16 April: The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are the longest continuously performing band in the history of Rock n Roll, formed in 1962 by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. They are the highest earning band in Rock history. Their first album was released on 16 April 1962 and included the tracks Route 66 and Walking the Dog.

1. The band's original line-up was Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica) (found drowned in a swimming pool in 1969), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Ian Stewart (Piano), Bill Wyman (bass) (he left in 1993 and now owns a restaurant in London called Sticky Fingers), Charlie Watts (Drums) and Keith Richards (Guitar).
2. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have known each other since primary school. They were classmates at Wentworth Primary School, but not particular friends at that time, and lost touch when they moved on to different schools. They bumped into each other by chance in 1961 at Dartford railway station. Mick Jagger was on his way to the London School of Economics, and Keith Richards was on his way to Sidcup Art College. Mick was carrying a Muddy Waters record and Keith was carrying a guitar, so from that moment, they knew they had similar taste in music.
3. Their first single was a cover of Chuck Berry's Come On, released in 1963. Their first worldwide number one came two years later - Satisfaction.
4. The idea that the Rolling Stones and the Beatles disliked each other was no more than a rumour put about for marketing purposes. Despite the Stones not being invited to the Hard Day's Night première, and crashing the party anyway, the members of the two bands actually got on very well.
5. The Rolling Stones named themselves after the Muddy Waters’ track Rollin’ Stones Blues. The name wasn't meant to have a "g" in it but I imagine people kept adding one anyway (I know the feeling) and eventually they went with it. Their famous Lips logo came later and is inspired by the Indian Hindu goddess ‘Kali the Destroyer’ rather than Mick Jagger's mouth. It was Jagger's idea, though, and he asked John Pasche to design it.
6. The cake featured on the cover of the album Let It Bleed was baked by Della Smith, and the cover for Sticky Fingers was designed by Andy Warhol.
7. The video for Anybody Seen My Baby (1997) starred Angelina Jolie, as a stripper. She wasn't the first person involved with the Stones productions to go on to much bigger things. In 1970, a documentary film was made about a Rolling Stones US tour. One of the cameramen was George Lucas. However, his camera malfunctioned and so none of his footage ended up in the film, which was called Gimme Shelter. Which is also a Rolling Stones song with further film connections. Martin Scorsese liked this song a lot. He used it in four of his films.
8. The Rolling Stones were in an advert for Kellogg's Rice Krispies in 1964. They were almost in the film A Clockwork Orange, too. Screenwriter Terry Southern planned a version of the film and wanted Mick Jagger to play Alex, with the rest of the band as the "droogs". The film was never made.
9. The Rolling Stones have released 30 studio albums, 23 live albums, 25 compilation albums, three extended play singles, and 120 singles. They have had eight number one singles in the UK. Westlife, however, have had fifteen number ones, almost twice as many.
10. They weren't all into drugs. Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts didn't like them. However, other band members made up for that. Jagger and Richards took a lot of drugs and so did the late Brian Jones. There is a rumour that Keith Richards had a full Blood transfusion to help him come off heroin - but that's not true - Richards made it up. When Keith Richards was arrested in 1977 for possession, as part of his sentence he played two shows to blind children in Toronto.

See details of all my books

Browse other topics I've covered in this blog - HERE.

Like my Facebook page for news of Topical Ten posts posts on my writing blog, a weekly writing quote and news of upcoming publications