The Greatest Rock Band: 15 Fascinating Facts About The Rolling Stones

1. Their Name Comes from a Muddy Waters Song

The band's name pays tribute to Muddy Waters and his song “Rollin' Stone.” In the familiar account, Brian Jones spotted the title on a Waters record while answering a telephone inquiry in 1962. The blues reference fits the American music that strongly influenced the young group.

2. Richards Remembered Recording a Riff and Then Snoring

Keith Richards told NPR's Fresh Air that he discovered the beginning of “Satisfaction” on his portable recorder without remembering making the recording. In his account, the musical idea was followed by roughly forty minutes of snoring. The sleep-related origin is Richards' own recollection, rather than a documented measurement of a dream.

3. The Iconic Tongue Logo Cost Just £50

Designer John Pasche created the lips-and-tongue logo after Mick Jagger approached the Royal College of Art in 1970. The initial fee was £50. Pasche described taking inspiration from the Hindu goddess Kali and from Jagger's mouth; the emblem was his work, although Andy Warhol's album artwork often causes confusion.

4. Ian Stewart Stayed Important After Leaving the Public Lineup

Manager Andrew Loog Oldham removed pianist Ian Stewart from the public lineup in 1963 as he reshaped the group's image. Stewart continued working with the Stones as a pianist and road manager. His lasting place in their history is reflected in his inclusion among the band's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

5. Altamont Became the Climax of Gimme Shelter

The free concert at Altamont Speedway in December 1969 ended the American tour with violence, including the killing of eighteen-year-old Meredith Hunter. The documentary Gimme Shelter follows the tour into that disaster. Its footage and eyewitness accounts show a much more complicated event than a simple anecdote about a beer payment.

6. Exile on Main St. Was Made in More Than One Place

Villa Nellcôte in the south of France was an important recording location for Exile on Main St., with sessions taking place in its basement in 1971. But the album was not made entirely there: its recording history also includes England and Los Angeles, where further work helped finish the 1972 double album.

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7. Charlie Watts Also Recorded with a Jazz Big Band

Rock drumming was only one part of Charlie Watts' musical life. The 2017 release Charlie Watts Meets the Danish Radio Big Band presents him in a large jazz ensemble. Its track list includes jazz treatments of Stones material, including “Paint It Black” and “You Can't Always Get What You Want.”

8. Their Blues Album Won a Grammy Decades into Their Career

The Stones won Best Traditional Blues Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards for Blue & Lonesome. The award recognized their continuing connection to the blues long after their first recordings. Producer Don Was and engineer Krish Sharma are among the credited collaborators listed by the Recording Academy.

9. A Delayed Film Release

Filmed in 1968, Rock and Roll Circus finally reached home video in 1996.

Classic Rock Bands Seventeen classic rock bands, from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Queen, Pink Floyd and U2, with the studio accidents, stage disasters and record-breaking gigs behind the songs everyone knows. See All Facts

10. Sticky Fingers Turned a Zipper into Album Packaging

The original Sticky Fingers sleeve combined Andy Warhol's artwork with a working zipper. Packaging designer Craig Braun helped turn the concept into a manufactured object. In his account, protecting records from the metal hardware required practical changes, illustrating how a striking visual idea could create an unexpectedly difficult production problem.

11. Richards Played Bass in John Lennon's Temporary Supergroup

Rock and Roll Circus brought together a one-off group called the Dirty Mac. John Lennon sang and played guitar, Eric Clapton played guitar, Mitch Mitchell played drums, and Keith Richards switched to bass. The unusual lineup is documented in the film's official release materials, alongside the Stones' own performance.

12. Copacabana Drew an Estimated Crowd of 1.5 Million

The Stones gave a free concert on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on February 18, 2006. The audience is commonly estimated at about 1.5 million people, rather than an exact ticket count. A Bigger Bang: Live on Copacabana Beach preserves the event as a concert film.

13. Brian Jones Helped Give Paint It Black Its Sitar Sound

Brian Jones played sitar on “Paint It Black,” adding a distinctive texture to the Stones' 1966 hit. Keith Richards credited that contribution with changing the character of the recording. It is a concrete example of the instrumental experimentation that broadened their early blues-based sound.

14. Bill Wyman Developed a Metal Detector

Bassist Bill Wyman's interests extend to archaeology and metal detecting. On his own website, he describes finding Roman coins and other objects around his Suffolk home and nearby fields. He also helped create a signature detector intended for beginners, turning an enthusiasm away from the stage into a separate project.

15. Anybody Seen My Baby Has Two Unexpected Co-Writers

The writing credits for “Anybody Seen My Baby?” include k.d. lang and Ben Mink as well as Jagger and Richards. Richards later explained that his daughter and her friend noticed its resemblance to “Constant Craving.” The overlap led to shared credits, an unusual connection between a Stones single and lang's earlier hit.