The Rolling Stones

Formed in 1962 in London, England, the Rolling Stones became one of the greatest and most enduring rock and roll bands in history. Six decades into their career, they’ve experienced the highs and lows of success – from fortune and fame to drug busts and death – but they remain the greatest rock and roll band in the world. Vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards were school friends who developed a mutual love of rhythm and blues and adapted it to express their teenage rebellion. Encouraged by UK bluesman Alexis Korner, The Rolling Stones built a following at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, London, settling into a line-up of Jagger, Richards, guitarist Brian Jones, bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts. Their flamboyant manager and publicist Andrew Loog Oldham signed them to Decca Records, marketing their controversial bad boy image, while Jagger and Richards established an explosive songwriting partnership. The band's first single, a cover of Chuck Berry's “Come On”, despite only being sold at a limited number of record stores, reached Number 21 in the UK Singles Chart. As the band began to branch out of their native London, their second single, the Lennon-McCartney penned “I Wanna Be Your Man”, reached the Number 12 spot in the charts, followed by their third single, Buddy Holly's “Not Fade Away”, which got to Number 3. During the mid to late-1960s, the band achieved their most success, with four albums making Number 1. In 1969, Brian Jones was ousted from the band and on July 3, 1969, died under mysterious circumstances, his body being discovered in his swimming pool at his home. He was replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor, who played on some of their most successful albums of the early 1970s. When Taylor quit in 1974, former Faces guitarist Ron Wood stepped into his shoes as guitarist. One of the band’s most successful albums of the ‘70s, Some Girls (1978), reached Number 1. In 1993, founding member and bassist Bill Wyman left the band and was replaced by Darryl Jones, who has remained an unofficial member since 1994. The band continued to release new albums, expanded reissues, and live releases while touring every few years. Sidelined in 2020 by the COVID pandemic, the band announced a short American tour beginning in September 2021. A little over a month before the tour was to begin, drummer Charlie Watts pulled out for health reasons and chose Steve Jordan as his replacement. Charlie Watts died on August 24, 2021, at the age of 80. Group members Jagger, Richards, and Wood chose to move forward and began work on their next album. In October 2023, they released their 24th album, Hackney Diamonds, to positive reviews. The album included two tracks featuring Charlie Watts. One of the tracks, “Live by the Sword,” featured original bassist Bill Wyman, the first track in 30 years to feature the Jagger / Richards / Wood / Watts / Wyman line-up. The album also included guest appearances from Paul McCartney, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, and many others. The band’s influential catalog includes classic studio albums such as Aftermath (1966), Between the Buttons (1967), Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main Street (1972), Goat’s Head Soup (1973), Tattoo You (1981), and Blue & Lonesome (2016). Being a big concert draw whenever they tour, it is not surprising that their live albums – including Got Live If You Want It (1966), Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out (1970), and Love You Live (1977) – have been commercially successful as well.

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