The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band that started in 1962. They’ve been around for more than sixty years, making them one of the most popular and long-lasting acts in rock. In their early days, they helped create the rough, beat-heavy style that became hard rock.

The first steady lineup included singer Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts. Keyboardist Ian Stewart was pushed aside by manager Andrew Loog Oldham, but he stayed on as road manager and played on sessions and tours until he died in 1985. In the beginning, Jones was the main leader. Oldham pushed them to write their own songs, and soon the Jagger–Richards team became the band’s main songwriting force.

The Stones started by playing covers, rooted in blues and early rock and roll. They were a key part of the British Invasion in 1964 and became linked to the youth counterculture of the 1960s. Their own songs brought them even more success: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Get Off of My Cloud” (both 1965), and “Paint It Black” (1966) were number-one hits worldwide. *Aftermath* (1966), their first album made up entirely of original songs, is often seen as their most important early record. In 1967, they released the double-sided hit “Ruby Tuesday” / “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and tried psychedelic rock on *Their Satanic Majesties Request*. By the late 1960s, they were back to their rhythm-and-blues-based rock sound, with hits like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968) and “Honky Tonk Women” (1969), plus the albums *Beggars Banquet* (1968)—which had “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Street Fighting Man”—and *Let It Bleed* (1969), featuring “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Gimme Shelter.”

Jones left the band a few weeks before his death in 1969, and guitarist Mick Taylor replaced him. That same year, they were first introduced onstage as “the greatest rock and roll band in the world.” In 1970, they started their own label, Rolling Stones Records, and created their famous tongue-and-lips logo. Their first album on the label was *Sticky Fingers* (1971), which included “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses” and became the first of eight straight number-one studio albums in the US. Next came *Exile on Main St.* (1972), with “Tumbling Dice” and “Happy,” and *Goats Head Soup* (1973), featuring “Angie.” Taylor left at the end of 1974 and was replaced by Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood. The band released *Some Girls* in 1978, with “Miss You” and “Beast of Burden,” and *Tattoo You* in 1981, which had “Start Me Up.” *Steel Wheels* (1989) was widely seen as a comeback, followed by *Voodoo Lounge* (1994). Both were supported by big stadium and arena tours, as the Stones remained a huge live draw. By 2007, they had broken the record for the highest-grossing concert tour three times, and they were the highest-earning live act of 2021. After Wyman left in 1993, the band continued as a four-piece core, with Darryl Jones as their regular bassist, and then as a three-piece core after Watts died in 2021, with Steve Jordan on drums. *Hackney Diamonds*, their first album of new original material in 18 years, came out in October 2023 and became their fourteenth UK number-one album. Their most recent album, *Foreign Tongues*, was released in July 2026.

The Rolling Stones have sold an estimated 250 million albums. They’ve won four Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. *Billboard* and *Rolling Stone* have ranked them among the greatest artists of all time.

**History**

**Formation**

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards became childhood friends in 1950 in Dartford, Kent, but lost touch in 1954 when Jagger’s family moved. In the mid-1950s, Jagger formed a garage band with his friend Dick Taylor. The group mostly played songs by Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Howlin’ Wolf, and Bo Diddley. Jagger met Richards again on 17 October 1961 at Dartford railway station. Jagger was carrying records by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, which showed Richards they shared an interest. A musical partnership started soon after. Richards and Taylor often met Jagger at his house, then moved to Taylor’s house in late 1961, where Alan Etherington and Bob Beckwith joined them. They called themselves the Blues Boys.

In March 1962, the Blues Boys read about the Ealing Jazz Club in *Jazz News*, which mentioned Alexis Korner’s rhythm and blues band, Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated. They sent a tape of their best recordings to Korner, who was impressed. On 7 April, they visited the Ealing Jazz Club, where they met Blues Incorporated members, including slide guitarist Brian Jones, keyboardist Ian Stewart, and drummer Charlie Watts. After meeting Korner, Jagger and Richards started jamming with the group.

Having left Blues Incorporated, Jones advertised for bandmates in *Jazz News* in the week of 2 May 1962. Ian Stewart was among the first to respond. In June, Jagger, Taylor, and Richards left Blues Incorporated to join Jones and Stewart. The first rehearsal included guitarist Geoff Bradford and vocalist Brian Knight, both of whom decided not to join because they objected to playing the Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley songs Jagger and Richards preferred. According to Richards, Jones named the band during a phone call to *Jazz News*. When a journalist asked for the band’s name, Jones saw a Muddy Waters LP on the floor; one of the tracks was “Rollin’ Stone.” Jones was the band’s “uncontested leader” during this period.