On this day, 50 years ago…12th July 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.
To celebrate the occasion we bring you 15 Rolling Stones facts:
Early promotion for The Rolling Stones used provocative headlines in the press such as ‘Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?’
In 1964 in Statesboro, Georgia, USA, police were called after passing motorists had complained of women indecently exposing themselves at a hotel swimming pool. The ‘women’ turned out to be The Rolling Stones sunbathing before that night’s gig.
The Fort Harrison Hotel (known at the time as the Jack Tar Harrison Hotel) where Keith Richards rolled out of bed with the idea for the riff for ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ was bought by the Church of Scientology in 1975 and now frequently hosts religious retreats.
Keith Richards’ 1953 butterscotch Fender Telecaster is nicknamed ‘Micawber’, after a character in Charles Dickens’ novel David Copperfield.
Jagger and Richards began to produce the Stones’ albums under the pseudonym ‘The Glimmer Twins’ starting with It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll, released in 1974.
The cover of the original vinyl release of Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones featured a working zipper and mock belt buckle that opened to reveal cotton briefs.
Microsoft Corporation used ‘Start Me Up’ in their Windows 95 marketing campaign. This was The first time that the Rolling Stones allowed a company to use their songs in an advertising campaign. In 2012 it was used again, to promote the London Olympics.
During the Bigger Bang tour, The Rolling Stones played 81 different songs 2,637 times.
The Rolling Stones decided to wear the sailor suits in the video for ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)’ because no one wanted to get their own clothes ruined. (The video shows the group playing in a tent, which eventually fills with bubbles). Keith said: ‘Poor old Charlie nearly drowned… because we forgot he was sitting down.’
According to legend, saxophonist Bobby Keys was thrown off a 1973 Rolling Stones after missing some dates, due to him filling a bathtub with Dom Perignon champagne and drinking most of it.
Perirehaedulus richardsi is a species of prehistoric trilobite named after Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.
‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It)’ was originally recorded one night in a studio at Ronnie Wood’s house, ‘The Wick’ in Richmond, London with David Bowie on backing vocals, Willie Weeks on bass and Kenney Jones on drums.
Keith Richards has stated that he and Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics to Jumpin’ Jack Flash 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.’
Mick Jagger is known for his many high-profile relationships and has been romantically linked to many other women, including Chrissie Shrimpton, Marianne Faithfull, Anita Pallenberg, Marsha Hunt, Pamela Des Barres, Uschi Obermaier, Bebe Buell, Carly Simon, Margaret Trudeau, Mackenzie Phillips, Janice Dickinson, Carla Bruni, Sophie Dahl and Angelina Jolie.
In 2010, the re-released Exile On Main St. entered the UK charts at #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 #1 after it was first released.
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