The Rolling Stones: The Enduring Titans of Rock & Roll

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band that formed in London in 1962 and became the definitive counterpoint to the Beatles. Their career, spanning over six decades, has cemented them as one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 200 million records globally.

Early career

The band's core of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards began playing together in 1962, united by a shared passion for American blues and R&B. With Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts, they honed their raw sound in London clubs, landing a deal with Decca Records in 1963 as part of the British Invasion wave.

Breakthrough

The Rolling Stones achieved international superstardom in 1965 with the hit (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Its iconic guitar riff and rebellious tone became a generational anthem, propelling the single to number one in the US and the UK and solidifying their "bad boy" image against the more polished Beatles.

Key tracks

Paint It Black — This 1966 number-one single showcased the band's expansion into psychedelic and Eastern-influenced sounds.

Jumpin' Jack Flash — Released in 1968, this hard-rocking classic marked a return to their gritty roots and remains a staple of their live shows.

Gimme Shelter — The haunting opener from 1969's Let It Bleed captures the dark, turbulent end of the 1960s.

Brown Sugar — This controversial rocker was the lead single from 1971's Sticky Fingers, their first album on their own Rolling Stones Records label.

Start Me Up — A definitive stadium-rock anthem from 1981's Tattoo You, it later became synonymous with Microsoft's Windows 95 launch.

The band's creative peak in the late 60s and early 70s produced a legendary run of albums including Beggars Banquet (1968), Let It Bleed (1969), Sticky Fingers (1971), and Exile on Main St. (1972), all multi-platinum landmarks. Their 1972 North American tour broke box office records, setting the template for the modern mega-concert. Despite personnel changes, including the departure of Mick Taylor and the later addition of Ronnie Wood, The Rolling Stones continued massive global tours. Later albums like 1978's Some Girls and 1981's Tattoo You achieved multi-platinum status, proving their adaptability to punk and new wave influences.

Collaborations have dotted their history, from working with producer Jimmy Miller on their classic albums to featuring artists like Mary J. Blige on the 2006 Grammy-winning track One More Shot. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and they continue to perform, with their 2024 album Hackney Diamonds becoming their first UK number-one studio album in over a decade. The sound of The Rolling Stones, a potent blend of blues, rock, and swagger, influenced countless acts. Similar artists from the UK rock scene include The Who who shared a powerful, rebellious live energy. The Kinks also mined a distinctly British lyrical perspective during the same era. The blues-rock foundation of The Animals provided a parallel early path. For a later generation's take on blues-drenched rock, The Black Keys carry a similar raw, riff-driven approach.

The music of The Rolling Stones maintains heavy rotation on classic rock FM stations and album-oriented rock formats worldwide. Their timeless hits are programmed daily on both terrestrial and online rock radio streams, ensuring their anthems reach new generations of listeners.

You can hear the legendary catalog of The Rolling Stones on the classic rock and dedicated artist stations