THE ROLLING STONES became a household name after rising to fame in the sixties.
Together, The Rolling Stones continue to rock and roll across the globe.
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Who are The Rolling Stones members?
Currently, The Rolling Stones band consists of original members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, along with late-joiner Ronnie Wood.
Charlie Watts was a founding member and the drummer of the band through August 2021 when he passed away aged 80.
Former members of The Rolling Stones include Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, Bill Wyman, and Mick Taylor.
Brian was another founding member, who died at the age of 27 from a drowning incident.
Mick Jagger
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Perhaps one of the most famous members of The Rolling Stones is Mick Jagger.
His dance moves and high-energy stage presence has made him a true rock icon.
Born into a middle-class family in Dartford, Kent, on July 26, 1943, Mick was first set to follow his father’s career path as a physical education teacher.
His passion for singing and music soon caught up with him.
“I always sang as a child,” he is quoted saying in the book, According To The Rolling Stones.
“I was one of those kids who just liked to sing. Some kids sing in choirs, others like to show in front of the mirror.”
He continued: “I was in the church choir and I also loved listening to singers on the radio – the BBC or Radio Luxembourg – or watching them on TV or in the movies.”
In September 1950, while he was enrolled at Wentworth Primary School, Mick met Keith Richards, who he quickly befriended.
Although they initially lost touch when Mick’s family moved to Wilmington, the two men found each other again during a chance encounter on platform two at Dartford Railway Station in 1960.
Mick left school after passing seven O-Levels and two A-levels just one year later.
He was still adamant about studying finance and accounting at the London School of Economics.
Mick and Keith were planning on starting their own rhythm and blues group called Blues Incorporated.
During his youth, Mick also thought about becoming either a journalist or a politician, one day comparing the latter to a rock star.
He left the London School of Economics in 1963 in order to focus on his promising music career.
Keith Richards
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Guitarist and vocalist known for singing backing vocals on the majority of Stones songs, Keith Richards is another original member of the band.
He first met Mick Jagger in primary school.
Born on December 18, 1943, in Dartford, Keith reportedly always knew his path would lead him to a career in music.
His maternal grandfather, Augustus Theodore “Gus” Dupree, toured Britain with his own jazz band – giving Keith a passion for guitar at an early age.
Although he received most of his family’s support, Keith’s father did not look favorably on his career choice.
Expelled for truancy from Dartford Tech in 1959, he attended Sidcup Art College but was soon diverted from his studies by music.
He left Sidcup in 1962 and moved into a London flat alongside Mick and Brian Jones.
His parents divorced around the same time, which led him to stay close to his mother.
Keith remained estranged from his father for around twenty years.
Charlie Watts
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Born in 1941 in Bloomsbury, London, Charlie Watts celebrated his 80th birthday on June 2, 2021.
He died just two months later on August 24.
Before turning to rock, his earliest works were jazz recordings.
Watts was a childhood friend of jazz bassist Dave Green, with whom he discovered his first 78rpm records.
As he developed an interest in art, music, cricket, and football, Charlie eventually turned to drumming around the age of 13.
“I bought a banjo,” he told The New Yorker in 2012.
“And I didn’t like the dots on the neck.”
He continued: “So I took the neck off, and at the same time I heard a drummer called Chico Hamilton, who played with Gerry Mulligan.
“I wanted to play like that, with brushes. I didn’t have a snare drum, so I put the banjo head on a stand.”
His parents gave him his first drum kit in 1955.
He met Brian, Keith, and Mick in mid-1962 at a London rhythm and blues club.
Ronnie Wood
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Hailing from Middlesex, Ronnie Wood was born on June 1, 1947.
He began his musical career alongside Rod Stewart, after his first band, The Birds, broke up in 1967.
They eventually joined Kenney Jones and formed the band known as Faces.
Their last album, Ooh La La, was released in 1973 – right before Rod went on to pursue a solo career.
Ronnie went on to join The Rolling Stones as an official member in the late 1970s.
Where are The Rolling Stones now?
The Rolling Stones have remained active into the 2020s, releasing close to thirty studio albums throughout their decades-long career.
In 2021, they prepped a new box set for their album Tattoo You, – released in August 1981 – as a way to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
On March 14, 2022, the band announced their summer ‘European Sixty’ tour via Twitter.
The tour kicked off at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on June 1, and will wrap up with a July 31 show at Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
