(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Published on

August 14, 2018

On 10th July 1965, The Rolling Stones started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, the group’s first chart-topper there. In the UK, the song was initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive.

Two months earlier, Keith Richards recorded a rough version of the riff in a hotel room in Florida, running through it once before falling asleep. He later said when he listened back to it in the morning, there was about two minutes of acoustic guitar before you could hear him drop the pick and then Richards snoring for the next forty minutes. the following day, Keith Richards worked out the opening guitar riff of ‘Satisfaction’, following his purchase of a Gibson Maestro fuzzbox. (The song’s success boosted sales of the Gibson fuzzbox so that the entire available stock sold out by the end of 1965!)

One of the most famous 3-note guitar riffs ever, the finished song gave The Stones their first No.1 in the United States. The song was initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive.

Keith Richards has said that he came up with the guitar riff in his sleep, waking up in the middle of the night. The guitarist then recorded the riff and the words “I can’t get no satisfaction” on his portable cassette recorder and promptly fell back to sleep.

Jagger later said: “It sounded like a folk song when we first started working on it and Keith didn’t like it much, and Richards was concerned that the riff sounded too much like Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing in the Street”.

When the Rolling Stones performed the song on the TV show Shindig! in 1965, the line “trying to make some girl” was censored. Forty years later, when the band performed three songs during the February 2006 Super Bowl XL halftime show, “Satisfaction” was the only one of the three songs not censored as it was broadcast, (the other two being “Start Me Up” and “Rough Justice”).

The track has been widely covered by a diverse mix of acts, some which leave the listener with no satisfaction whatsoever! Otis Redding, Devo and Aretha Franklin’s versions are well worth a listen, but avoid versions by Britney Spears, Vanilla Ice and… Bill Cosby.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed “Satisfaction” in the second spot on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

We have a book! The Rolling Stones – I Was There which contains over 400 eyewitness accounts from fans who saw The Stones live in concert. Available in print and all digital formats.

Important Dates In The Life Of The Rolling Stones:

On this day in music

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2 Dec 2014 American saxophone player Bobby Keys died as a result of cirrhosis at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. Keys started touring at age fifteen with Bobby Vee and fellow Texan Buddy Holly and was best known as being the main saxophone player for The Rolling Stones. When on tour with the Stones, according to legend Keys filled a bathtub with Dom Perignon champagne and drank most of it. Keys appeared on albums by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Harry Nilsson, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, George Harrison, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker and other prominent musicians.
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20 May 2014 Prince Rupert Loewenstein, the Bavarian banker credited with turning The Rolling Stones into the world's richest rock band, died at the age of 80. It was on Loewenstein's advice that the Stones became tax exiles, decamping to the South of France in the 1970s. He famously wrote he was "never a fan of the Stones' music".
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21 Aug 2013 Legendary concert promoter Sid Bernstein, best known for booking The Beatles at Carnegie Hall and later Shea Stadium, died at the age of 95. Bernstein changed the American music scene in the 1960s by bringing The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits, The Moody Blues, and The Kinks to America. He was the first impresario to organise rock concerts at sports stadiums.
7 Apr 2013 Andy Johns, the veteran producer and engineer died at the age of 61. He worked on many classic albums including The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street (1972), Television's Marquee Moon (1977), and a series of albums by Led Zeppelin during the 1970s. His sound is exemplified by Free's album Highway, which he engineered and produced.
4 Apr 2013 Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman turned himself in to British police after reports emerged suggesting he began a sexual relationship with his second wife, Mandy Smith, when she was 14 years old. After a brief meeting, the authorities decided not to pursue charges.
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13 Dec 2012 A collection of love letters written by Mick Jagger to American singer Marsha Hunt sold at auction for £187,250. The letters were penned in the summer of 1969 while The Rolling Stones frontman was in Australia. They are believed to be the inspiration for the band's hit single 'Brown Sugar'.
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2 Nov 2009 Ronnie Wood was given an Outstanding Contribution award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour ceremony in London, England. Who guitarist Pete Townshend presented the award to Wood, who had joined The Rolling Stones full time in 1976.
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4 Jul 2009 77-year-old Allen Klein, the former manager of The Rolling Stones and later The Beatles, died after a battle with Alzheimer's disease. The assets of his company, ABKCO Music & Records, include recordings by The Rolling Stones, The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Bobby Womack, The Kinks, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and many others.
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26 Aug 2007 After two years, The Rolling Stones played the final show on their A Bigger Bang World Tour at the O2 Arena in London, England. The longest and biggest tour of their career, it became the highest grossing in rock history ($560 million).
13 Aug 2007 Amy Winehouse pulled out of two Rolling Stones gigs in Hamburg Germany citing exhaustion, British group Starsailor replaced Winehouse for the shows.
28 Jun 2007 Benno Goldewijk, from Holland, and Spaniard Alfredo Pecina Matias were killed and two other men were injured during an accident dismantling the stage after a Rolling Stones concert in Madrid. Three of the workers fell 10m (33ft) from a metal structure and landed on a fourth. The Stones were currently on the European leg of their A Bigger Bang world tour.
10 Jun 2007 The Rolling Stones played their first UK festival in over 30 years when they appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival. The Stones arrived at the Isle of Wight on their own privately chartered ferry for their 200-strong entourage including five Winnebago trailers and private security team. The Stones last UK festival appearance was Knebworth Fair in 1976.
25 Apr 2007 During The Rolling Stones current world tour, aides to George Bush were told they couldn’t book a luxury five star hotel suite because Mick Jagger had already booked it. Jagger had splashed out £3,600 a night for the suite at the five-star Imperial Hotel in Vienna, Austria, in advance of the band's appearance there. Prior to the attempted booking, US Secret Service agents had already vetted the hotel, but to no avail.
21 Apr 2007 Doris Richards died of cancer. The 91-year-old mother of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards bought her son his first guitar for his 15th birthday. He learned some chords from her father, Gus Dupree, a musician who instilled him with an early passion for music.
3 Apr 2007 Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards denied that he snorted the ashes of his late father. Jane Rose, Richards' manager, told MTV News the remarks were made ‘in jest’, and she could not believe they had been taken seriously. Richards had said in an interview with the NME: ‘He was cremated and I couldn't resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow.’ But NME interviewer Mark Beaumont was convinced that Richards was not joking when speaking to him about the alleged incident. ‘He did seem to be quite honest about it. There were too many details for him to be making it up,’ he later told BBC news.
5 Mar 2007 Records by the Rolling Stones and Paul Simon were chosen for preservation by the US Library of Congress. The Stones ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ and Paul Simon's Graceland album entered the National Recordings Registry, which preserves historic works for future generations. Other recordings chosen this year included Carl Perkins' 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Be My Baby' by The Ronettes, 'A Change Is Gonna Come' by Sam Cooke and the eponymous album The Velvet Underground and Nico.
26 Jan 2007 The Rolling Stones topped the US music rich list for the second year running after making $150.6m (£76.2m) in 2006. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were second in the poll with a combined fortune of $132m (£67.2m) and American country band Rascal Flatts appeared third, having earnt $110.5m (£56.2m) in the past year.
1 Jan 2007 Queen beat The Beatles to be crowned greatest British band of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners in the UK.They pipped the Fab Four in a live contest, trouncing other finalists The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Take That.The bands were judged on song-writing, lyrics, live performances, originality and showmanship.More than 20,000 listeners voted by email, text and phone.
14 Dec 2006 The co-founder of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun died, aged 83. Ertegun who founded Atlantic Records with Herb Abramson in 1947 helped make Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin stars and signed The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in the early 70s. He suffered a head injury when he fell at a Rolling Stones concert at New York's Beacon Theatre in October, and died after slipping into a coma.
20 Aug 2006 The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at Twickenham Stadium on their 'A Bigger Bang' world tour. Feeder and The Charlatans also appeared.
26 Jul 2006 The final edition of Top Of The Pops was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. Just under 200 members of the public were in the audience for the show which was co-hosted by veteran disc jockey Sir Jimmy Savile, its very first presenter. Classic performances from the Spice Girls, Wham, Madonna, Beyonce Knowles and Robbie Williams featured in the show alongside The Rolling Stones who were the very first band to appear on Top of the Pops on New Year's Day in 1964.
6 Jun 2006 Billy Preston died of kidney failure. The Grammy-winning keyboard player collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry, including The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Nat King Cole, Little Richard, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan. Preston is among those sometimes known as the "Fifth Beatle". After befriending the group in 1962, Preston joined the Get Back sessions in January 1969. At one point John Lennon proposed the idea of having Preston join the band.
8 May 2006 The Rolling Stones called off their forthcoming European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery. The 62 year-old guitarist suffered "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree on holiday in Fiji.
2 May 2006 Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was released from hospital in New Zealand after the 62 year-old suffered "mild concussion" when he fell out of a coconut tree while on holiday in Fiji. He was airlifted to Auckland's Ascot Hospital for observation, where he underwent a brain scan.
8 Apr 2006 Following 2003's false starts, The Rolling Stones finally performed for the first time in mainland China, at Shanghai's Grand Stage Theatre. The Stones were banned from performing three songs ('Brown Sugar', 'Honky Tonk Women', 'Rough Justice'). Chinese rock star Cui Jian joined the band on stage for a duet with Mick Jagger on 'Wild Horses'.
5 Apr 2006 Gene Pitney was found dead aged 65 in his bed in a Cardiff hotel. The American singer was on a UK tour and had shown no signs of illness. Pitney helped The Rolling Stones break the American market with his endorsement of the band. Jagger and Richards wrote his hit 'That Girl Belongs to Yesterday' which became the Stones duo's first composition to reach the American charts. He scored the 1962 US No.4 single 'Only Love Can Break A Heart'. and 1967 solo UK No.5 & 1989 UK No.1 single with Marc Almond 'Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart', plus over 15 other US & UK Top 40 hits.
14 Mar 2006 U2 topped Rolling Stone magazine's annual list of the year's biggest money earners from 2005 with $154.2m. (£78m), The Rolling Stones were listed second with $92.5m (£47m) and the Eagles third with 63.2m. (£32.m). Paul McCartney was in fourth place with $56m (£28m) and Elton John in fifth with $48.9m. (£24.8m).
13 Mar 2006 The Kinks came out the top earners for music used in TV adverts in the US, earning them £6m a year. The sixties group were enjoying a resurgence with their music being used to sell washing powder, computers and medicines. Led Zeppelin came in second place with £4m and The Rolling Stones third with £2.3m.
5 Feb 2006 The Rolling Stones played three songs during the half-time show of The Super Bowl in Detroit. After the event, the Stones expressed their displeasure over having Mick Jagger's microphone turned down during the song "Start Me Up". The line "you make a dead man come" was cut short and a barnyard reference to "cocks" in the new song "Rough Justice" also disappeared.
28 Dec 2005 Pink Floyd were voted the greatest rock stars ever in a survey of 58,000 listeners from UK radio station Planet Rock. Led Zeppelin were voted into second place, 3rd was The Rolling Stones, 4th The Who, 5th, AC/DC, 6th, U2, 7th, Guns N’ Roses, 8th, Nirvana, 9th, Bon Jovi and in 10th place Jimi Hendrix. Listeners also named the 1970s as the golden age of rock, followed by the 1960’s.
6 Oct 2005 A The Rolling Stones concert at the University of Virginia, in the US, was halted eight songs into the show at the Scott Stadium after police received a bomb threat targeting the stage area. A 45-minute police sweep of the area found nothing unusual, and the band completed the show. The Stones were touring to promote their latest album, 'A Bigger Bang.'
19 Sep 2005 Research published by Guinness World Records showed that Status Quo have had more hit singles than any other band in UK chart history. The band had scored 61 chart successes, dating from ‘Pictures of Matchstick Men’ in 1968 to ‘You'll Come Around’ in 2004. Queen came second with 52 hits, with The Rolling Stones and UB40 with 51 hits each.
14 Sep 2005 HMV stores in Canada removed Bob Dylan CDs from their shelves in protest at the singer's deal to only sell his new album in Starbucks after he signed an exclusive contract with the coffee giant. The chain has previously boycotted CDs by Alanis Morissette and The Rolling Stones to complain at exclusive deals.
26 Jun 2005 Tickets for a forthcoming Rolling Stones gig at the Hollywood Bowl were set to become the most expensive in rock 'n' roll history. Fans would have to pay up to £249 for a seat - £2 per minute to watch the Stones.
25 May 2005 The Alameda County Sheriff's Office in California announced that it was officially closing the stabbing case of Meredith Hunter, the 18-year-old American who was killed at the 1969 Rolling Stones Altamont Free Concert. Investigators, concluding a renewed two-year investigation, dismissed the theory that a second Hell's Angel took part in the stabbing.
14 Nov 2004 The Rolling Stones were refused permission to pursue a claim against their former record company Decca for unpaid royalties through the courts. A High Court judge in London said the dispute would go to arbitration and not be decided in court. The dispute was over their Forty Licks compilation CD, which was released in 2002 and was the first collection to span their entire career.
11 Nov 2004 Robbie Williams, The Rolling Stones and Queen were inducted into the UK's first music Hall of Fame at a ceremony in London. One act had been chosen by TV viewers of a Channel 4 program to represent each decade since the 1950s. Williams represented the 1990s, Michael Jackson the 1980s, Queen the 1970s, the Rolling Stones the 1960s, and Cliff Richard the 1950s.
15 Aug 2004 Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts was being treated for throat cancer after being diagnosed with the disease in June.
29 Jul 2004 Keyboard player Huby Heard died from heart problems. Member of Billy Preston's, The God Squad, and worked with Teddy Pendergrass, Mariah Carey, Little Bootsy Collins, The Brothers Johnson, The Rolling Stones and Bill Wyman.
26 Mar 2004 Jan Berry of Jan and Dean, died at the age of 62, after being in poor health sustained in a 1966 car crash. Had the 1963 US No.1 & UK No.26 single 'Surf City', (co written by Beach Boy Brian Wilson). At the height of their fame, Jan and Dean hosted and performed at The T.A.M.I. Show, the film also featured The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.
25 Feb 2004 The Rolling Stones topped a US Rich List of music's biggest money makers. The list was based on earnings during 2003 when the band played their 'Forty Licks' tour, which made them $212 million, (£124.7m) in ticket, CD, DVD and merchandise sales. The three million fans who went to the shows spent an average of $11 (£6.47) each on merchandise. Bruce Springsteen was listed in second place and the Eagles in third.
18 Feb 2004 Dido entered a Top 10 of the music world's biggest earners after making £15.8 million ($26.9 million) in 2003. The singer's second album Life For Rent was the previous years biggest selling UK album. The Rolling Stones topped the Heat magazine rich list having earned £55.3 million ($94 million) in 2003.
16 Feb 2004 US singer Doris Troy died. She had been a session singer with Dionne Warwick, sang on Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon and released an album on The Beatles Apple label. She had a 1964 UK No.37 single 'Whatcha Gonna Do About It' and a 1963 US No. 10 hit 'Just One Look'. She sang backup for many acts including The Rolling Stones, (‘You Can't Always Get What You Want’), Carly Simon's ('You're So Vain'), George Harrison, (‘My Sweet Lord’).
27 Nov 2003 Figures released by The Rolling Stones showed that the band had grossed £175m from their 2002 '40 Licks World Tour.' The report also showed they had made over $1billion from 1989-2002 from royalties, album sales and tour revenue.
2 Oct 2003 A pair of trousers worn in 1984 by the late Queen star Freddie Mercury were sold to the Hard Rock Cafe for £4,230 at a Christie's auction of pop memorabilia held in London, England. A wooden sculpture of a cupboard, designed by John Lennon, claimed the highest price of the day, £28,200. Hundreds of items related to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix also went under the hammer at the sale.
30 Jul 2003 The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Rush, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, The Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan and The Isley Brothers played a benefit concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to prove that the city is safe from SARS. With 450,000 spectators, it was the largest concert in Canadian history.
16 Nov 2002 Texan multi-billionaire David Bonderman hired The Rolling Stones to play at his 60th birthday party held at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. The bands fee was £4.4m.
3 Nov 2002 Lonnie Donegan, died mid-way through a UK tour and shortly before he was due to perform at a memorial concert for George Harrison with The Rolling Stones. He was aged 71. Donegan who launched the skiffle craze in the UK had the 1959 hit ‘Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour’, the 1960 UK No.1 single 'My Old Man's A Dustman', 'Rock Island Line', plus over 30 other UK Top 40 singles.
3 Sep 2002 The Rolling Stones 40th anniversary Licks tour kicked off at the Fleet Centre Boston. Tickets for the best seats cost $224. The world tour would see the band playing to over 2.5m fans over 100 shows.
18 Jul 2002 The Rolling Stones crew chief, 54 year old Royden Magee, who had worked with the band for 30 years, died during a rehearsal in Toronto. A spokesman for the band said Magee had said that he wasn't feeling well and went to another room to take a nap. The Stones had just finished dinner and resumed rehearsing when they got word that Magee had collapsed and stopped breathing. He was taken by ambulance to nearby Sunnybrook Hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival. The members of the band said they were devastated by his death.
18 Mar 2001 American singer, guitarist, and songwriter John Phillips of Mamas and The Papas died of heart failure aged 65. His first band, The Journeymen, were a folk trio, Mamas and The Papas had the US No.1 'Monday, Monday'. Phillips was married to Michelle Gilliam, they had one child together, Chynna Phillips, vocalist of the 1990s pop trio Wilson Phillips. His second solo album was released on Rolling Stones records and featured Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor and Ronnie Wood.
12 Mar 2001 Judy Garland's 'Over The Rainbow' was voted the Song Of The Century in a poll published in America. Musicians, critics and fans compiled the list by the RIA. The highest placed UK act was The Rolling Stones ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ in 16th place. The Beatles had I Want to Hold Your Hand at No. 28.
25 Aug 2000 Academy Award-winning film score composer and record producer Jack Nitzsche died of a heart attack. He produced The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Buffalo Springfield and The Walker Brothers. Musical scores including The Exorcist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, co-wrote 'Up Where We Belong' with Buffy Sainte-Marie from 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman.
17 Aug 1999 Led Zeppelin topped a chart of Britain's most bootlegged musicians, compiled by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), after identifying 384 bootleg titles featuring Led Zeppelin performances. The bootleg chart was complied from the BPI's archive of some 10,000 recordings seized over the past 25 years. The Beatles came in second with 320 entries, other acts listed included The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd.
20 Jul 1999 The Rolling Stones reported a gross income of $337 million, (£168m), from almost two years of touring from their Bridges to Babylon and No Security tours. The Stones had played to over 5.6 million people, selling out all but 20 shows.
16 May 1998 Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards fell while reaching for a book of nude art in his Connecticut home. The fall broke his ribs, causing the Stones to postpone many dates on their Bridges To Babylon tour.
8 Apr 1998 Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was rescued, along with 11 other passengers, in the nick of time, from a boat when an engine caught fire. The boat was exploring the islands near Angra Dos Reis, south of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, when one of the boat's engines caught fire. Passengers were rescued by nearby journalists, just before the boat exploded.
