Keith Richards and Eric Clapton Jam Together

Keith Richards and Eric Clapton have performed together to honor the late blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin at the "Howlin' for Hubert" event Sunday.

The concert at New York City's Apollo Theater was also a fundraiser for the Jazz Foundation of America. Musicians gathered to remember Sumlin who played in Howlin' Wolf's band for decades and died on Dec. 4 of heart failure at age 80.

"Howlin for Hubert" was one of Richards' few live performances since the Rolling Stones last toured five years ago. He appeared at a New York City after -party for the premiere of the film "The Rum Diary" in Oct., but the performance was unannounced and unavailable to the public.

The film's star Johnny Depp and others joined Richards on stage during the brief performance.

During "Howlin for Hubert," Richards sang "After Going Down Slow" and "Little Red Rooster" while playing guitar, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

"It's good to be back," said Richards reported the magazine.

The famed rocker then grabbed a Gibson electric guitar and was joined by Eric Clapton singing one of Sumlin's songs, "Spoonful."

Sumlin was a source of inspiration for Richards, who reportedly helped the legendary guitarist with his medical bills ahead of him death. The late musician had fans that included Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa, among others.

Sumlin was a four-time Grammy nominee and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 2008.

ZZ Top and the Allman Brother also performed during the event.

Additionally, "Howlin' for Hubert" saw superstars Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Jimmie Vaughan, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, and Elvis Costello on stage.

Clapton's set began with an acoustic version of "Key to the Highway" and was backed by a house band which included drummers Steve Jordan and Jim Keltner, who Rolling Stone magazine referred to as "two of the best drummers alive."