Back in the
60's, the Rolling Stones were godfathers of
hedonism. They were unwashed, longhaired bastards of the beat - and they knew to yell that out in masterly, rebellious songs. Songs that somehow showed resemblance to raw
Chicago blues,
Chuck Berry-riffs,
soul and dark southern
country & western.
Keith Richard's strong, rudimentary riffs,
Mick Jagger's sardonic sneer and
Charlie Watts' imperturbable drums were the base of most of their best productions. '
Satisfaction' (1965) still fulfills one with the ultimate Stones-feeling, while '
Jumpin' Jack Flash' vomits unrestrained
rock and roll.
The facts:
The group originally comprised of Mick Jagger (vocals),
Brian Jones (gtr), Keith Richards (gtr),
Ian Stewart (piano), Charlie Watts (drums), and
Bill Wyman (bass), Ian Stewart was 'demoted' by de facto manager Andrew Loog Oldham by the time of their first album release, because
he did not look the part of a
Rolling Stone. Although Ian did not
appear in group photographs or get listed in band personnel
information, he played, credited, on records and in concert with
the Stones up until his death in 1985.
The first 'real' personnel change took place with the dismissal of
Brian Jones in 1969, who died several weeks later. Before his
death, his slot was filled by a young guitarist named Mick Taylor,
who had been in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and who stayed with the
Stones until December 1974.
Ron Wood, already a star from his work with Rod Stewart and the Faces,
joined the Rolling Stones as a 'special guest' in 1975 for their
US tour and became a non-guest by the end of the year. In 1993,
bassist Bill Wyman, then 56, officially quit after years of rumours
and speculation, and Ron became a full and equal partner soon after.
As of this writing, no permanent replacement has been announced
for Mr. Wyman, although Daryl Jones, ex- of Miles Davis, Peter
Gabriel, Sting, Madonna and other high-profile professional gigs,
has played on all Stones concerts from the start of the 1994/95
'Voodoo Lounge' tour through the last Summer 1999 dates on the
'No Security' tour.
Birthdays are as follows:
Jagger July 26, 1943
Brian Jones Feb. 28, 1942 (dismissed June 8, 1969; died July 3, 1969)
Richards Dec. 18, 1943
Stewart July 18, 1938 (died December 12, 1985)
Taylor Jan. 17, 1949 (quit 12/1974; usual 1948 b.date wrong)
Watts Jun. 02, 1941
Wood Jun. 01, 1947
Wyman Oct. 24, 1936 (quit 1993)
The myths:
based on the Rolling Stones FAQ
Keith got his blood changed
It was a widely circulated rumour that to cure himself of an addiction
to heroin, Keith Richards flew to the Swiss chalet of an exclusive
physician who had a method for replacing all of a patient's nasty
addicted blood with good clean blood.
Great gossip. Bad science.
While it has been claimed in print by at least one biographer, this
author was also Keith's dealer for several years. It is widely
considered to be little more than another colorful urban legend.
Rolling Stones worship Satan
Among the phenomena that have become known to us since the formation
of the Rolling Stones are: CDs, wireless amps, home video, and
Serious Rock Criticism. Early Serious Rock Critics, trying in vain
to capture in prose the mystique, wonder, beauty, arrogance, and power
of the Rolling Stones, would often resort to demonic imagery. It did
not help matters that the band released songs like "Sympathy for the
Devil", or that Jagger performed in a swirling cape bathed in red
light. Blame this one on the old "four blind men describing an
elephant" syndrome.
Professional demonist and man-about-town Kenneth Anger once asserted
that Anita Pallenberg (Keith's paramour in the Stones' supposed
'demonic' period) was a 'witch'. But that's Kenneth Anger.