Meet the Rolling Stones
Formed in London, England, in 1962, The Rolling Stones was initially comprised of guitarist and original leader Brian Jones, pianist Ian Stewart, singer Mick Jagger, and guitarist Keith Richards. Group manager Andrew Loog Oldham dismissed Ian Stewart from the official formation in May 1963, but Stewart continued to work with the group as road manager and pianist until his death in 1985. Jagger and Richards quickly formed a duet of songwriters and gradually took the helm of the group, in place of an increasingly erratic Brian Jones. Brian Jones chose the name of the band, which comes from a song by Muddy Waters, “Rollin’ Stone.”
(L-R) Musician Ronnie Wood, singer Mick Jagger, musicians Charlie Watts and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones perform during Desert Trip at the Empire Polo Field on October 14, 2016, in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Shortly after he was laid off from the group in 1969, Jones drowned in his pool. Mick Taylor, who toured and recorded five studio albums before leaving the Rolling Stones in 1974, replaced him. Ronnie Wood, the former guitarist of Faces, took his place. Bill Wyman left the band in 1993. Bass-player Darryl Jones joined the Rolling Stones as well, but without becoming an official member.
Releasing a total of 23 studio albums in the United Kingdom (25 in the United States), 32 compilations and eight live albums (nine in the United States), the Rolling Stones had sold more than 400 million records worldwide in 2012. They entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Queen of England knighted Mick Jagger in 2002.