When you've been around as a band as long as The Rolling Stones there is no doubt a huge trail of memories. To mark 50 years would mean quite a few milestones, to try and break some of them down rounding them off with several accomplishments, keep in mind we're going back to 1963:

  • Over 100 singles
  • close to 60 videos
  • 30 compilation albums
  • 5 box sets
  • 12 live albums
  • 3 Ep's (extended play)
  • 16 video albums
  • roughly 1600 "Live" shows
  • 40 concert tours

Pretty good for two people (Mick Jagger & Keith Richards) that just happen to run into each other a train station in or around London.

From 1960 to 1961 a band known as, "Little Boy Blue and The Blue Boys" had the members Mick Jagger,Keith Richards and Dick Taylor.

In 1962  "The Rollin Stones" started to jell as Mick and Keith form a band that consisted of  Brian Jones on guitar, Ian "Stu" Stewart on piano , drummer Tony Chapman and on bass Dick Taylor. Geoff Bradford a blue's guitarist walked a way from the possibility of becoming a member of The Stones,(Geoff Bradford,Brian Jones and Charlie Watts former members of ,"Alexis Korner's Blues Inc.").

Ian "Stu" Stewart (piano) was fired and became their road manager, Tony Chapman( Drums) left and formed a band with Peter Frampton called The Preachers. Dick Taylor left the band for art school, then formed the band Pretty Things.

In mid 1962 The Rollin Stones had their first ever gig and within a year they signed Mick Avory a drummer who left to be a part of The Kinks and then Charlie Watts came on board, they also signed on Bill Wyman on bass. By 1963 The Rolling Stones were born.

After the drowning death of Brian Jones in 1969, the Stones brought in Mick Taylor a guitar player (formerly of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers), he stayed with the band until 1975 that's when Ronnie Wood was introduced as the final piece to the puzzle.

Yes it gets confusing when you think about so many bands and all the personnel changes they go through.

Before they started to headline shows themselves, they had opened for Little Richard, Bo Diddley and even The Everly Brothers. In 1963  their first booking outside of London they shared top billing with The Hollies.

In 1964 The United States got it's  first hand glimpse of the band as they were featured on The Hollywood Palace and  The Ed Sullivan Show .

In 1965 The Stones World tour begins with stops in Ireland, The Far East, The U.K., Europe, and The United States.

By 1966, it was more touring and their first "live" album was released ,"Got Live if You Want It".

Drugs began to play a role in the band in the mid to late Sixties, as they took their toll on Brian Jones.

In the Seventies, Another live album, "Get Yer Ya-Yas Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert", and that went to number one on the US charts. They also started their own record label Rolling Stones records. The first album released on the label was, "Sticky Fingers".

In the Eighties five new  albums and one live album, and three tours. In 1982 their 20th Anniversary saw a 35 show tour mostly in Europe.

In the Nineties they released four live albums and two  studio albums and about three tears on tour.

The Rolling Stones a band when you think about it by Rock Standards have been pretty stable. Congratulations!

 

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