Stories about The Stones

Here are four stories I couldn’t fit into this week’s concert paying tribute to The Rolling Stones…courtesy of factinate.com.

The bass player for the debut version of The Rolling Stones left soon after their first gig to form a band of his own.  When they auditioned other bass players to replace him, the group decided to go with Bill Wyman.  They later told him they chose him because he owned his own amplifier.

Drummer Charlie Watts married his wife Shirley before he joined the Stones in 1963.  And according to his bandmates, he has always refused the advances of the band’s groupies.  On one notable visit to the Playboy Mansion in 1975, while the rest of The Stones frolicked in the grotto with the bunnies, Charlie spent the whole time entertaining himself in the games room.

Ron Wood was a late addition to The Rolling Stones, replacing guitarist Mick Taylor in 1975.  During his early days, his difficulties with drink and drugs led to some truly self-destructive behavior.  But Ronnie says he got a wake up call when in the aftermath of something he did, Keith Richards threatened to kill him.  Said Ronnie, “When he thinks you're out of control, there must be something wrong."

And then there’s Mick Jagger who keeps himself in shape by running eight miles every day and training six days a week with a personal fitness regimen that includes jogging, kickboxing, yoga, and ballet.  And if you’ve seen him perform, you can tell all that exercise is working.  It’s been estimated that once he takes the stage, Mick struts, stomps, and staggers an estimate twelve miles in a single show.

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We’ve had some great times performing the music of The Stones. Here’s a video clip from a show we did at Martyrs’ in Chicago a few years back featuring Phil Angotti and Rachel Drew.