Music Diary – 28th February

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 28th February!

Brian Jones (28th February 1942 – 3rd July 1969)

 

Happy birthday to Mr. Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones, who was born on the 28th February 1942 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (UK)!

At the age of 17, Brian received his first acoustic guitar from his parents as a birthday present. After quitting school, Jones moved to London, where he he crossed paths with people like Alexis Korner, Paul Jones and Jack Bruce. In 1962, Brian Jones was searching for musicians to found his own band. First, pianist Ian „Stu“ Stewart came along and shortly after that, singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards joined. And the group was called after the Muddy Waters song „Rollin‘ Stone“. On the 12th July 1962, the first live performance took place at the Marquee Club in London. Beside Jones, Jagger, Richards and Stewart, the line-up was completed by bassist Dick Taylor and drummer Tony Chapman. On the 7th December 1962, Bill Wyman replaced Taylor and in January 1963 Charlie Watts took over the place from Chapman behind the drums.

Bill Wyman about Brian Jones and The Rolling Stones: „He formed the band. He chose the members. He named the band. He chose the music we played. He got us gigs. Very influential, very important, and then slowly lost it – highly intelligent – and just kind of wasted it and blew it all away.“

Brian Jones lost more and more the control of the band, because Jagger and Richards became the songwriting team of the Stones. Brian slipped into heavy drug problems over the years and in June 1969 he left the band and Mick Taylor became his substitute. Only one month later, Brian Jones was found dead in his swimming pool. On the 3rd July 1969 he passed away at the age of 27.

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Music Diary – 28th January

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 28th January!

Dick Taylor (The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things)

Happy birthday to Mr. Richard Clifford „Dick“ Taylor, who was born on the 28th January 1943 in Dartford, Kent (UK). Dick was the first bass player for The Rolling Stones back in 1962 and founded one year later the legendary The Pretty Things!

In the sixties, guitarist Dick Taylor attended the Sidcup Art College in London and during that time, he played with singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards together in a group called „Little Boy Blue And The Blue Boys“. In July 1962 the trio joined Brian Jones and Ian Stewart, who founded the band „Rollin‘ Stones“. Since two guitarists were in the line-up, Dick took over the bass part. In November 1962, Dick Taylor left the band and returned to art college. Mr. Bill Wyman took over the place in December of the same year and became the new member of the now called The Rolling Stones.

In September 1963, Dick Taylor founded his own band The Pretty Things. Beside him as the guitarist, vocalist Phil May, Brian Pendleton on rhythm guitar, bassist John Stax and Pete Kitley on drums completed the line-up. They recorded over 10 studio albums and are still active and performing. Dick Taylor worked also with other bands, like The Mekons, and he produced Hawkwind’s self-titled debut album in 1970.

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Music Diary – 18th December

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 18th December!

Keith Richards & Bobby Keys (THE ROLLING STONES)

This day is a very special one, because two great musicians have their birthdays on the same day. Well, I mean EXACTLY on the same day! And – both are Rolling Stones: Mr. Keith Richards and Robert Henry „Bobby“ Keys were born on the 18th December 1943! Or as it Keith pointed it out in his book „Life„: „We were born approximately at the same time, certainly in different cities: He in Lubbock (Texas, USA), me in Dartford (Kent, UK). My best friend Bobby Keys.“

More about this fact (from the offical tourbook „Voodoo Lounge – World Tour1994/1995″):

„Born on the same day, month and year as Keith Richards, Texas Saxman Bobby Keys was made to play with the Stones. He made his debut – and introduced horns on the Stones sound – on the song ‚Live with me‚ off 1969’s ‚Let it Bleed‚ album. But it’s his distinctive blend with Keith’s guitar on ‚Brown Sugar‚ riff two years later that really made him indispensable, although Keys calls it a one-take special. He says, he first met the band long before he began recording and touring with them. ‚I met the Stones when I played with Bobby Vee back in 1963′, he says. ‚It was their first trip to the USA. I met them in San Antonio, Texas, at the ‚Dick Clarke Teenage World Fair‘.“

Bobby Keys passed away on the 2nd December 2014. Keith has twittered this note on that very sad day:

(c) Twitter (Keith Richards)

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Music Diary – 11th December

Welcomt to my Music Diary – today for the 11th December!

Happy birthday to bass player Darryl Jones, who was born on the 11th December 1961 in Chicago! Also called „The Munch“, Darryl started his career as a session man. One of the first recordings he did with Vince Wilburn Jr, who was the nephew of Jazz musician Miles Davis. At that time Miles was looking for a new bass player and so Vince vouched for him. The consequence: Trumpet player Miles Davis mentored Darry Jones and gave him his first touring gig in 1983. Jones‘ bass playing can be heard on the two albums „Decoy“ (1984) and „You’re Under Arrest“ (1985). Over the years Darryl Jones recorded with a lot of great musicians of all genres, like Herbie Hancock, Mike Stern, John Scofield, Bob Dylan, Cher, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Eric Clapton and Joan Armatrading.

In 1993 he joined The Rolling Stones and replaced Billy Wyman. Since he has started working for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, he played on the Stones albums „Voodoo Lounge“ (1994), „Bridges to Babylon“ (1997) and „A Bigger Bang“ (2005). His playing is also featured on the live LPs „Stripped“ (1995), „No Security“ (ed. 1998), „Live Licks“ (ed. 2004), „Shine a Light“ (2006) and „Hyde Park Live“ (2013) and  for the Stones.  Darryl Jones is also a member of the Musical band Stone Raiders.

