THE ROLLING STONES Biography - Music bands & groups

 
 

Biography » music bands groups » the rolling stones

THE ROLLING STONES

Name: The Rolling Stones                                                           
Origin London, England                                                             
                                                                                     
The Rolling Stones are an English band whose rhythm and blues and rock & roll-     
based music became popular during the "British Invasion" in the early 1960s.       
The band were formed in London in 1962 by original leader Brian Jones, but were     
eventually led by the songwriting partnership of singer Mick Jagger and             
guitarist Keith Richards. Pianist Ian Stewart, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist   
Bill Wyman completed the early lineup. Ian Stewart was removed from the official   
lineup in 1963 but continued to work with the band as road manager and             
keyboardist until his death in 1985. The band's early albums were mainly covers     
of American blues and R&B songs. The band's single, "(I Can't Get No)               
Satisfaction", established the Stones as a premier rock and roll act.               
Starting with their 1966 album Aftermath, the songs of Jagger and Richards,         
aided by the instrumental experimentation of Jones, expanded an always present     
stylistic flexibility. Jones died in 1969 shortly after being fired from the       
band and was replaced by Mick Taylor. Taylor recorded five albums with The         
Stones before quitting in 1974. Former Faces guitarist Ron Wood stepped in and     
has been with the band since. Wyman retired in 1993 and was replaced by Darryl     
Jones, who is not an official member.                                               
                                                                                     
The band have released 55 albums of original work and compilations, and have       
had 32 U.K & U.S top-10 singles. They have sold more than 200 million albums       
worldwide. 1971's Sticky Fingers began a string of eight consecutive studio         
albums at number one in the United States. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were         
inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they were       
ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.       
They are also ranked as the number 2 artists of all time on Acclaimedmusic.net.     
Their latest album, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005 and accompanied by the     
highest-grossing tour in history, which lasted into late summer 2007. During the   
1969 American tour, tour manager Sam Cutler introduced them as "The Greatest       
Rock and Roll Band in the World", a title which has remained. Their image of       
unkempt and surly youth is one that many musicians still emulate.