15 Jan 1998 American Chicago blues vocalist, harmonica player, Junior Wells died aged 63. Born Amos Blakemore he is best known for his signature song ‘Messin' with the Kid’ and his 1965 album Hoodoo Man Blues. He also worked with Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt and The Rolling Stones.
12 Oct 1996 28 years after its creation, The Rolling Stones' Rock & Roll Circus was finally released. The 1968 event put together by The Stones comprised two concerts on a circus stage and included performaces by The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards. It was originally planned to be aired on BBC TV.
10 Sep 1996 Music journalist Ray Coleman died of cancer. Coleman had worked with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and had been the editor of the UK music weekly Melody Maker throughout the heyday of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones into the era of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.
14 Jun 1995 Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher died after a chest infection set in following a liver transplant. Had been a member of Taste before going solo, sold over 30m albums worldwide. Voted Melody Maker's Top Musician of the Year in 1972, auditioned for The Rolling Stones following the departure of Mick Taylor. Gallagher made his final performance on 10 January 1995 in the Netherlands.
26 May 1995 The Rolling Stones played two semi-acoustic concerts at the Paradiso Amsterdam over two days. Keith Richards later said that the Paradiso concerts were the best live shows the Stones ever did. The venue is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century, subsequently squatted in 1967 by hippies who wanted to convert the church into an entertainment club. Artists who have recorded concerts at the Paradiso include Joy Division, Willie Nelson, Phish, Nirvana, The Cure, Lenny Kravitz, Nick Cave, Dave Matthews and Amy Winehouse.
6 Sep 1994 English keyboard player Nicky Hopkins died aged 50, in Nashville, Tennessee, of complications from intestinal surgery. Was a highly respected session musician, worked with The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, The Beatles, The Who, The Kinks, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, John Lennon, George Harrison, and the Jerry Garcia Band. The Kinks song 'Session Man' from Face to Face is dedicated to (and features) Hopkins.
24 Nov 1992 Bill Wyman's divorce was finalised with the high court awarding his ex wife Mandy Smith £580,000. The Rolling Stones bassist had started to date Smith when she was 13, the marriage lasted for two years.
29 Feb 1992 U2 kicked off their north American leg of the 'Zoo TV Tour', at The Lakeland Civic Centre Arena, Florida. Many acts have appeared here, including Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Rush and Bob Dylan. It was here where Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley was nearly electrocuted, during a concert on December 11, 1976.
29 Jan 1992 American blues singer and guitarist Willie Dixon died of heart failure. He wrote the classic songs 'You Shook Me', 'I Can't Quit You Baby', 'Hoochie Coochie Man', 'I Just Want to Make Love to You' and 'Little Red Rooster'. Dixon was a major influence on The Rolling Stones, Cream, The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.
20 Nov 1991 The Rolling Stones announced they'd signed a £20 million deal with Virgin Records, to make three albums over six years.
26 Oct 1991 Legendary Rock concert promoter Bill Graham was killed when the Bell 206B JetRanger III helicopter he was riding in struck the top of a Pacific Gas and Electric transmission tower near Sears Point, northwest of Vallejo and exploded. The crash, which left the helicopter's wreckage dangling near the top of the towering structure, killed Graham, his girlfriend Melissa Gold and pilot Steve Kahn. Graham had founded the Fillmore theaters in San Francisco and New York and had played key roles in supporting such bands as The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Janis Joplin, The Band, Bob Dylan, The J. Geils Band, The Allman Brothers Band and The Rolling Stones.
22 Nov 1990 Bill Wyman announced that his 17-month marriage to model Mandy Smith was over. With the consent of her mother, Smith had started dating the 47-year-old Rolling Stones bassist when she was aged 13.
18 Oct 1989 During a gig at The Los Angeles Coliseum, California, (opening for The Rolling Stones,) Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose announced that this would be the last Guns N' Roses concert unless the band members "got their shit together." He was referring to their use of heroin.
19 Jul 1989 Residents of Washington, Connecticut formed a ‘Roll the Stones Out of Town’, action group after they were unhappy with The Rolling Stones and their entourage setting up in the town for rehearsals for their forthcoming tour. Residents said it was like the army had moved in and taken over, with security guards stopping locals and asking them what they were doing there.
18 Jan 1989 At just 38 years old, Stevie Wonder became the youngest living person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At a ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, other inductees include The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, Otis Redding and Dion DiMucci.
15 Mar 1988 Mick Jagger opened his first ever solo tour, his first ever performances in Japan and his first full concerts since 1982, with three shows at Osaka's Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan. The show was mostly made up of Rolling Stones songs, including songs not performed by the Stones for a long time, including 'Bitch', 'Gimmie Shelter', 'Ruby Tuesday' and 'Sympathy For The Devil' as well as the Jimi Hendrix song 'Foxy Lady'.
29 Oct 1987 'Decades' Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood's first ever British art exhibition opened in London, featuring portraits of friends and rock stars from the past 20 years.
22 Feb 1987 Andy Warhol, pop artist and producer died after a gall bladder operation. The founder of the Pop Art movement, produced and managed the Velvet Underground, designed the 1967 Velvet Underground And Nico 'peeled banana' album cover and The Rolling Stones classic Sticky Fingers album cover.
3 Jan 1987 Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite the enormity of the milestone, Franklin wasn't actually able to attend the ceremony herself, so instead, Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards, Clive Davis and her brother Cecil inducted Franklin with her poignant speech, "To be the first woman inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a historical moment and indeed a milestone in my career..."
6 Jun 1986 A&R man Dick Rowe died of diabetes. Rowe became famous for not signing The Beatles to Decca records and made the classic quote 'Nobody cares about guitar group's anymore.' He did however sign The Rolling Stones to Decca.
12 Dec 1985 Scottish keyboard player Ian Stewart died of a heart attack in his doctor's Harley Street waiting room. Co-founder of The Rolling Stones (Stewart was the first to respond to Brian Jones's advertisement in Jazz News seeking musicians to form a rhythm & blues group). Stewart was dismissed from the line-up by the band's manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, in May 1963 but remained as road manager and piano player. He played on all The Rolling Stones albums between 1964 and 1983. Also played piano on Led Zeppelin's ‘Rock and Roll’ and ‘Boogie With Stu’ from Physical Graffiti.
18 Dec 1983 Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards married 27-year old Patti Hansen on his 40th birthday.
11 Nov 1983 Mick Jagger appeared on the UK TV show The Tube to defend the video to The Rolling Stones latest single 'Undercover Of The Night' which had been banned by the Independent Broadcasting Authority. The Tube aired the video, minus the scene where Mick was shot through the head. The single peaked at No.8 on the UK chart.
30 Apr 1983 American Blues legend Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield) died in his sleep at his home in Westmont, Illinois, aged 68. He was a major influence on many acts including, Cream, Eric Clapton, and Led Zeppelin. The Rolling Stones named themselves after Waters' 1950 song 'Rollin' Stone.' Some of his best known songs include 'I Just Want To Make Love To You', 'I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man', and 'Got My Mojo Working.'
12 Jan 1983 Swedish percussionist with Traffic, Reebop Kwaku Baah died from a brain haemorrhage in Stockholm, Sweden. Also worked with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Can and The Rolling Stones.
31 May 1982 The Rolling Stones played at the 100 Club, Oxford St, London, to a sold out crowd of 400 people.
11 Oct 1981 The Rolling Stones performed at the Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California, USA, as part of a 50-date North American tour. 95 fans were arrested after trouble broke out at the venue. The tour became the largest grossing of 1981, with $50 million in ticket sales.
9 Oct 1981 During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Support act was Prince, who dressed in his controversial bikini briefs and trench coat ran off stage after 15 minutes due to the crowd booing and throwing beer cans at him.
19 Sep 1981 The Rolling Stones album 'Tattoo You' started a nine-week run at No.1 on the US chart, the band's ninth US No.1.
14 Sep 1981 The Rolling Stones played a secret pre-tour warm-up show at the Sir Morgan's Cove club in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. Billed as Little Boy Blue & The Cockroaches, a local radio station announced that the Stones were in town, resulting in the club being besieged by over 4,000 fans attempting to get into the 350-person venue. Police were drafted in to control the crowds, which resulted in eleven fans being arrested.
22 Jan 1981 A fire destroyed the recording studio belonging to Ike and Tina Turner raging through the large structure for nearly 54 hours before it was brought under control. Bolic Sound Studios in Inglewood, California was built by Ike Turner in 1970. Artists who recorded at Bolic Sound include Paul McCartney, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, and Frank Zappa. Ike & Tina Turner's hit single 'Nutbush City Limits' was recorded at Bolic Sound in 1973.
26 Jul 1980 The Rolling Stones started a seven week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Emotional Rescue', the group's eighth US No.1. Emotional Rescue was the first Rolling Stones album recorded following Keith Richards' exoneration from a Toronto drugs charge that could have landed him in jail for years.
2 Jan 1980 US singer Larry Williams was found dead from a gunshot wound to his head in his Los Angeles, California home aged 45. Williams had the 1957 US No.5 & UK No. 21 single 'Short Fat Fannie.' Also known for 'Bony Moronie' and 'Dizzy Miss Lizzy.' The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dr. Feelgood, Flying Burrito Brothers, Johnny Winter, Little Richard, The Who, Ritchie Valens and Bill Haley & His Comets all covered his songs.
28 Dec 1978 Rolling Stone magazine voted Some Girls by The Rolling Stones 'Album of the Year.' The cover designed by Peter Corriston, featured The Rolling Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli (representing her mother Judy Garland), Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe all threatened legal action.
5 Aug 1978 The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Miss You' the group's eighth US No.1. The song was written by Mick Jagger after jamming with keyboardist Billy Preston during rehearsals for forthcoming club dates the Stones were playing.
15 Jul 1978 The Rolling Stones started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Some Girls the group's seventh US No.1 album. The cover designed by Peter Corriston, featured The Rolling Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli (representing her mother Judy Garland), Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe who all threatened legal action.
