dorling kindersley books

Below are some extracts from each chapter of Rolling With The Stones. This is just a little taster of a remarkable collection of memories - to find out more, you'll have to buy the book!

Birth of a Band (October '36 - December '62)

Where to begin? Well, I could start with myself, as I'm the oldest, or possibly Keith, the youngest of the original Rolling Stones. But I think it should be Brian, because we were his brainchild and it was Brian who named us. He was the driving force behind the band in the early days. Brian was the original Rolling Stone

Our parents were born around the time of the Great War (1914 - 1918). We came from different backgrounds, which was unusual for a band that emerged from the beat boom of the early 1960's. But then again, we were always different from other groups….

We are the Rolling Stones (January '63 - June '64)

We began 1963 as we ended 1962, with a gig at the Ealing Club. It would prove to be one of the few things that were the same about these two years. On that first Saturday in January, I took the train to Ealing and met the others in the ABC Café, which was next door to the club. As I walked in they all jumped up and cheered. Gone was my quiff, I had combed my hair forward…I was a Rolling Stone…

Pop Tourists (September '63 to June '64)

This tour was extremely exciting for us, not just because it was out first, but because it included two of our heroes along with the Everly Brothers who were genuine superstars - even if they were on the wane…

Going Global (June '64 to March '65)

I started 1965 by letting one of our fans see some of the stuff I had collected since we started. I began in order to show my son Stephen that his dad had been in a band. I thought that we would have a couple of years, maybe four at a pinch. Well, we'd had two so far and I had already collected a lot...

Travellin' Band (March to December '65)

The Stones' first European tour was a short but enjoyable trip to Scandinavia. It also passed off relatively calmly and without major incident, except for Mick and myself being electrocuted at the first gig!…

1966 And All That (January to December '66)

January 1966 was something of a relief as we had some time to ourselves. It was a chance to get things organised in our personal lives. I pursued interests outside of the band and my major domestic priority was the move to our new house in Keston. Diane and I shopped for new furniture, carpets and other things that we had not previously been able to afford. We also got a nanny for Stephen…

Dusted and Busted (January '67 to July '67)

A wedding and a parting started 1967 and, as the year unfolded, there would be a bust, a flop, a trial, a refusal, African travels, and appeal, a tour, a single and an album - and all before the end of June…

Oh, What A Circus (August '67 to December '68)

Rock journalist Keith Altham interviewed me for the NME in August 1967. 'Mick now feels that he is old enough to get into something new. I know that Charlie couldn't care less but, if Mick and Keith suddenly decided on something different, I suppose we would do it. Our fans have got married and turned into a record buying public rather than one which goes to stage shows. ' I certainly got that part wrong…

The Sky Is Crying (January '69 - December '69)

Brian was just 27 when he died and he lived much of his adult life in the spotlight. The temptations that money afforded were plain to see. Insecure, complicated Brian was tempted more than most - much more than I…

Goodbye and Bonjour (December '69 to November '72)

The day after Altamont, Astrid and I flew to Stockholm for three days to stay with her family. It was the perfect antidote to a nightmare. Altamont was the end of the Swinging Sixties - the dream was over. Back in England, Mick and Marianne were up in court again and we were preparing to become tax exiles. As the music press wrote us off, we came back at them with our biggest European tour to date...

Road Works (November '72 to June '79)

We got back to France in early March and had some time to ourselves, the first period in quite a while that I had relaxed. When we got back to recording, it started slowly, a feature that would become a habit over the coming years. A certain Mr Ronnie Wood would become a part of our scene….

Still Rolling (June '79 to the present)

If Winston Churchill could have his Wilderness Years then so could the Stones. Changing attitudes and changing times meant that we all needed to rethink our situation. After nearly 20 years together - an unprecedented time for a rock band - there were tension and difficulties that need to be resolved.