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Considered the greatest influence on rock and roll, The Rolling Stones took over the world and had an image of sex, drugs, and wild behavior. This explains why some of The Rolling Stones memorabilia fetch thousands of dollars. With 30 studio albums released, let’s explore the rocky history of The Rolling Stones.
Sex, Drugs, and Bad-boy Attitude: The Ups and Downs of Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones started with Mick Jagger rekindling his friendship with Keith Richards, whom he knew from school. Joined by another young musician, Brian Jones, in 1961, the trio played in the band Blues Incorporated, where they met Charlie Watts, the drummer for the band.
Soon after, Jones left the group and decided to create his own band, The Rolling Stones, followed by the other band members. Their first performance at Marquee Club in London in 1962 was a huge hit, helping them secure a place at the Crawdaddy Club.
The renaissance of blues transformed the music, and when the band played, it attracted young people to jump on their tables, rock their heads, dance, and shout at the sounds of the electric guitar.
Andrew Oldham, who was promoting The Beatles then, signed The Rolling Stones in 1963 and promoted their image as the bad boys. In 1963, when The Beatles found international fame as the good-boy band, The Rolling Stones were creeping behind them with a much different persona, the bad-boy band looking to influence hard rock.
With singles released from the first Rolling Stones album, they kept climbing the UK singles charts: “Come On” (#21), “I Wanna Be Your Man” (#12), and “Not Fade Away” (#3). “Not Fade Away” was their first American hit, reaching #48 on the American chart.
The press gave a gruesome image of The Rolling Stones, describing the band as a group of reckless kids playing black music to white audiences. The band members decided to grow their hair and wear modified suits to receive more media attention, which turned out well for the band.
Following their 1964 British tour, the band reached America to perform concerts and record new songs. They didn’t have a major hit record then, but their performances had crowds of screaming schoolboys and girls. After the band released “It’s All Over Now,” the song hit #1 on the UK charts, starting a cult following. By 1965, they released “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” a major hit worldwide, followed by another global #1 hit, “Paint It Black,” cementing their rock-star status.
By 1967, it was all about living the rock star life, meaning substance abuse and multiple arrests, eventually leading to the death of Jones in 1969. The band performed across America and continued to receive citations for concert violence during their performances. One tour featured stage props with a giant phallus and a rope for Jagger to swing into the audience during the performance.
Banned in most countries by 1971 and exiled from Britain for not paying taxes, The Rolling Stones released “Glimmer Twins,” with both the album and song becoming an instant hit. In 1972, the band began recording sessions in Jamaica for “Goats Head Soup,” which reached number one in the UK.
By 1977, the first Rolling Stones live album after 1970’s “Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!” received a lackluster response. However, the 1978 “Some Girls” had many hits, and the album’s success re-established the band’s popularity.
Soon, the band members started having differences of opinion over the direction of their music, leading to a split. However, they reunited in the late 1980s, created Rolling Stones Records, released a new album, and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. The Rolling Stone magazine ranked the Rolling Stones as the #4 greatest artists of all time, and they are the longest-lived rock and roll band in history.
After licensing the rights to their new 4-DVD boxed set in 2003, HMV Canada and other music retail stores in the US pulled Rolling Stones CDs from the shelves. In the 21st century, the band continues to perform and record new songs, even though its members are in their 60s and 70s.
Find Your Inner Rock and Roll with Rolling Stones Memorabilia
Browse our extensive range of Rolling Stones collectibles and pay tribute to one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands in history by adding something to your memorabilia collection.