5 Jul 1978 The manufacturing of Some Girls the new album by The Rolling Stones was halted at EMI's pressing plant after complaints from celebrities including Lucille Ball who were featured in mock advertisements on the album sleeve.
9 Jun 1978 The Rolling Stones released Some Girls, their first studio album recorded with Ronnie Wood as a full member. The album cover was designed by Peter Corriston and featured The Stones in garish drag alongside select female celebrities and lingerie ads. The cover immediately ran into trouble when Lucille Ball, Farrah Fawcett, Liza Minnelli (representing her mother Judy Garland), Raquel Welch, and the estate of Marilyn Monroe threatened legal action.
3 Sep 1977 Studio engineer Keith Harwood was killed in a car crash shortly after he left a recording session with The Rolling Stones. Harwood was noted for his work at Olympic Studios with David Bowie (Diamond Dogs), and The Rolling Stones albums It's Only Rock 'n' Roll and Black And Blue. He also engineered a number of Led Zeppelin albums, including Houses Of The Holy, Physical Graffiti and Presence. The Rolling Stones dedicated their album Love You Live to the memory of Harwood.
29 Aug 1976 Jimmy Reed died in San Francisco following an epileptic seizure just before his 51st birthday. Reed was a major influence on The Rolling Stones and Reed had the 1957 hit ‘Honest I Do’ in 1957 and ‘Baby What You Want Me To Do’ in 1960.
21 Aug 1976 The Rolling Stones, 10CC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and Hot Tuna all appeared at The Knebworth Festival, Hertfordshire, England, tickets £4.50.
10 Aug 1976 Elton John played the first of ten sold out nights at Madison Sq. Gardens in New York City. The $1.25 million generated from the shows broke the record set by The Rolling Stones in 1975.
15 May 1976 The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US album chart with Black And Blue, the group's sixth US No.1 album. The band's first studio album released with Ronnie Wood as the replacement for Mick Taylor featured the hit 'Fool To Cry'.
21 Apr 1976 Women Against Violence Against Women called for a boycott of all Warner Communications albums because of the promotional campaign for The Rolling Stones' new album Black and Blue. The album was being promoted with a controversial advertising campaign that depicted the model Anita Russell, bruised and bound, under the phrase ‘I'm Black and Blue from the Rolling Stones - and I love it!’
6 Dec 1975 Rev Charles Boykin of Tallahassee, Florida organised the burning of Elton John and The Rolling Stones records, claiming they were sinful. Boykin was reacting to the results from a survey that said, 984 of the 1,000 local unmarried mothers had sex when listening to rock music.
1 Jun 1975 The Rolling Stones kicked off their biggest ever US tour at Louisiana State University. The tour would take in 45 shows in 26 cities. Guitarist Ronnie Wood joined The Stones on tour for the first time, replacing Mick Taylor.
1 May 1975 During a press conference held at the 5th Avenue Hotel in New York City to announce The Rolling Stones forthcoming American tour, the Stones themselves came down the street playing live from the back of a flat-bed truck. Stones drummer Charlie Watts came up with the idea, after the practise of New Orleans jazz musicians, who would play walking down the street.
14 Apr 1975 After rumours that Jimmy Page, Steve Marriott, Jeff Beck or Chris Spedding variously would replace Mick Taylor as guitarist in The Rolling Stones, a press release confirmed that Ronnie Wood would be joining the band for their forthcoming American tour.
16 Dec 1974 Guitarist Mick Taylor announced he was leaving The Rolling Stones saying he felt that now was the time to move on and do something new.
23 Nov 1974 The Rolling Stones scored their fifth US No.1 album with 'It's Only Rock 'N Roll'. The album which was the last Stones album for guitarist Mick Taylor peaked at No.2 in the UK.
20 Oct 1973 The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Angie', the group's 7th US chart topper. A No.5 hit in the UK.
17 Oct 1973 The Rolling Stones performed two shows at Foret Nationale, Brussels, Belgium, as part of a tour of the UK and Europe. Opening for the tour's shows were Billy Preston and American group Kracker, the first band to be signed to Rolling Stones Records. Bobby Keys didn’t show up for the concert, which resulted in him being banned by Mick Jagger from future Rolling Stones tours until 1989, with occasional exceptions. According to legend Bobby missed the gig due to him filling a hotel bathtub with Dom Perignon champagne and drinking most of it.
13 Oct 1973 The Rolling Stones started a four week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Goats Head Soup' the group's fourth US No.1.
22 Sep 1973 The Rolling Stones scored their eighth UK No.1 album when 'Goats Head Soup' started a two-week run at the top of the charts. Also a US No.1.
10 Sep 1973 The BBC banned The Rolling Stones single 'Star Star', from their Goat's Head Soup album because it contained the word "Star-fucker" in the chorus a dozen times.
9 May 1973 Mick Jagger added $150,000 of his own money to the $350,000 by The Rolling Stones January benefit concert for victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake.
11 Feb 1973 A local charity raised over £500 ($850) selling bedsheets and pillowcases used by The Rolling Stones after a show at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
11 Jan 1973 It was confirmed that the forthcoming Rolling Stones tour of Japan had been cancelled, despite record breaking ticket sales. Mick Jagger had earlier been informed that he was banned from entering the country because of a drugs conviction.
9 Jan 1973 Mick Jagger was refused a Japanese visa on an account of a 1969 drug conviction causing The Rolling Stones to cancel a forthcoming tour.
19 Jul 1972 Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were arrested in Warwick, Rhode Island on charges of assault after a fight broke out with a newspaper photographer.
17 Jul 1972 A bomb exploded under The Rolling Stones equipment van in Montreal, believed to be the work of French separatists. Angry fans rioted throwing bottles and rocks after 3,000 tickets for the show turned out to be fake.
13 Jul 1972 During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan. The Doors, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and Kiss have all appeared here.
3 Jul 1972 Blues singer, guitarist Mississippi Fred McDowell died of cancer aged 68. The Rolling Stones covered his 'You Got To Move' on their Sticky Fingers album. He coached Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar technique.
17 Jun 1972 The Rolling Stones album Exile on Main Street started a four-week run at the top of the US charts. The double album, regularly regarded as one of the band's best, features 'Rocks Off', 'Rip This Joint', 'Happy' and 'Tumbling Dice'.
10 Jun 1972 The Rolling Stones double album Exile on Main Street went to No.1 on the UK chart, the bands seventh UK No.1 album. In 2010, the re-released album entered the UK chart at No.1, almost 38 years to the week after it first occupied that position. The Rolling Stones are the first act to ever have a studio album return to No.1 after it was first released.
3 Jun 1972 The Rolling Stones kicked off their seventh North American tour at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, Canada. The 32 date tour grossed $4 million (£2.35 million), making it the richest rock tour in history.
12 May 1972 The Rolling Stones released Exile on Main Street, the second album on their own label. The double set featured two hit singles, 'Tumbling Dice' and 'Happy'. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 7 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the highest of any Stones album on the list.
3 Jan 1972 Two weeks of rehearsals for Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon tour began at the Bermondsey in London, England, (the venue was owned by The Rolling Stones).
31 Aug 1971 The Rolling Stones plus the father of Brian Jones filed a high court writ against ex managers Oldham and Easton. Claiming they made a secret deal with Decca Records in 1963 to deprive the group of royalties.
29 May 1971 The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Brown Sugar', from Sticky Fingers. The first single released on Rolling Stones Records, it was the bands sixth US No.1, and a No.2 hit in the UK.
22 May 1971 The Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers started a four-week run at No.1 on the US charts, the group's second US No.1 album. The artwork for Sticky Fingers which, on the original vinyl release, featured a working zipper that opened to reveal cotton briefs, was conceived by American pop artist Andy Warhol. The cover, a photo of Joe Dallesandro's crotch clad in tight blue jeans, was assumed by many fans to be an image of Mick Jagger. The album also features the first usage of the "Tongue and Lip Design" designed by John Pasche.
12 May 1971 Rolling Stone Mick Jagger married Bianca Macias at St Tropez Town Hall. The guest list included the other members of the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills. The couple separated in 1977.
23 Apr 1971 The Rolling Stones released their classic album Sticky Fingers in the UK. The band's first release on their own label via Atlantic Records, the cover was designed by Andy Warhol, who was paid $15,000 for his efforts. The LP sleeve featured a close-up of a pair of jeans with a working zip. Widely assumed to be that of Mick Jagger, the crotch photographed for the cover was actually that of actor Joe Dallesandro.
13 Apr 1971 The Rolling Stones released 'Brown Sugar' taken from their latest album Sticky Fingers, the first record on their own label, Rolling Stones Records, which introduced the infamous licking- tongue and lips logo.
6 Apr 1971 The Rolling Stones launched their own record label, Rolling Stones Records', with Atlantic Records, (after their recording contract with Decca Records expired). The first album to be released was Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka in 1971, and is widely credited with being the first world music LP.
20 Mar 1971 At their own expense The Rolling Stones placed full page advertisements in all the UK's music papers disclaiming any connection with the release of the Decca album Stone Age, saying 'in our opinion the content is below the standard we try to keep.'
11 Mar 1971 Jim Morrison of The Doors arrived in Paris booking into The Hotel George's. The following week he moved into an apartment at 17 Rue Beautreillis in Paris. Morrison lived in Paris until his death on July 3rd 1971, (two years to the day after the death of the Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, and approximately nine months after the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin).
31 Dec 1970 Paul McCartney filed a suit against the rest of The Beatles to dissolve their partnership. According to the court documents, McCartney's main reason for wanting to legally break up the group stemmed from the decision taken by the others to to appoint Rolling Stones manager Allan Klein as their manager. McCartney didn't trust Klein and had wanted his new in-laws, Lee and John Eastman, to look after their affairs. The suit took more than four years of court hearings, with the group officially disbanding in January 1975.
