In the list of immortals, which include the greatest performers of all time, the Rolling Stones group takes fourth place, second only to the Beatles group, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. However, in the eyes of loyal fans, “Rolling” was and remains number one, because it is not just a musical group - now it is the era on which modern rock culture has grown.
The phenomenal popularity of bullies
Despite their venerable age, the Rolling Stones group began as music hooligans, and they never dropped their title. Surprisingly, this musical phenomenon arose not elsewhere, but in Puritan England. In the middle of the last century, when morals were still very restrained, these guys became the flagships of the sexual revolution.
Not surprisingly, the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, had a reputation for being a tempting devil. A bully, a rebel and a real "bad boy", he infected young people with his freethinking. Respectable mothers were in a hurry to plug their ears with their offspring, as soon as Jagger's voice or the first chords of the group's songs were heard nearby. However, the resistance of society turned out to be absolutely useless, it was impossible to resist such a powerful charm.
One could either love them wholeheartedly or hate them with all the fervor of an offended virtue. But there was no one indifferent, it completely satisfied all the participants. The task was completed - all the attention of the audience was riveted to troublemakers.
How did the Rolling Stones band appear?
July 12, 1962 began the history of the group, which was destined to become a legend. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were the first to meet on the basis of their favorite music, each of whom was familiar with Dick Taylor. Three people - that’s enough for the Rolling Stones to be defined. Contrary to the general fashion, the guys were not interested in rock and roll, but in rhythm and blues. The trio was called Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys, they sang some songs of Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry and spoke to a rather modest audience.
Meanwhile, in the band of Alexis Corner, Blues Incorporated begins his musical career with Brian Jones, where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards occasionally appear. Many future stars began as session musicians in leading groups. However, Jones wanted to create his own group, pianist Ian Stewart joined him and a little later - drummer Mick Eyvory.
It was Corner’s employment and popularity that paved the way for newcomers - he invited the five young musicians to perform instead of the Blues Incorporated, invited to the BBC at the Marquee Club. So, on July 12, 1962, it was this very composition of the Rolling Stones group that entered the stage - for the first performance under this name.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Ian Stewart and Mick Ivory had no idea what fate awaits the group, but the name obligated. The Rolling Stones - the so-called Muddy Waters song , it became the source for the name of the new group. "Rolling stones" is an idiomatic expression meaning the same as our "tumbleweed", that is, tramps. However, a little later it turned out that even before our era, the aphorism of Publius Syrah was known , saying: "The rolling stone does not grow with moss." The fate of the quiet swamp did not shine for the new team, and they never grew moss.
Despite the fact that at first the composition at first randomly changed and updated, it soon stabilized. Instead of Taylor, Bill Wyman came , Ivory left, where Tony Chapman did not stay long, he was replaced by Charlie Watts. Stuart also left the stage, but remained in the team and helped until the end of his days. Andrew Meadow Oldham was engaged in "Rolling", he also offered a defiant image, and this proposal was enthusiastically supported.
The Beatles or Rollings?
If the Beatles were an absolutely pure rock and roll ideal, the Rolling Stones became antagonists - at that time it was difficult to imagine something more “dirty” and defiantly vulgar. By and large, the notorious battle of a whale with an elephant began, both teams enjoyed crazy popularity, competing for the hearts of fans. To some extent, this confrontation became a powerful stimulator for creativity and turned into a kind of friendship, fairly seasoned with the spirit of competition.
The sexual revolution was striding with might and main throughout Europe, and the Rolling Stones group contributed a lot to this. The biography of the musicians was filled with scandalous stories and glaring permissiveness, and the texts suggested not to hold hands under the moon, as in the Beatles songs, but to go to bed (obviously not to get enough sleep). The "dirty" image worked, and most of the youth riots took place under the enchanting recognizable rhythms and the voice of Mick Jagger.
A comparison of the Beatles and Rolling was the topic of the most heated debate, but both groups benefited from this. They shaded each other, against the backdrop of the revealingly respectable Liverpool four, the Rolling Stones seemed even more hooligan than it actually was, and the fans were delighted. The Beatles did not stay in the loser, because against the background of these crazy people, they seemed even more correct. Everyone received exactly what he was striving for.