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Music Diary – 13th November

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 13th November!

On the 13th November 1964 the Rolling Stones single „Little Red Rooster“ was released. The single became a No. 1 hit in the UK. The song is a cover version of the Blues classic by Willie Dixon and it was also recorded by musicians like Howlin‘ Wolf and Sam Cooke.

The Rolling Stones recorded the song on 2nd September 1964 and it was produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. For the b-side the track „Off the Hook“ was chosen.

For the Rolling Stones biographer Sean Egan it was a „Brian Jones‚ record. He was always the biggest Blues purist in the band.“ And bass player Bill Wyman remembers the recording: „‚Little Red Rooster'“ was a slow, intense Blues song, totally uncommercial and wrong for our new-found fame. The tempo made the track virtually undanceable.“ And Mick Jagger recalls: „The reason we recorded ‚Little Red Rooster‘ isn’t because we want to bring Blues to the masses. We’ve been going on and on about blues, so we thought it was about time we stopped talking and did something about it. We liked that particular song, so we released it.“

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Music Diary – 24th October

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 24th October!

Bill Wyman

Happy birthday to Mr. William George Perks „Bill“ Wyman, who was born on the 24th October 1936 in Penge, Kent (UK). Bill Wyman was the bassist for The Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1993. Hired officially on the 7th December 1962, he announced his leaving after the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tours (1989 – 1990) in January 1993. Darryl Jones took over his place and Bill started in 1997 his own band Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings (featuring Albert Lee and Georgie Fame).

When Bill joined The Rolling Stones in 1962, the band was also impressed by his instrument and amplifiers. Wyman was married, employed and the oldest member of the Stones at their beginning. Drummer Charlie Watts followed in January 1963 and so the classic line up was complete with Mick Jagger (Vocals, Harmonica), Keith Richards (Guitar), Brian Jones (Guitar) and Ian Stewart (Keyboards). With the release (7th June 1963) of the first single „Come On“ (Chuck Berry cover) the legendary history of The Rolling Stones has been started.

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Music Diary – 7th June

Welcomt to my Music Diary – today for the 7th June!

On the 7th June 1963, the debut single „Come on“ by The Rolling Stones was released. The song was written and already released by Chuck Berry in 1961. For the flip side the Stones also choosed a cover version – Willie Dixon’s „I want to be loved“. Both tracks were recorded on the 10th May 1963 at the Olympic Sound Studios in London. The single reached No. 21 on the UK chart.

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Music Diary – 14th April

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 14th April!

On the 14th April 1963, The Rolling Stones played at the legendary Crawdaddy Club in Richmond, Surrey (UK). And among the visitors, the four Beatles were also in the audience.

Keith Richards remembers:
„Brian wanted to be a pop star the minute he saw the Beatles. He got left behind in the crush and someone asked him for his autograph. Success went to Brian’s head immediately. And the more successful we became, the more he thought it interfered with his compatibility with the band, the more he thought he was involved in a competition with me and Mick.“

Mick Jagger continues:
„Keith liked the Beatles because he was quite interested in their chord sequences. He also liked their harmonies, which were always a slight problem to the Rolling Stones. Keith always tried to get the harmonies off the ground but they always seemed messy. What we never really got together were Keith and Brian singing backup vocals. It didn’t work, because Keith was a better singer and had to keep going, oooh, ooh ooh (laughs). Brian liked all those oohs, which Keith had to put up with. Keith was always capable of much stronger vocals than ooh ooh ooh.“

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Music Diary – 18th March

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 18th March!

On the 18th March 1965, Bill Wyman and Brian Jones had an urgent necessity: The two Rolling Stones musicians tried to take a pee at a petrol station in Rumford, Essex (UK). As they were refused to access the toilet, Brian and BIll urinated against the wall of a garage. Shortly after that, a cop showed up and finally the two were fined £5 ($8.50) for urinating in a public place.

Keith Richards remembers:
„One night coming back from a gig in North London, Bill Wyman, who has this prodigious bladder, decided he wanted to have a pee. So we told the driver to stop. The car is full up with people and a few other people say: ‚Yeah, I could get into that. Let’s take a pee.‘ So we leap out and we had chosen a gas station that looked closed but it wasn’t. There we are, up against the wall, spraying away. And suddenly this guy steps out. And a cop flashes his torch on Bill’s cock and says: ‚All right. What you up to then?‘ And that was it. The next day it was all in the papers. Bill was accused and Brian was accused of insulting language. Because what they did them for was not peeing but for trespassing. The thing with Bill is – and this is one of the best kept secrets in the Rolling Stones – that he has probably got one of the biggest bladders in human existence. When that guy gets out of a car to take a pee you know you aren’t going to move for 15 minutes. I mean it’s not the first time it happened to him. To my knowledge, Bill has never done one in under 5 minutes.“ („Keith Richards on Keith Richards: Interviews and Encounters“ by Sean Egan)

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UPDATES!

Hey Musicmaniacs all around the world!

I did some updates for the section „Concerts – July“ and uploaded tons of pictures (especially for the entries of Tom Waits and Woven Hand) – check them out:
https://melomaneblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/concerts-july

Cheers and spread the word!

Alex Melomane