The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962.
As a diverging act to the popular pop rock of the early 1960s, the
Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, heavier-driven sound that came to
define hard rock. The band's first stable line-up consisted of
bandleader Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica, keyboards), Mick Jagger
(lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman
(bass guitar), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano), the
last of whom was removed from the official line-up in 1963, but
continued to work with the band as a contracted musician until his
death in 1985. The band's primary songwriters, the partnership of
Jagger and Richards, assumed leadership after Andrew Loog Oldham
became the group's manager. Jones left the band less than a month
before his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor,
who in turn left in 1974 and was replaced in 1975 by Ronnie Wood, who
has since remained. Since Wyman's departure in 1993, Darryl Jones has
served as bassist. The Stones have not had an official keyboardist
since Stewart's departure in 1963, but have employed several musicians
in that role, including Jack Nitzsche (1965â€"71), Nicky Hopkins
(1967â€"82), Billy Preston (1971â€"81), Ian McLagan (1978â€"81), and
Chuck Leavell (1982â€"present).Rooted in blues and early rock and
roll, the Rolling Stones started out playing covers and established
themselves at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that
became popular in the United States in 1964, also being identified
with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s. The band
found more success with their own material; songs such as "(I Can't
Get No) Satisfaction" and "Paint It Black" became international hits,
and Aftermath (1966) â€" their first entirely original album â€" has
been considered the most important of the band's formative records.
After a short period of experimentation with psychedelic rock in the
mid-1960s, the Stones returned to their 'bluesy' roots with Beggars
Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971) and Exile
on Main St. (1972). In 1969 they were first introduced on stage as
'The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World'.The band continued to
release commercially successful albums through the 1970s and early
1980s, including Some Girls (1978) and Tattoo You (1981), the two
best-sellers in their discography. During the 1980s, infighting
curtailed their output; as a result, they only released two more
under-performing albums, and did not tour for the rest of the decade.
Their fortunes changed at the end of the decade, when they released
Steel Wheels (1989), promoted by a large stadium and arena tour, the
Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour. Since the 1990s, new material has been
less frequent. Despite this, the Rolling Stones continue to be a huge
attraction on the live circuit. By 2007, the band had four of the top
five highest-grossing concert tours of all time: Voodoo Lounge Tour
(1994â€"95), Bridges to Babylon Tour (1997â€"98), Licks Tour
(2002â€"03) and A Bigger Bang (2005â€"07). In 2012, the band
celebrated their 50th anniversary. Their latest album, Blue & Lonesome
(2016), became their twelfth UK number-one album. The group continues
to sell out venues, with their recent No Filter Tour running for two
years and concluding in August 2019. The Rolling Stones Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter