The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. Diverging from the pop rock of the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, heavier-driven sound that would come to define hard rock.

The band's first stable line-up consisted of vocalist Mick Jagger, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, guitarist Keith Richards, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts. Jones left the band less than a month before his death in 1969, having already been replaced by Mick Taylor, who left in 1974. Since then, Ronnie Wood has been on guitar in tandem with Richards.

The Rolling Stones were at the forefront of the British Invasion of bands that became popular in the United States in 1964. They were identified with the youthful and rebellious counterculture of the 1960s, styled themselves as the "bad boys" of rock and roll, and were initially portrayed as a dangerous opposite to the Beatles.

Rooted in blues and early rock and roll, the Rolling Stones started out playing covers but found more success with their own material. As songwriters, Jagger and Richards formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships in music history. A number of their albums are considered among the greatest of all time, including Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), and Some Girls (1978).

The Rolling Stones have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. They have had 13 number-one singles in the UK and 23 top-ten hits in the US. In 1989, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.