20 Sep 1970 The Rolling Stones live album 'Get Your Ya-Yas Out' started a two-week run at No.1 on the UK chart. Recorded at New York's Madison Sq Gardens on 27th & 28th Nov 1969, featuring 'Jumpin Jack Flash', 'Honky Tonk Woman' and 'Midnight Rambler'.
1 Apr 1970 Earls Court in London received over one million postal ticket applications for The Rolling Stones forthcoming six concerts as part of the group's European tour.
31 Jan 1970 American blues musician Slim Harpo died of a heart attack while recording in London aged 46. His most successful and influential recordings included ‘I'm a King Bee’ (1957), ‘Rainin' In My Heart’ (1961), and ‘Baby Scratch My Back’ (1966). A master of the blues harmonica, his stage name was derived from the popular nickname for that instrument, the "harp". The Rolling Stones, Pretty Things, Yardbirds and Them all covered his songs.
20 Dec 1969 The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their 10th release Let It Bleed featuring 'Midnight Rambler', and 'You Can't Always Get What You Want.' It was the last studio album by the band to feature Brian Jones (who had died on July 3rd of this year after drowning in his swimming pool), as well as the first to feature guitarist Mick Taylor.
6 Dec 1969 The Rolling Stones played a free festival at Altamont in California, along with Jefferson Airplane, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Rolling Stones fan Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death as the group played by Hell's Angels who'd been hired to police the event. It's claimed Hunter was waving a revolver. One other man drowned, two men were killed by in a hit-and run accident and two babies were born.
3 Dec 1969 The Rolling Stones recorded 'Brown Sugar' at Muscle Shoals studios. The single went on to be a UK & US No.1. The song was written by Mick Jagger with Marsha Hunt in mind; Hunt was Jagger's secret girlfriend and mother of his first child Karis.
30 Nov 1969 The Rolling Stones played the final night on a 17 date North American tour at the International Raceway Festival, West Palm Beach, Florida. Also appearing, The Moody Blues, Ten Years After, King Crimson, Janis Joplin, The Band, Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly.
27 Nov 1969 During a North American tour The Rolling Stones played the first of four shows at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The group played to 55,000 fans over the four nights grossing over $100,000.
11 Nov 1969 The FBI in Phoenix, Arizona arrested Jim Morrison for drunk and disorderly conduct aboard a plane. The Doors singer who was on his way to a Rolling Stones concert with actor Tom Baker had been drinking and annoying the stewardesses. The pair spent the night in jail and were released on $2,500 bail.
7 Nov 1969 The Rolling Stones kicked off their 6th North American tour at Fort Collins state University, Colorado. Also on the bill was Ike and Tina Turner, Chuck Berry and B.B. King.
23 Aug 1969 The Rolling Stones started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Honky Tonk Women' the group's fifth US No.1. The song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards was inspired by Brazilian gauchos at the ranch where Jagger and Richards were staying in Matao, Sao Paulo.
23 Jul 1969 The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Honky Tonk Women,' the group's eighth and last UK No.1. The song was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while on holiday in Brazil and the Stones initially recorded the track as Country Honk in London in early March 1969 with Brian Jones present during these sessions.
5 Jul 1969 The Rolling Stones gave a free concert in London's Hyde Park before an audience of 250,000, as a tribute to Brian Jones who had died two days earlier. Mick Jagger read an extract from Percy Bysshe Shelley's 'Adonais' and released 3,500 butterflies; it was also guitarist's Mick Taylor's debut with the Stones, King Crimson, Family, The Third Ear Band, Screw and Alexis Korner's New Church also appeared on the day.
3 Jul 1969 Brian Jones drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim in his pool, aged 27. His body was found at the bottom of the pool by his Swedish girlfriend Anna Wohlin. The coroner's report stated "Death by misadventure", and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Jones was one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones and in the early 60’s used the name "Elmo Lewis."
13 Jun 1969 The Rolling Stones held a photo call in Hyde Park to introduce new guitarist Mick Taylor. The 20 year-old former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers made his live debut with The Stones the following month at a free concert in Hyde Park, London.
8 Jun 1969 Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts visited Brian Jones at his home in Cotchford Farm to discuss his future in the group. The Stones later issued a press statement saying that Brian was leaving The Rolling Stones.
11 Dec 1968 Filming began for The Rolling Stones 'Rock & Roll Circus.' As well as clowns and acrobats, John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. It was originally meant to be aired on the BBC, but the Rolling Stones withheld it because they were unhappy with their performance. The film was eventually released in 1996.
6 Dec 1968 The Rolling Stones released Beggars Banquet their seventh UK studio album. For the album, (which included 'Street Fighting Man', and 'Sympathy for the Devil'), the Stones had gone to great lengths to toughen their sound and banish the haze of psychedelia, and in doing so, they launched a five-year period in which they would produce their very greatest records.
5 Dec 1968 The release of The Rolling Stones' new album Beggars Banquet was celebrated at a party in London. A food fight with custard pies was the highlight of the event that went on without an ill Keith Richards. The original cover for the LP was in the form of a plain white invitation, but was later changed.
7 Sep 1968 The Doors played the first of two nights at The Roundhouse, London, playing 2 shows a night on their first UK visit. Granada TV filmed the sold out gigs (later shown as "The Doors Are Open"), which were attended by members of The Rolling Stones and Traffic.
31 Aug 1968 Decca Records released what has been called The Rolling Stones most political song, 'Street Fighting Man', written after Mick Jagger attended a March 1968 anti-war rally at London's US embassy, during which mounted police attempted to control a crowd of 25,000. The single was kept out of the US Top 40 (reaching No.48) because many radio stations refused to play it based on what were perceived as subversive lyrics.
6 Jul 1968 The Rolling Stones scored their fifth US No.1 single when 'Jumpin Jack Flash' hit the top of the charts. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack."
19 Jun 1968 The Rolling Stones scored their seventh UK No.1 single when 'Jumpin Jack Flash' hit the top of the charts. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack."
24 May 1968 The Rolling Stones released the single 'Jumpin Jack Flash' in the UK, the track gave them their seventh UK No.1 hit. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack."
12 May 1968 Brian Jones made his final live appearance with The Rolling Stones when they appeared at the New Musical Express Poll Winners Concert at the Empire Pool, Wembley, England. Jones drowned while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after taking a midnight swim in his pool, on 3rd July 1969 aged 27.
15 Mar 1968 The Rolling Stones started daily sessions at Olympic Studios in London to start recording their next album, Beggars Banquet. Working from 7pm to 8am each day without a break, the Stones worked on 'Jumpin’ Jack Flash', 'Child Of The Moon', 'Jigsaw Puzzle' and 'Parachute Woman' as well as the instrumental foundation for a song called 'Did Everybody Paid Their Dues?' (which would later become 'Street Fighting Man').
12 Mar 1968 The Rolling Stones started recording their next single 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' with new producer Jimmy Miller at Olympic studios in London. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awakened one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded, "Oh, that's Jack - that's jumpin' Jack."
4 Jan 1968 The University of California, Los Angeles announced that students taking music degrees would have to study the music of The Rolling Stones saying they had made such an important contribution to modern music.
16 Dec 1967 The Rolling Stones announced that Marianne Faithfull was the first signing to their 'Mother Earth' label.
14 Dec 1967 Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was rushed to St Georges hospital in London after collapsing. A doctor reported Jones was tired and suffering from over strain and was also recovering from having some teeth out.
9 Nov 1967 The first issue of Rolling Stone Magazine was published in San Francisco. It featured a photo of John Lennon on the cover, dressed in army fatigues while acting in his recent film, How I Won the War and the first issue had a free roach clip to hold a marijuana joint. The name of the magazine was compiled from three significant sources: the Muddy Waters song, the first rock ‘n’ roll record by Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.
30 Oct 1967 Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones admitted in court to possession of cannabis and allowing his flat to be used for the smoking of the drug. His plea of 'not guilty' to the charge of possessing methedrine and cocaine was accepted. Jones was sentenced to nine months in Wormwood Scrubs prison. He was released on bail the following day.
14 Apr 1967 A riot broke out at Warsaw's Palace Of Culture as The Rolling Stones made their first appearance in an Iron curtain Country; police used tear gas in a battle with 2,000 fans.
12 Apr 1967 Mick Jagger was punched in the face by an airport official during a row at Le Bourget Airport in France. Jagger lost his temper after The Rolling Stones were being searched for drugs resulting in them missing their flight.
2 Apr 1967 154 Austrian Rolling Stones fans were arrested when a riot broke out at a 14,000-seated Town Hall gig; a smoke bomb was thrown on the stage.
25 Mar 1967 The Rolling Stones kicked off a three-week European tour in Orebro, Sweden. Arriving in Copenhagen for the tour the group were delayed after customs officers search all their luggage for drugs.
4 Mar 1967 The Rolling Stones went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Ruby Tuesday', the group's fourth US No.1 single. 'Lets Spend The Night Together' was the original A side but after radio stations banned the song 'Tuesday' became the A side.
5 Feb 1967 The News Of The World reported that Mick Jagger had taken LSD at the Moody Blues' home in the UK. Jagger sued the paper for libel in an on-going feud between the News Of The World and The Rolling Stones.
15 Jan 1967 The Rolling Stones were forced to change the lyrics of 'Let’s Spend The Night Together' to Let’s Spend Some Time Together when appearing on the US TV The Ed Sullivan Show, after the producers objected to the content of the lyrics. Jagger ostentatiously rolled his eyes at the TV camera while singing the changed lyrics, resulting in host Ed Sullivan announcing that The Rolling Stones would be banned from performing on his show ever again.
