Just in time for the holidays, Keith Richards sleighs ’em with a reissue of “Run Rudolph Run,” the first output from his new deal with BMG. (Photo: Barry Brecheisen, Invision/AP)

Keith Richards has consolidated his solo recordings catalog at BMG. The agreement now brings together Richards’ 1978 debut solo single and four solo albums from 1988-2010, alongside the sizable Rolling Stones publishing catalog that BMG has represented since 2013.

Just in time for the holidays, BMG will issue a commemorative 40th anniversary release of Richards’ 1978 solo recording of the Christmas classic “Run Rudolph Run,” popularized by one of Richards’ idols, Chuck Berry, in 1958. The limited edition 45rpm 12” on red vinyl was remixed and remastered by longtime collaborator Steve Jordan. The Nov. 23 North American Record Store Day exclusive includes on the B-side a cover of Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come,” a version of “Pressure Drop” featuring Toots & The Maytals, and a ‘Santa Keith’ holiday card featuring a greeting from the infamous axman himself.

The Record Store Day exclusive follows BMG’s recent digital re-release of Richards’ solo albums Talk Is Cheap, Main Offender, and the studio/live compilation Vintage Vinos on all streaming platforms. Upcoming physical reissues will include deluxe and expanded CDs and LPs, extensive boxsets, and additional special projects to be detailed shortly, including the debut digital release of Richards’s show Live at the Hollywood Palladium, December 15, 1998.

“Looking forward to working with Hartwig Masuch and everyone at BMG,” Richards said in a printed announcement. “It has been a pleasure to build a relationship with Keith and his exceptional team over the past five years. It is a real honor now to extend that relationship even further to work with his classic solo releases,” was the word from BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch.

BMG EVP Global Catalog Recordings Peter Stack said, “This agreement paves the way for a reappraisal and repositioning of the solo work of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s true originals and arguably its most pre-eminent guitarist. Fans can expect a program of releases which truly does justice to these great recordings.”

Released in 1988, Richards’ debut solo album, the RIAA Gold-certified Talk Is Cheap featured the hit “Take It So Hard” (UK top 5) and  “You Don’t Move Me” (US top 20). Richards co-wrote the album with Jordan, who also co-produced, and performed the songs with his band the X-Pensive Winos (guitarist Waddy Wachtel, saxophonist Bobby Keys, keyboardist Ivan Neville, bassist Charley Drayton and Jordan on drums).

In 1991 Richards released Live At The Hollywood Palladium, recorded Dec. 15, 1988, during the Talk Is Cheap Tour with the X-Pensive Winos. It went on to sell more than 100,000 copies in the US.

Once again pairing with Jordan to co-produce and co-write for his second studio recording, Richards released Main Offender in 1992. While the album charted a couple of singles —  “Wicked As It Seems” in the top 5 and “Eileen” in the top 20 — Main Offender wasn’t as successful as Talk is Cheap and Richards refocused on  The Rolling Stones before embarking on another solo project, 2015’s Crosseyed Hearts, released by Republic Records (and not part of the BMG deal).

Richards’  Virgin, EMI and a Massachusetts micro-label called Mindless Records.

In 2010, the Vintage Vinos compilation was released featuring a collection of solo and live tracks that included material from the 1988 Hollywood Palladium show, Main Offender and the bonus song “Hurricane,” recorded during the Rolling Stones’ sessions for Forty Licks in 2002.

The “new” BMG was founded by Bertelsmann in 2008 after assets from its predecessor music firm were sold to Sony.  Today’s BMG is aiming to sign artists it can represent globally on both the master recording and publishing sides. BMG is already the world’s fourth biggest music publisher. It has 15 offices in 12 music markets globally, and represents more than 2.5 million songs and recordings, including the catalogs of Chrysalis, Bug, Virgin, Mute, Sanctuary, Primary Wave and Talpa Music. Based in Germany, BMG parent Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that also includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group, and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds.