Keith Richards, the musician personally responsible for making drugs cool in rock and roll, has signed a contract reportedly worth more than $7 million for his autobiography.

The memoir will chronicle his journey from choirboy to rock legend. It is scheduled to hit the shelf in the fall of 2010, according to New York-based publisher Little, Brown and Co., which has partnered with Britain’s Weidenfeld & Nicholson to secure worldwide English language rights.

A bidding war over the autobiography pushed the price above $7 million; a pretty large amount considering that music-based books are traditionally not big sellers.

“Keith Richards has stood cool at the center of the hurricane for nearly 50 years,” Michael Pietsch of Little, Brown and Co. told CNN. “His story in his own words-the band, the songs, the tours, the life- will be the most eagerly awaited book to ever come out of the hallowed halls of rock and roll.”

Richards, 63, will collaborate on the book with author James Fox, who wrote the 1982 murder-mystery “White Mischief.” He will be the second member of the Rolling Stones to write his memoir, following former bassist Bill Wyman’s “Stone Alone,” in 1990. Vocalist Mick Jagger once set out to write his autobiography but became bored and quickly abandoned the idea.

Richards has never been afraid to voice his opinions, with Jagger frequently taking the brunt of his wit. Earlier this year, the legendary guitarist got into trouble with his own family after claiming that he had once snorted the ashes of his dead father. He quickly recanted his story after it began making headlines.

With his passion for perpetuating the musical legacies of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters matched only by his insatiable desire for drugs-Richards was the only child of a mother who spoiled him.

As a child, he sang in a choir until his voice broke, allowing him to slip into the role of juvenile delinquent. Together with Jagger, the two formed the Rolling Stones in 1962.

According to the legend, Richards wrote the riff for “[I Can’t Get No] Satisfaction in his sleep. He is also credited for such tunes as “Ruby Tuesday,” “Gimme Shelter” and “Angie.”

Richards spent much of the 70’s in a heroin induced fog, eventually becoming (somewhat) clean, when faced with the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence for a bust in 1977. He famously wrote about his legal troubles in the song, “Before They Make Me Run.”

Currently, the Stones are on tour in Europe with Richards still a fan favorite. Although, his unintelligible slurred speech, inconsistent playing and arthritic joints serve as evidence of his hard lifestyle…

C’mon!? The guy can barely form a sentence and he’s supposed to write the end-all-be-all of rock and roll memoirs?

Honestly, I’m not aware of his ghost-writer, James Fox’s work, but he better be able to not only understand whatever the hell Richards is talking about, but to also put it into words in such a way that it won’t disappoint fans. A hard task since Stones fans have grown fond of Richards’ drug-addled persona.

This has been a good year for Richards; he appeared on screen in this summer’s swashbuckling epic, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” and now he’s landed a huge book deal.

I have to admit, I’m interested to find out what else he’s snorted up his nose...

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