The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones (aka Rolling Stones, or The Stones) are a British rock band formed in London in May 1962. Still active and with over sixty years in the business, they are one of the longest-lived and most commercially successful groups in rock and pop history.

Their original known line-up consisted of vocalist Mick Jagger (b.1943), multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones (1942 – 1969), guitarist Keith Richards (b.1943), bassist Bill Wyman (b.1936), and drummer Charlie Watts (1941 – 2021). From their early days, Jagger and Richards became the group's principal songwriters, and the group fast became identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s, often considered in contrast and 'rivals' to their contemporaries The Beatles.

The Stones had their first UK no.1 in July 1964 with It's All Over Now, written by Bobby and Shirley Womack, followed by four more consecutive no.1 singles, and two more before the end of the decade. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction was their first original composition to reach the top in September 1965, and remains one of their best known songs. Mick Taylor (b.1949) had replaced Jones after his death in 1969, although left in 1974 to be replaced by Ronnie Wood (b.1947). The group had also broken the US market, in particular with the album Sticky Fingers (1971), no.1 on both sides of the Atlantic and around the world. Commercial success and renown followed throughout the seventies, some of their strongest material coming after 1978, despite the new breed of bands and artists emerging around the punk and post-punk scene. The Stones had managed to innovate their 'rock' sound to fit in with the 'new wave' and album like Some Girls (1978), Emotional Rescue (1980) and Tattoo You (1981) putting them back at the top of the charts worldwide.

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