18 Dec 1966 Tara Browne was killed when driving at high speed in his Lotus Elan after it collided with a parked lorry in South Kensington, London. A close friend of The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Brian Jones his death was immortalized in The Beatles song 'A Day In The Life’ after John Lennon read a report on the coroner's verdict into Browne's death.
23 Sep 1966 The 'Rolling Stones 66' 12 date UK tour kicked off at the Royal Albert Hall London. Supported by Long John Baldry, Ike and Tina Turner and The Yardbirds, (Jimmy Page was playing bass, with Jeff Beck on guitar). Michelangelo Antonioni attended this concert and asked The Yardbirds to appear in his forthcoming film Blow Up. Also both Keith Moon and John Entwistle from The Who were in the audience.
16 Sep 1966 Member of Parliament Tom Drilberg asked Britain's House of Commons to officially "deplore" the action of a magistrate who'd earlier called The Rolling Stones "complete morons...who wear filthy clothes."
3 Aug 1966 The Rolling Stones began nine days recording sessions for their next album at Los Angeles, RCA Studios, Hollywood, USA. Tracks recorded included: Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow? Let’s Spend The Night Together, My Obsession, Yesterday's Papers and Back Street Girl.
13 Jul 1966 Ike and Tina Turner's 'River Deep - Mountain High,' peaked at No.3 on the UK singles chart, earning them a gig opening for Rolling Stones. Their success had tragic consequences, as Ike became more and more violent toward Tina, who endured years of abuse.
26 Jun 1966 During a North American tour, The Rolling Stones played two shows, a matinee show at The Coliseum in Washington DC and an evening show at The Baltimore Civic Centre in Maryland. The McCoys and The Standells were the support acts.
24 Jun 1966 After holding a press conference aboard a yacht in New York City, The Rolling Stones kicked off their fifth North American tour at the Manning Bowl, Lynn, Massachusetts, with support acts The McCoys and The Standells.
21 Jun 1966 After a North American tour The Rolling Stones sued 14 hotels over a booking ban in New York, claiming that the ban was violating civil rights laws.
11 Jun 1966 The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Paint It, Black', the group's third US No.1 single. Also a No.1 in the UK, it was the first No.1 single to feature a sitar on the recording.
26 May 1966 The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Paint It, Black', their sixth UK No.1 single. It was originally titled 'Paint It Black' without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca. It was the first No.1 single to feature a sitar on the recording.
1 May 1966 The Beatles played live for the last time in the UK when they appeared at the NME Poll Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool. The Beatles set included; 'I Feel Fine', 'Nowhere Man', 'Day Tripper', 'If I Needed Someone' and 'I'm Down'. Also on the bill, The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, The Walker Brothers, The Who and The Yardbirds.
30 Apr 1966 The Rolling Stones fourth album 'Aftermath' went to No.1 on the UK chart, the group's third UK No.1 album. The album is considered an artistic breakthrough for the band and is the first to consist entirely of Jagger–Richards compositions, while Brian Jones played a variety of instruments not usually associated with their music, including sitar, Appalachian dulcimer, marimbas and Japanese koto.
6 Mar 1966 The Rolling Stones started recording sessions for their tenth UK single 'Paint It, Black' at RCA studios in Hollywood. It was originally titled 'Paint It Black' without a comma. Keith Richards has stated that the comma was added by the record label, Decca.
4 Feb 1966 The Rolling Stones released '19th Nervous Breakdown' it reached No.2 on both the US and UK charts, while topping the NME charts and was the fifth best-selling single of 1966 in the UK.
6 Dec 1965 The Rolling Stones recorded '19th Nervous Breakdown' and 'Mother's Little Helper' at RCA's Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles.
29 Nov 1965 Colorado Governor John A. Love declared a Rolling Stones day throughout the State as The Stones appeared at The Denver Coliseum in Colorado during a North American tour.
15 Nov 1965 The Rolling Stones made their US TV debut on Hullabaloo, performing ‘Get Off Of My Cloud’. Hullabaloo was an American one-hour musical variety series that ran on NBC from January 1965 through August 1966.
6 Nov 1965 The Rolling Stones started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Get Off Of My Cloud', the group's second US No.1. The song knocked The Beatles 'Yesterday' from the No.1 position.
14 Oct 1965 The Rolling Stones, The Spencer Davis Group, Unit 4 Plus 2, The Checkmates, The Habit, The End and Charlie Dickins all appeared at The Odeon, Birmingham during a UK tour.
8 Oct 1965 During a UK tour The Rolling Stones appeared at The ABC, Stockton on Tees. Also on the bill, Spencer Davis Group, Unit Four + 2, The Checkmates, The End, and Charles Dickens and The Habits.
30 Sep 1965 The Rolling Stones performed at the Gaumont Theatre in Hanley, Staffordshire, UK. Also on the bill were The Moody Blues, The Spencer Davis Group, The End and The Habits. Bill Wyman produced singles and the debut album of The End, for Decca Records.
28 Sep 1965 The Rolling Stones played the first of two nights at the Capitol Theatre, Cardiff, Wales. During the 1960s The Capitol Theatre saw all the major acts of the era performing here including The Beatles and The Kinks.
9 Sep 1965 The Rolling Stones were at No.1 in the UK with ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’, giving the band their 4th UK No.1 single. Keith Richards recorded a rough version of the riff in a Florida hotel room. He ran through it once before falling asleep. He said when he listened back to it in the morning, there was about two minutes of acoustic guitar before you could hear him drop the pick and "then me snoring for the next forty minutes".
5 Sep 1965 The Rolling Stones recorded their eighth single 'Get Off Of My Cloud' at RCA studios in Hollywood. The song peaked at No.1 in the US and the UK.
3 Sep 1965 A Rolling Stones gig in Dublin, Ireland ended in a riot after 30 fans jumped onto the stage. Jagger was knocked to the floor as the rest of the band fled the stage.
28 Aug 1965 The Rolling Stones announced that Allen Klein, who they had met three days earlier, would co-manage the group along with Andrew Loog Oldham. At the same time, The Stones signed a five-year recording deal with Decca Records.
23 Aug 1965 Security guards at a Manchester TV studio hosed down 200 Rolling Stones fans after they broke down barriers while waiting for the band to arrive for a performance.
21 Aug 1965 The Rolling Stones started a three week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Out Of Our Heads the group's first US No.1 album.
20 Aug 1965 The Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and his partner Tony Calder launched Immediate records. Their first release was The McCoy's 'Hang On Sloopy', Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Nico (later to join Velvet Underground), all attended the launch party. The label became the home of the Small Faces, Nice, Amen Corner and Chris Farlowe and a young producer - guitarist Jimmy Page.
15 Aug 1965 The Beatles set a new world record for the largest attendance at a pop concert when they played in front of 55,600 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City. The Beatles were paid $160,000 for the show, the set list included: ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘She's a Woman’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzie’, ‘Ticket to Ride’, ‘Can't Buy Me Love’, ‘Baby's In Black’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘A Hard Day's Night’, ‘Help!’, and ‘I'm Down’. Two of the Rolling Stones were among the audience, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and later that evening; Bob Dylan visited The Beatles at their hotel.
1 Aug 1965 During a UK tour, The Rolling Stones appeared at the London Palladium supported by The Walker Brothers, The Fourmost, Steampacket featuring Rod Stewart and Sugar Pie Desanto with The Shevelles.
22 Jul 1965 Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman from The Rolling Stones were each fined £5 at East Ham Magistrates Court, London, after being found guilty of 'insulting behaviour' at a Romford Road service station. The three had all urinated against a wall after the service station attendant had refused them the use of the facilities.
15 Jul 1965 This weeks US Top three singles, No.3 The Byrds, 'Mr Tambourine Man', No.2 The Four Tops, 'I Can't Help Myself' and at No.1 The Rolling Stones with ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’.
10 Jul 1965 The Rolling Stones started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with '(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction' the group's first chart-topper there. In the UK, the song was initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive.
6 Jun 1965 The Rolling Stones released the single ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ in the US, which went on to give the band their first No.1. In the UK, (where it was released in August 1966), the song initially played only on pirate radio stations because its lyrics were considered too sexually suggestive.
30 May 1965 The Rolling Stones played the final night of a US tour at the New York Academy of Music. During the afternoon the band recorded six songs for the Clay Pole TV show.
16 May 1965 Driving away from a gig at the Civic Hall, Long Beach, California, the limo taking The Rolling Stones back to their hotel was besieged by fans who caved in the roof by standing on it. The band attempted to hold the roof up while their chauffeur drove off with bodies falling onto the road.
12 May 1965 The Rolling Stones recorded ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ at RCA Hollywood studios. Keith Richards had come up with the guitar riff in the middle of the night a week earlier. It gave the band their first number 1 single in the US.
10 May 1965 The Rolling Stones recorded a version of ’(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ at Chess Studios in Chicago, with Brian Jones on harmonica. The group re-recorded it two days later at RCA Studios in Hollywood, with a different beat and the Gibson Maestro fuzzbox that Keith Richards had recently aquired, adding sustain to the sound of the guitar riff.
19 Apr 1965 The film T.A.M.I. (Teen-Age Music International) Show featuring The Rolling Stones, Supremes, Four Tops, James Brown, The Beach Boys and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles opened in London, England under the title Teenage Command Performance.
11 Apr 1965 Performing at the New Musical Express poll winners concert, at London's Wembley Empire Pool, England, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Freddie and the Dreamers, The Animals, The Kinks, Herman's Hermits, Moody Blues, Them, Cilla Black, The Seekers and Donovan.
10 Apr 1965 A British school in Wrexham, North Wales, asked parents to please keep children in school uniform and not to send them to school in 'corduroy trousers', like the ones worn by The Rolling Stones.