Debut performances and first steps
Unlike many groups that have been incredibly long stubbornly reaching the peak of recognition, the Rolling Stones group managed to break into the category of public favorites. The first single released took twenty-first place in the British charts, and the first released disc literally “broke” the audience. While the record worked on popularity in Britain, the group went on tour in the United States, simultaneously recording new material.
However, such an ardent love of the public was not given just like that. Even the crazy energy of Jagger was sometimes lacking, it is amazing how all the members of the group fell with nervous breakdowns. However, pretty soon the cunning allies of creative people — alcohol and drugs — came to the rescue.
Flurry of popularity
Since the Rolling Stones positioned themselves as very bad boys, there was no reason for the public to be shy. This is probably another reason for popularity, because people love all sorts of indulgences. At concerts, the audience allowed themselves everything that could come into their hot heads. Emotions whipped over the edge, brawls constantly flashed, there were massive fits of violence. It got to the point that at one of the performances, heated fans smashed the piano to pieces, and several dozens of people were hospitalized with various injuries.
As a competent leader, Oldham demanded that the group switch to its own compositions, it was impossible to always stay on cover performances of the repertoire of famous blues men. The result was the hit hit Tell Tell, co-written by Richards and Jagger. This authors duet has been very successful. Thus, in 1966, as a result of collaboration, a completely author’s album Aftermath appeared.
The photo of the Rolling Stones group of those times does not show any special rebellious outfits, but do not forget that now the audience is spoiled by an abundance of visual images. Post-war England was ready to be shocked literally from everything in a row - from the length of the musicians' hair to the manner of grimacing right into the microphone, dressing up in women's dresses or some incredible defiant costumes.
Dynamic development of the Rolling Stones
Part of the popularity was due to the fact that the viewer did not have time to get used to one style, as in the next album he received something new, but always recognizable. Now it was the Rolling Stones rock band: it could not be called a blues, but the songs were not the standard of classical rock and roll . It was different, Rolling rock, then psychedelic, then rebellious. Even when the group returned to rock and roll, it still painted with new emotional shades and techniques. Compared to earlier compositions, the new sound turned out to be deeper and heavier.
“Rolling” succeeded in practically impossible: to try various musical trends, but at the same time remain bright individuals. Their compositions are recognized literally from the first chords, branded guitar riffs have become a kind of acoustic business card.
Scandalous reputation: under the banner of obscenity
The eccentric lead singer of the Rolling Stones loved to shock the audience even before fans started chasing him. His outfits, his incomprehensible manners, completely unpredictable behavior - probably this caused a feeling of communication with the abnormal. Various people wrote in their memoirs that Mick could very naturally fall to the floor without any reason, then rise, as if nothing had happened. His outfits simply did not leave a chance to not notice the frontman in the crowd, and the other members of the Rolling Stones group did not lag behind him. Of course, there was a lot of reckoning in this - to such an extent they looked harmoniously on stage.
Scandals accompanied the group all their conscious lives - the already mentioned drugs, sexual orgies, reckless antics. Of course, some hooligan acts did not get away even with the audience’s favorites - police officers detained Jagger several times for disturbing public order. However, here's what is interesting - despite the abundance of scandals, the criminal prosecution did not reach, except for the conditional term for possession of drugs that Richards and his girlfriend received during a trip to Canada.
Since the creation of the group and throughout its history, there have always been irreconcilable fighters for morality, citing the Rolling Stones as an example of the absolute fall. At some point, the name of the group became almost a household word, in the questionnaires of the late sixties there was a question of how the respondent would react to the fact that his daughter would connect fate with the musician from the Rolling Stones. The image of bad boys no longer needed the support of members of the collective, but no one was going to abandon exciting adventures.
From rebels to patriarchs
The eccentricity of the Rolling Stones perfectly manifested itself when the world of popular music was swept by a wave of absolute rebellion, and being “like everyone else” is not as cool as shocking the Puritan society of Britain. From the mid-seventies to the mid-nineties, the group existed as separate projects of the participants. Recorded solo albums, quite successful, still overshadowed by the glory of the Rolling Stones. The history of the group, however, did not end there, despite the gloomy forecasts of music experts of varying degrees of competence.
