Mick Jagger and Keith Richards first met Brian Jones 60 years ago today on April 7th, 1962 at the Ealing Jazz Club in London, a meeting that ultimately led to the formation of The Rolling Stones.
At the time, Jones was performing in a duo called Elmo and Paul with future Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones. Brian was then a member of Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, which included piano player Ian Stewart and drummer Charlie Watts, which ultimately led to Jagger and Richards playing with the band.
On May 2nd, 1962, Brian placed an ad looking for bandmates in Jazz Weekly and Stewart was the first to respond. In June, Jagger and Richards left Blues Incorporated and, along with good friend, bassist Dick Taylor, joined Jones and Stewart.
Bill Wyman also auditioned for bass on December 7th, 1962 and was hired as a successor to Taylor, who left to go to school and eventually formed the group Pretty Things, where he played drums. Charlie Watts soon joined in playing drums and the classic Rolling Stones lineup played for the first time in public on Saturday, January 12th, 1963 at the Ealing Club.
Wyman commented on the late Brian Jones, saying, "Brian Jones created the Rolling Stones. It was Brian Jones who wanted to form a blues band. It was Brian Jones who gave The Rolling Stones their name. It was Brian Jones who chose the music we would play. It was Brian Jones who was the biggest star in the band. It was Brian Jones who got all the fan mail and all the girls. Not as people would think Mick Jagger and Keith Richards."
The Rollin Stones will celebrate their 60th anniversary later this spring and summer with a huge European tour, called Sixty, it starts June 1st in Madrid, Spain.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]