes, analysis and memories with a wicked cackle and hand gestures, all the while leaving a wavy trail of smoke from his ever-present cigarette.

Richards' storytelling skills ought to be on full display tonight (March 12) as he inducts the Ronettes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He and Ronnie Spector have known each other for more than 40 years, so there are bound to be some tales worth telling. Maybe Richards has a funny gem or two about the Stones' 1964 U.K. tour with the Ronettes, during which Richards and Spector, as she recalls on her Web site, would get out of the van carrying both groups and approach a stranger's house for cup of tea when the fog was too thick.

They've remained friends and in touch ever since. These days, Richards and Spector have homes in Connecticut not too far from each other. Richards also has recorded and performed with Spector, and he's among the guests on her album Last of the Rock Stars, released last year overseas.

Should Richards get on a roll tonight, here's hoping the show's producers let him talk until he decides that he's finished.

VH1 Classic will air the ceremony tonight starting at 8:30 p.m.