Imagine Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as school buds in 1950…a strange picture, I’m sure. Partially because I can’t imagine Jagger looking conventional in a school boy’s outfit, and partially because it’s almost impossible now to think of a time before the iconic duo fell in love with the blues and gave us the great gift of what would soon become The Rolling Stones.
The two attended primary school together in Dartford, a town on the eastern side of London, before the Richards family moved away to a different neighborhood. Separately, they each developed a love for rock n’ roll.
Jagger would play Saturday night shows whenever he could. “I used to do mad things- you know,” said Jagger, “I used to go and do these shows and go on my knees and roll on the ground when I was 15, 16 years old.”
The old friends crossed paths again on the morning of October 17th, 1961, on platform 2 of Dartford Train Station.
Jagger was carrying two albums with him- Rockin’ at the Hops by Chuck Berry, and The Best of Muddy Waters, and Richards was carrying his guitar. The two struck up a conversation immediately due to their obvious common interest.
Richards invited Jagger over for tea that afternoon (another site hard to picture), and after listening to some records Jagger invited the amateur guitar player to join his band, “Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys.” Not as crisp and hot of a name as The Rolling Stones, but one of my personal favorite temporary band names of the 60s, compared to the Beatles “Long John and the Silver Beatles,” or Pink Floyd’s “The Tea Set.” Less than a year later, the Rolling Stones played their first official gig.
The band played their first official gig on July 12th, 1962 at the Marquee Club on London’s Oxford Street. The club’s regular Thursday night entertainers, Alex Corner’s Blues Incorporation, were invited to play a BBC broadcast, but the guy who ran the Marquee Club was not having any of that, and threatened Corner’s regular spot. Guitarist Brian Jones persuaded the owner to let his new group fill in.
Jones called the local listings paper, Jazz News, to advertise the gig. According to legend, Jones was asked on the phone what the band was called. The Best of Muddy Waters LP being close by, Jones’s eyes darter to the first song, “Rolling Stone.”
Jagger admitted to Rolling Stone Magazine that he feels a bit uneasy about celebrating the anniversary at this time. “It’s not the same band, you know,” said Jagger. “Still the same name. It’s only Keith and myself that are the same people, I think.” Either way, Jagger recognizes the achievement, and is very proud of how far the band has come.
On that summers night in ’62, the lineup consisted of Jagger on lead vocals, guitarists Brian Jones and Keith Richards, pianist Ian Stewart and bassist Dick Taylor. No one is certain on the drummer at the time, as some insist it was the group’s early drummer Tony Chapman, while Richards has said it was friend Mick Avory.
No matter the lineup mix-up, 50 years ago today everything changed. The Stones played one of their most important gigs that would lead them to become a huge part of the British Invasion and icons in Rock n’ Roll that will be celebrated for years to come.
The band is hoping to do a tour or live performance to celebrate at some point next year.