26 Mar 1965 Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Bill Wyman all received electric shocks from a faulty microphone on stage during a Rolling Stones show in Denmark. Bill Wyman was knocked unconscious for several minutes.
19 Mar 1965 The Tailor And Cutter Magazine ran an article asking The Rolling Stones to start wearing ties. The current fashion did not include wearing ties with shirts and many tie-makers were facing financial disaster. Mick Jagger said of the appeal, 'The trouble with a tie is that it could dangle in the soup. It is also something extra to which a fan can hang when you are trying to get in and out of a theatre.'
18 Mar 1965 The Rolling Stones were each fined £5 ($8.50) for urinating in a public place, following an incident that had taken place at a petrol station after a gig at the ABC Theatre in Romford, Essex, England. This was after the last show on their fifth UK package tour with The Hollies, The Konrads, all girl-group Goldie and the Gingerbreads and Dave Berry and the Cruisers.
16 Mar 1965 The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Last Time', the bands third UK No.1 and first No.1 for songwriters Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
7 Mar 1965 During a Rolling Stones gig at The Palace Theatre in Manchester, England a female fan fell from the circle while the group were playing. The crowd below broke her fall and the girl escaped serious injury just breaking a few teeth.
5 Mar 1965 The Rolling Stones kicked off their fifth UK tour at The Regal Theatre, Edmonton, London. A 14-date package tour with The Hollies, The Konrads and Dave Berry and the Cruisers.
6 Feb 1965 The Rolling Stones second album Rolling Stones No.2 started a three-week run at No.1 on the UK charts. The album followed its predecessor's tendency to largely feature R&B covers. However, it did contain three compositions from the still-developing Mick Jagger - Keith Richards songwriting team.
26 Jan 1965 During a Rolling Stones tour of Australia and New Zealand, guitarist Keith Richards had his shirt torn off after 50 fans invaded the stage during the gig at The Town Hall in Brisbane.
21 Jan 1965 Over 3,000 screaming fans met The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison at Sydney Airport when they arrived for a 16 date tour of Australia and New Zealand.
18 Jan 1965 The Rolling Stones recorded 'The Last Time' and 'Play With Fire' at the RCA studio in Hollywood, California. Producer Phil Spector played acoustic guitar on 'Play With Fire.'
26 Dec 1964 The Rolling Stones placed an advertisement in the music paper New Musical Express, wishing starving hairdressers and their families a Happy Christmas.
3 Dec 1964 The Rolling Stones had their second UK No.1 single with their version of 'Little Red Rooster'. The Stones had recorded the song at Chess Studios in Chicago, the same studios where Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Little Walter had recorded their blues classics.
13 Nov 1964 Decca Records released The Rolling Stones' 'Little Red Rooster'. Written by Willie Dixon (as The Red Rooster), and previously recorded by Howlin’ Wolf and Sam Cooke, the single was recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago. The single was a No.1 hit in the UK and remains the only time a blues song has ever topped the UK pop chart.
3 Nov 1964 During a Rolling Stones North American tour a 17 year-old Stones fan fell from the balcony during a gig in Cleveland, Ohio. The Mayor of Ohio banned all future pop concerts, saying; "Such groups do not add to the community's culture or entertainment."
28 Oct 1964 The first of two nights billed as the 'Tami Show' took place at the Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica with; Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and The Rolling Stones.
25 Oct 1964 The Rolling Stones appeared for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show from New York, performing ‘Around And Around’ and ‘Time Is On My Side’. A riot broke out in the studio, prompting Sullivan’s infamous quote, ‘I promise you they’ll never be back on our show again.’ The Rolling Stones went on to make a further five appearances on Sullivan’s show between 1965 and 1969.
20 Oct 1964 The Rolling Stones played their first live concert in France when they appeared at the Paris Olympia.
17 Sep 1964 Police arrived at a Rolling Stones gig at the ABC Theatre in Carlisle, England, after a trouble broke out with the 4,000 fans at the concert.
13 Sep 1964 During a UK tour two dozen rugby players were hired as 'a human crash barrier' at a Rolling Stones gig at the Liverpool Empire. The 'human chain' disappeared under a wave of 5,000 fans as the Stones took to the stage.
2 Sep 1964 The Rolling Stones recorded their version of the Willie Dixon song 'Little Red Rooster' at Regent Sound Studios in London, England.
9 Aug 1964 The Rolling Stones appeared at the New Elizabeth Ballroom in Belle Vue, Manchester. Two policemen fainted and another was taken to hospital with broken ribs after trying to control over 3,000 screaming teenagers.
7 Aug 1964 The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Scott, Tuby Hayes, Manfred Mann, Yardbirds and Mose Allison all appeared at the fourth Richmond Jazz Festival held over three days in Richmond, England.
1 Aug 1964 Billboard Magazine reported that the harmonica was making a comeback in a big way thanks to its use by Stevie Wonder, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan.
24 Jul 1964 A riot broke out during a Rolling Stones gig at The Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, after Keith Richards kicked a yob in the mouth who was spitting at the group. Two policemen and 30 fans were injured and the damage was estimated at over £4,000. The Rolling Stones were then banned from playing in Blackpool for forty-four years, (until the ban was lifted).
18 Jul 1964 The Rolling Stones appeared on the US chart for the first time when their cover of Buddy Holly's 'Not Fade Away' peaked at No.48.
14 Jul 1964 The Rolling Stones were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'It's All Over Now', the group's first of 8 UK No.1's. Written by Bobby Womack and Shirley Womack, it was first released by The Valentinos featuring Bobby Womack in the same year.
27 Jun 1964 The Rolling Stones appeared as the entire panel on UK TV show 'Juke Box Dury'. The music panel show ran on the BBC between 1June 1959 and December 1967 attracting 12 million viewers weekly on Saturday nights.
16 Jun 1964 The Rolling Stones paid £1,500 ($2,500) in return air fares from America back to the UK to honour a booking made a year earlier for £100 ($170) at Magdalen College Oxford. Local group, The Falling Leaves were the support act, and the Stones’ bass player, Bill Wyman, had to use one of the Oxford band’s amplifiers because of a malfunction with their equipment.
10 Jun 1964 The first edition of the official The Rolling Stones book was issued, priced at one and six, (the publication ran for 30 issues). Also on this day, at producers Phil Spector’s suggestion, The Stones recorded 'It's All Over Now', 'I Can’t Be Satisfied' and 'Time Is On My Side' at Chess studios in Chicago. During the day, the Stones got to meet, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Chuck Berry.
7 Jun 1964 During their first ever US tour The Rolling Stones were booed off stage at a gig in San Antonio, Texas. Some performing Monkeys who had been the act on before the Stones were brought back on stage for another performance.
5 Jun 1964 The Rolling Stones played their first-ever live date in the US when they appeared at the Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California. The Stones were supporting their first album release The Rolling Stones, in North America.
1 Jun 1964 The Rolling Stones were met by over 500 fans as they arrived on BA flight 505 at Kennedy Airport for their debut US tour. The Stones held a press conference and then guested on the prestigious "5th Beatle", DJ Murray The K's radio show. The first date took place on 5th June in San Bernardino, California.
28 May 1964 The BBC received over 8,000 postal applications for tickets for The Rolling Stones forthcoming appearance on the British TV show, Juke Box Jury.
18 May 1964 A riot broke out in Hamilton, Scotland during a Rolling Stones UK tour when over 4,000 fans with forged tickets gate-crashed the bands gig at the Chantingall Hotel.
11 May 1964 During a UK tour The Rolling Stones were refused lunch at The Grand Hotel, Bristol, where they were staying because they were not wearing jackets and ties. The following day the Daily Express ran the story with the headline, 'The Rolling Stones gather no lunch.'
2 May 1964 The Rolling Stones self-titled debut album started a 12-week run at No.1 on the UK charts. The album spent a total of 51 weeks on the UK chart. Also on his day The Stones made their first appearance on the US singles chart when 'Not Fade Away' entered the chart at No.98.
26 Apr 1964 The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Five headlined the NME poll winner's concert at Wembley Empire Pool, London.
22 Apr 1964 The President of The National Federation Of Hairdressers offered a free haircut to the next No.1 group in the UK pop charts. He said The Rolling Stones are the worst, one of them looks as if he's got a feather duster on his head.'
16 Apr 1964 The Rolling Stones first album was released in the UK, it went to No.1 two weeks later and stayed on the chart for 40 weeks, with 11 weeks at No.1. The American edition of the LP, with a slightly different track list, came out on London Records on 30 May 1964, subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers, which later became its official title.
14 Mar 1964 For the first time in British recording history, all Top Ten singles in the UK were by British acts. No.1 was 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' by Cilla Black, No.2 - 'Bits and Pieces' by The Dave Clark Five, No.3 - 'Little Children' by Billy J Kramer, No.4 - 'Diane' by The Bachelors, No.5 - 'Not Fade Away' by The Rolling Stones, No.6 - 'Just One Look' by The Hollies, No.7 - 'Needles and Pins' by The Searchers, No.8 - 'I Think Of You' by The Merseybeats, No.9 - 'Boys Cry' by Eden Kane, and No. 10 - 'Let Me Go Lover' by Kathy Kirby.
27 Feb 1964 The Rolling Stones made their second appearance on BBC TV show Top Of The Pops performing their latest single 'Not Fade Away'.
21 Feb 1964 Three classic British singles were released on this day. The Rolling Stones 'Not Fade Away', (a UK No.3), The Hollies 'Just One Look', (a UK No.2), and Billy J Kramer's 'Little Children', (a UK No.1).
