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the Rolling Stones
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The Rolling Stones The original lineup The Rolling Stones, 1982 Mick Jagger stands on stage at Madison Square Garden, holding a microphone aloft while performing under dramatic blue stage lights. Keith Richards Ron Wood, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones perform on stage under blue lights at Ciudad Deportiva Sports Complex in Havana, Cuba. Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones performs energetically on stage in a black and silver jacket, with a drummer and drum set visible in the background. Mick Jagger wearing a black suit, patterned scarf, and bow tie, smiling while walking outdoors at the Palace of Versailles during the King Charles III State Visit to France. Mick Jagger in 1964, wearing a dark coat and tie, standing outdoors beside a vehicle with an open door and a modern building in the background. Mick Jagger, wearing a yellow jacket and red pants, performs energetically on stage while pointing toward the crowd during a 1978 Rolling Stones concert.
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Publicity still of Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock in 1957. (cinema, movies, motion pictures, film)
Rock Music and Rock ’n’ Roll
the Beatles. George Harrison. Publicity still from Let It Be (1970) directed by Michael Lindsay Hogg starring The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr) a British musical quartet. film documentary rock music movie
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Close-up of an old sitar against a colorful background. (music, India)
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the Rolling Stones: References & Edit History

Additional Reading

The story of the Rolling Stones is told most effectively in Stanley Booth, The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones (1985, originally published as Dance with the Devil: The Rolling Stones and Their Times); though Victor Bockris, Keith Richards: The Biography (1998), has much to recommend it; and Philip Norman, The Life and Good Times of the Rolling Stones (1989), is undeniably solid and workmanlike. As an evocation of the sheer craziness that surrounded the Stones at the peak of both their powers and their infamy, Robert Greenfield, S.T.P.: A Journey Through America with the Rolling Stones (1974), provides an illuminating fly-on-the-wall account of the band’s 1972 American tour. Bob Spitz, The Rolling Stones: The Biography (2026) is another fine account of the band’s history.

Several of the band’s members have released memoirs. Notable among these are Bill Wyman and Ray Coleman, Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock ’n’ Roll Band  (1990) and Keith Richards and James Fox, Life (2010).

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Representative Works

  • “It’s All Over Now” (1964)
  • “The Last Time” (1965)
  • “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965)
  • Beggars Banquet (1968)
  • “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968)
  • “Street Fighting Man” (1968)
  • “Honky Tonk Women” (1969)
  • Let It Bleed (1969)
  • Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970)
  • “Brown Sugar” (1971)
  • Sticky Fingers (1971)
  • Exile on Main St. (1972)
  • Hot Rocks 1964–71 (1972)
  • “It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll” (1974)
  • “Miss You” (1978)
  • “Emotional Rescue” (1980)
  • “Start Me Up” (1981)
  • “Undercover of the Night” (1983)
  • Jump Back: The Best of the Rolling Stones 1971–1993 (1993)
  • Voodoo Lounge (1994)
  • A Bigger Bang (2005)
  • Blue & Lonesome (2016)
  • Hackney Diamonds (2023)
  • Foreign Tongues (2026)

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Charles Shaar Murray
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Contributors

  • Matthew Sherman

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Invalidated site: TeachRock - The Rolling Stones. Sep 21, 2026
Added cross-references. Jul 30, 2026
Corrected display issue. Jul 21, 2026
Noted that they are tied with the Beatles for most number-one albums in Britain. Added top questions and links. Jul 19, 2026
Added Foreign Tongues and links and noted additional honors. Jul 09, 2026
Add new Web site: TeachRock - The Rolling Stones. Oct 02, 2025
Questions and answers added. Mar 14, 2025
Added Grammy win for best rock album in 2025. Feb 03, 2025
Add new Web site: Library of Congress - The Altamont festival. Nov 08, 2024
Media added. Sep 06, 2024
Added their album Hackney Diamonds and corrected several typos. Sep 05, 2024
Cross-references added. Oct 24, 2023
Links added. Apr 05, 2023
In the discussion of the band's enduring appeal, noted the death of Charlie Watts and that Steve Jordan replaced him on tour. Sep 27, 2021
Noted the death of Charlie Watts. Aug 24, 2021
Add new Web site: LiveAbout - A History of The Rolling Stones. Feb 17, 2021
Media added. Nov 12, 2018
Added the album Blue & Lonesome. Noted their Grammy Award for lifetime achievement and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and mentioned Jagger's knighthood. Aug 02, 2018
Add new Web site: AllMusic - The Rolling Stones. May 18, 2018
Media added. Nov 15, 2017
Add new Web site: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - The Rolling Stones. Apr 08, 2013
Added the celebration of the band's 50th anniversary in 2012, which included concerts and a retrospective documentary. Jan 21, 2013
In the Representative Works section, changed "Honky Tonk Woman" to "Honky Tonk Women." Nov 07, 2012
Media added. Feb 07, 2012
Add new Web site: Official Site of the Rolling Stones. Jan 04, 2011
Capitalized "Satanism." Aug 13, 2010
Added photograph. Aug 19, 2009
Added a mention of Shine a Light and put it in the context of other efforts to film the Rolling Stones. Jan 19, 2009
Article revised. Feb 09, 2000
Article added to new online database. Oct 21, 1999
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