In 1994, after some changes in composition, the joint album Voodoo Lounge was recorded, which was awarded the Grammy Award. The tour that took place after that shattered negative forecasts to smithereens - the group’s popularity jumped to unprecedented heights, the reunion of the team made millions of fans happy all over the world. The Voodoo Lounge Tour has become the absolute box office record holder, earning more than $ 400 million. If we assume that the viewer votes with a wallet, then this was an unconditional victory. However, there is no limit to perfection - the next tour broke this record, and this fact only confirmed the recognition of the audience. U2 was able to break this record a little later, but fans still continue to consider their idols to be winners.
Half a Centenary and Beyond
The renewed Rolling Stones entered the new millennium as the patriarch of the old-school rock and roll. Mick Jagger switched to an emphasized healthy lifestyle. According to his own statement, he is not going to maintain the image of the old ruin, so there is no question of drugs anymore. Now the frontman of the legendary group shocking the elite emphasized the correct behavior. However, this did not affect the character at all - despite more than a mature age, Mick Jagger also actively jumps around the stage, infecting with his enthusiasm which generation of fans.
In 2012, the Rolling Stones celebrated a half-century anniversary. This is the rare case when a rock band turned out to be such a long-running project. Despite disagreements and some interruptions in favor of solo projects, the rebels withstood all the blows of fate and the test of copper pipes with honor.
The name of the group really turned out to be prophetic, even despite the fact that initially no sacred meaning was invested in it. However, this, in part, is the phenomenon of the Rolling Stones: the translation of the name of the group can be interpreted as you like, at least literally, “Rolling stones”, at least figuratively, “Roll-field” or “Tramps”. One thing is indisputable - the rolling stones cannot be stopped, they roll wherever they want, they do not grow with moss.
Symbol Group: Interesting Facts
It is impossible for more than fifty years to deliberately confuse the minds and not wait for it to have no effect. The Rolling Stones is a group that creates inspiration for other creators, an impetus for creativity. If earlier, at the dawn of his career, Mick Jagger was re-singing other people's hits, now many young groups start with cover versions of Rolling hits.
The title "Rock Music Dinosaur", which Mick Jagger received almost seriously from the journalistic fraternity, unexpectedly received real confirmation. A new discovery in paleontology, until this day a prehistoric animal unknown to science, was named in honor of the lead singer of the Rolling Stones. This fossil mammal is called Jaggermeryx naida - Jagger's Water Nymph.
The song "Sympathy for the Devil" was written after Mick Jagger read Bulgakov’s novel "The Master and Margarita." Inspiringly associating himself with Woland, Mick put all the impressions of the novel into this song.
Keith Richards became a kind of prototype of the image of Jack Sparrow from the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" - Johnny Depp is an avid fan of his work. Moreover, Richards responded to Depp's request and played the role of Captain Teague, father of Captain Jack Sparrow.
In his memoirs, Keith Richards admits that Mick Jagger has always been a completely unbearable person with whom it is very difficult not to quarrel. However, at the same time, Keith was not afraid to give him funny nicknames, he called Mick “Her Majesty” or “Brenda”.
In 2003, the lead singer of the Rolling Stones officially began to be called "Sir Mick Jagger" - Queen Elizabeth of England solemnly knighted him in all forms. So Britain acquired the most scandalous and hooligan knight of the living. Jagger himself spoke with humor about his chivalry, insisting on his own imperfection and reprehensible ability to drink traditional tea not at five in the evening, but at three in the afternoon. Rebellion, so in everything!
Several songs are devoted to Mick Jagger - in the list of performers Christina Aguilera, the group “Night Snipers”.
Jigger was twice officially married, he has seven children from four different women.
Keith Richards has put together an impressive collection of guitars. Now there are more than three thousand copies in it, the owner wants to open a museum.
The logo of the company was a drawing of John Pasha - bright red lips, between which the tongue protrudes. Now many people don’t even know that this is the Rolling Stones emblem, it has become popular in itself and is used as a bright symbol for anything from prints on t-shirts to stickers.
During the existence of the group, more than two hundred million records with albums were sold. Dozens of diverse albums, many solo projects were published.
Band members continue to gather for rehearsals, and fans expect another world tour. The stones continue to roll!