17 Jan 1964 The Rolling Stones released their first EP, which included, ‘You Better Move On’, ‘Poison Ivy’, ‘Bye Bye Johnny’ and ‘Money’. It peaked at No.15 on the UK chart.
10 Jan 1964 The Rolling Stones recorded 'Not Fade Away' at Olympic Studios, London, England. The song which was first recorded by Buddy Holly and his band, the Crickets, became The Stones first US single.
6 Jan 1964 The first night of a 14 date UK tour 'Group Scene 1964', featuring The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, Marty Wilde, The Swinging Blue Jeans and Dave Berry and The Cruisers, played at the Granada Theatre, Harrow on The Hill, Middlesex.
5 Jan 1964 The Rolling Stones performed at the Ricky Tick club at the Olympia Ballroom in Reading, England. During the 1960s, the club was host to many important acts such as The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Cream. The Yardbirds were filmed performing in a recreation of the club built at MGM Studios in Borehamwood for Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blow-Up.
1 Jan 1964 The first edition of the BBC TV show Top Of The Pops was transmitted from an old church hall in Manchester, England. Acts miming their latest releases included The Rolling Stones, (I Wanna Be Your Man), The Dave Clark Five, (Glad All Over), The Hollies, (Stay), and The Swinging Blue Jeans, (Hippy Hippy Shake). The first song played was Dusty Springfield's 'I Only Want To Be With You'. Also featured on disc and film, The Beatles (I Want to Hold Your Hand), Freddie & the Dreamers, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and Gene Pitney.
30 Dec 1963 The Rolling Stones performed at Studio 51 in Soho, London, on the same bill as Jimmy Powell and the Five Dimensions, who featured a young Rod Stewart. The Stones played a regular Sunday afternoon gig at the club from 4pm until 6.30pm and were billed as Rhythm and Blues with The Rolling Stones.
4 Nov 1963 The night after The Rolling Stones had just come off a 30-date UK tour with The Everly Brothers, they kicked off another 50-date UK club tour at the Top Rank Ballroom in Preston.
29 Oct 1963 The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Mickie Most, The Rolling Stones, Julie Grant and The Flintstones all appeared at The Goumont Theatre, St Albans, England.
23 Oct 1963 The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Mickie Most, The Rolling Stones, Julie Grant and The Flintstones all appeared at Odeon Theatre, Nottingham, England.
7 Oct 1963 The Rolling Stones recorded the Lennon and McCartney penned song ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ at De Lane Lea Studios in London. The song which was primarily written by Paul McCartney, was finished by Lennon and McCartney in the corner of a room while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were talking. The song peaked at No.12 on the UK charts when released.
10 Sep 1963 During a chance meeting between The Rolling Stones at Studio 51 Jazz Club in London with Paul McCartney and John Lennon, the two played the Stones a partly finished song 'I Wanna Be Your Man' which the Stones later record.
5 Sep 1963 The Rolling Stones kicked off their fourth UK tour at The Astoria London. A 32-date package tour with Mike Berry and the Innocents The Mojos and Simon Scott and the Leroy's.
23 Aug 1963 The Rolling Stones appeared on UK TV show Ready, Steady, Go! for the first time, performing their debut single 'Come On.' The group made a total of 20 appearances on the show between 1963 and 1966.
10 Aug 1963 Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, Ronnie Ross, Cyril Davies, Long John Baldry and The Rolling Stones all appeared at the third Richmond Jazz Festival held over two days in Richmond, England. A weekend ticket cost 20 shillings.
9 Aug 1963 The first ever edition of 'Ready Steady Go! was shown on UK TV. Introduced by Keith Fordyce and 19 year-old Cathy McGowan. The first show featured The Searchers, Jet Harris, Pat Boone, Billy Fury and Brian Poole and The Tremeloes. The final show was in Dec 1966 after 175 episodes. Originally 30 minutes long, it expanded to 50 minutes the following year, and soon attracted the most popular artists, including The Beatles, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Rolling Stones, The Four Tops, The Kinks and many others.
31 Jul 1963 The Rolling Stones performed at Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, Middlesex. The island was the site of the Eel Pie Hotel on the River Thames, where many up and coming acts appeared including: The Who, The Yardbirds, Pink Floyd, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and David Bowie .
13 Jul 1963 The Rolling Stones played their first ever gig outside London when they appeared at The Alcove Club, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire supporting The Hollies.
7 Jul 1963 The Rolling Stones made their UK TV debut when they appeared on 'Thank Your Lucky Stars.' Also appearing on the show was, Mickie Most, The Cadets, Helen Shapiro and Gordon Mills. The group made a total of 13 appearances on the show between 1963 and 1966.
21 Jun 1963 The Rolling Stones played at Ricky Tick Club, Star and Garter Hotel, Windsor, Berks. The influential 1960s rhythm & blues club in Windsor, Berkshire, was the host to many important acts such as The Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Cream.
7 Jun 1963 The Rolling Stones released their debut single, 'Come On'. Recorded the previous month, the track was originally written and released by Chuck Berry in 1961. The B-side was also a cover version, Willie Dixon’s 'I Want to Be Loved'. The single reached No.21 in the UK chart.
2 Jun 1963 The Rolling Stones played two gigs in one day. The first at Studio 51, Ken Colyer Club in Soho, London. The Stones played a regular Sunday afternoon gig at the club from 4 until 6.30 and were billed as Rhythm and Blues with The Rolling Stones. That evening they appeared at the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey.
10 May 1963 The Rolling Stones recorded the Chuck Berry song 'Come On', at Olympic Studios, London. This the bands first release was issued on the 7th June 1963 by Decca Records.
5 May 1963 On a recommendation by George Harrison Dick Rowe Head of A&R at Decca records, (and the man who turned down The Beatles) went to see The Rolling Stones play at Crawdaddy Club, London. The band were signed to the label within a week.
29 Apr 1963 Publicist Andrew Oldham and agent Eric Easton signed a management deal with The Rolling Stones after buying the rights to the bands first recordings for £90. They also persuade keyboard player Ian Stewart to drop out of the line up and become the bands road manager, (and still play piano at the back of the stage).
23 Apr 1963 The Beatles and The Rolling Stones met for the first time during a Stones performance at the Crawdaddy Club. The music venue in Richmond, Surrey, also saw performances by Led Zeppelin, Long John Baldry, Elton John and and Rod Stewart.
14 Apr 1963 The Rolling Stones played at The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond. All four members of The Beatles were in the audience. The name of the club derived from Bo Diddley's 1960 song 'Doing the CrawDaddy', which The Rolling Stones regularly performed as part of their set. In turn the club would inspire the name of the American music magazine Crawdaddy!
24 Feb 1963 The Rolling Stones started a Sunday night residency at The Station Hotel, Richmond, Surrey. The Stones were paid £24 ($41) for the gig and played on the first night to a total of 66 people. £24 from 1963 would be worth £392, adjusted for inflation.
25 Jan 1963 The Rolling Stones played at the Ricky Tick Club at the Star and Garter Hotel, Windsor, Berkshirehire, UK. This was the first time The Rolling Stones, including Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, played at this venue. All the walls in the club were painted black and the lighting was made out of old ice-cream tins.
14 Jan 1963 Charlie Watts made his live debut with The Rolling Stones at The Flamingo Jazz Club, Soho, London. Before joining the Stones, Watts played regularly with Blues Incorporated.
9 Jan 1963 Drummer Charlie Watts joined The Rolling Stones after leaving Blues Incorporated and his job working as a graphic designer.
14 Dec 1962 Bill Wyman made his live debut with The Rolling Stones at the Ricky Tick Club, Star and Garter Hotel in Windsor, England. The group were known as The Rollin' Stones during this period.
13 Dec 1962 Elvis Presley was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'Return To Sender', his 13th UK No.1. Elvis performed 'Return To Sender' in the film Girls! Girls! Girls!. The opening bars and backing on baritone saxophone was performed by Bobby Keys who later went on to work with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Harry Nilsson, George Harrison and Eric Clapton.
26 Oct 1962 The Rolling Stones (known as The Rollin' Stones), and consisting of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones pianist Ian Stewart and drummer Tony Chapman recorded their first demo tape at Curly Clayton Studios in Highbury, London. They recorded three songs, Jimmy Reed's 'Close Together', Bo Diddley's 'You Cant Judge A Book By The Cover' and Muddy Waters' 'Soon Forgotten.'
4 Aug 1962 The Rolling Stones played the first of 22 weekly shows at Ealing Jazz Club in Ealing, London. They were known as The Rollin' Stones during this period.
12 Jul 1962 The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London, with Dick Taylor on bass (later of The Pretty Things) and Mick Avory on drums, (later of The Kinks). Billed as The Rollin’ Stones, they were paid £20 for the gig, the equivalent of £330 in 2010.
17 Mar 1962 Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies played at the opening of the Ealing Blues Club in Ealing, England. For the first time, British musicians played the blues and were given an opportunity to see other British artists playing the music. By the end of 1962, the Club had overseen the creation of The Rolling Stones who’d been brought together by Alexis Korner and played there over 20 times. Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart and Pete Townshend played Ealing, as did many other members of the future bands that would later take the raw sound of blues-based around the world.
22 Dec 1957 The Crickets released the single 'Oh, Boy!' backed with 'Not Fade Away' in the UK which became their third Top 10 hit. 'Oh, Boy!' was originally recorded by Sonny West in the late 1950s but did not achieve commercial success. In 1964, the The Rolling Stones cover of 'Not Fade Away, with a strong Bo Diddley beat, was a major hit in Britain and was the A-side of the band's first US single.
16 Jan 1957 The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool, England. It became the home of many Liverpool bands including The Beatles who appeared at the club 292 times. Over the years a wide variety of popular acts appeared at the club, including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Hollies, The Kinks, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Queen, The Who and John Lee Hooker.