Tag Archives: Mick Jagger & Keith Richards

Music Monday: June 2, 2025

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Solomon Burke was born 85 years ago on March 21, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was one of the pioneers of R&B and soul music in the 1960’s. Before his death 15 years ago on October 10, 2010 at age 70, he released 38 studio albums in his 55 year career as a professional singer.

Solomon Burke circa 1962. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

He was signed to Apollo Records when he was only 15 years old in 1955. Five years later he signed with Atlantic Records. Under the guidance of label co-owner Jerry Wexler, Burke’s voice & his string of hit records not only established the range and depth of his talent, it also kept Atlantic afloat after powerhouse performer Ray Charles left for ABC Records in 1959. Burke’s sound and influence reached an array of future performers almost instantly, especially the members of The Rolling Stones.

They may have released their debut album in the U.S. in May 1964, but it was 60 years ago in 1965 when they really established themselves as a force to be reckoned with thanks to two significant albums. The Rolling Stones, Now!​ is their third American studio album of mostly cover songs. It was released in the U.S. in February 1965 and the opening track is a cover of Solomon Burke’s 1964 hit.

The album also includes includes the Don Raye song, “Down The Road A Piece”, Allen Toussaint’s “Pain In My Heart” and Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster”. The Stones performed my favorite version of his track during a 1989 Pay-per-view concert where they were joined by Eric Clapton.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Out of Our Heads was released in July 1965 and also includes another Burke classic from 1962. The album’s highlight, however, is The Stones’ first #1 hit, a Jagger-Richards song released as a single in the U.S. 60 years ago on June 4, 1965. A month later, it hit the top spot where it stayed for four consecutive weeks.

Their second #1 hit, “Get Off of My Cloud” was released in Sept 1965 & hit #1 two months later for two consecutive weeks. Six more top selling songs would follow for the band, giving them a total of eight #1 songs in their career to date.

Top: The Rolling Stones album from July 1965. Bottom: From L-R: Charlie Watts (on drums), Mick Jagger and Solomon Burke on stage in 2002 in Los Angeles. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

Mick Jagger released his debut solo album in 1985. She’s The Boss premiered in the U.S. in February 1985 (a month later in the UK). It includes appearances by such high profile artists as Herbie Hancock, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck and Nile Rodgers, who also co-produced the album with Jagger and bassist Bill Laswell. The album peaked at #13 in April 1985, with the first single reaching #12 a month earlier. Jagger released three more solo studio records, but his first was the most successful.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Special shout out to Ron Wood, who turned 78 on June 1. This year also marks his 50th year as a member of The Rolling Stones, whom he joined on Keith Richards’ invitation in 1975 after Mick Taylor’s departure.

Today also marks the 84th birth anniversary of the band’s drummer Charlie Watts, who was born June 2, 1941 in London, England. He passed away on August 24, 2021 at the age of 80 after a 59 year tenure with the band.

Charlie Watts (L) and Ron Wood (R) circa 2010. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Solomon Burke: “Cry To Me” (1962, written by Bert Berns).

Solomon Burke: “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” (1964, written by Bert Berns, Solomon Burke and Jerry Wexler).

The Rolling Stones: “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” (1965, written by Bert Berns, Solomon Burke and Jerry Wexler).

The Rolling Stones: “Cry To Me” (1965, written by Bert Berns).

The Rolling Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (1965, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

Mick Jagger: “Just Another Night” (1985, written by Mick Jagger).

Solomon Burke: “The Judgement” (2002, written by Elvis Costello and Cait O’Riordan).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: May 13, 2024

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Blog image for 2024

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The world has officially been listening to The Rolling Stones for six decades. Their first album was released 60 years ago in April 1964. It included covers of songs written by Willie Dixon (“I Just Want to Make Love to You”), Buddy Holly (“Not Fade Away”) and Rufus Thomas (“Walking The Dog”), along with one track written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (“Tell Me (You’re Coming Back)”).

We are blessed to still have both of those men from the group’s original lineup. As for the others, drummer Charlie Watts passed away in 2021, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones died in 1969 and bassist Bill Wyman retired in 1993.

When Jones placed an ad looking for musicians to form a band in 1962, he envisioned it to be one with a blues sound. But once the Jagger-Richards songwriting partnership took off, the group’s songs shifted more towards rock music. That and some other problems amongst the three men in addition to personal issues Jones was allegedly having led to him being fired from the band a month before his death in July 1969. He was, however, inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with his former bandmates in 1989.

But 25 years earlier, The Stones self-titled debut album introduced us to another band from England that shared their love of American music with us. And in 1964, nothing expressed that more than a cover of a Motown song, originally released in the fall of 1963 by my great musical love, Marvin Gaye. And The Stones answered the question asked in that song on the same album with the group effort, “Now I’ve Got a Witness”, which was credited to the band’s collective pseudonym of Nanker Phelge. Ladies & gentlemen, The Rolling Stones.

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The Stones 1964 self-titled debut album (L-R): Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and Mick Jagger. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Can I Get A Witness” (1964, written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland).

Stay safe & well.

Music Monday: Aug 7, 2023

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Music Monday.

Bruce quote 2023

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Rolling Stones celebrated three major milestones over the last several weeks. I believe that calls for a triple play from the band.

First, their dynamic, enigmatic and legendary frontman celebrated the big 8-0 last month. Sir Michael Philip Jagger was born July 26, 1943 in Dartford, UK. He has been the lead singer of the Stones from the first day they formed the band back in 1962. That is six decades of singing, co-writing the bulk of the group’s songs and taking center stage in every show they have ever performed. A staggering statistic anyway you look at it. He also recorded four solo albums along the way. Happy birthday, Mick Jagger.

In 1973, the Stones released their 13th American studio album, Goats Head Soup. It was released fifty years ago-August 1973-on the band’s own eponymous label which was founded in 1970. Our second feature today is my favorite track off this album and was released as the first single.

Five years later, the band released Some Girls in June 1978. Two months later, the last of today’s three songs hit the #1 spot on the U.S. Billboard chart for one week. The album also includes a salute to one of the Stones’ favorite genres-Motown-with a cover of the Temptations’ “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”. After 45 years and despite the controversy surrounding the lyrics on the title track, the album still holds up. But there are not many from The Rolling Stones that don’t.

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Top: The band circa 1963 (L-R): front: Jagger and Bill Wyman (front), Brian Jones (center), Charlie Watts and Keith Richards (top). Middle (L-R): Richards and Jagger sometime in the 1970’s. Bottom (L-R): Watts, Richards, Jagger, Ron Wood and Wyman sometime in the 1980’s. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Let’s Spend the Night Together” (1967, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

The Rolling Stones: “Angie” (1973, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

The Rolling Stones: “Miss You” (1978, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

Stay safe & well.

25 Days Of Christmas Songs: Day 6

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Hi, Vixens!!!  Welcome back to the countdown!!!

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Some of my faux trees & a reindeer from my decor.  (Image by me).  

I have been a fan of this woman’s since I was a kid.  After Aretha Franklin, she is my favorite female singer.  From the first time I heard “You’re No Good” I was hooked and never looked back.  After that came album after album of original music and covers of songs written by the likes of Warren Zevon (“Poor Poor Pitiful Me”), Smokey Robinson (“The Tracks of My Tears”), Chuck Berry (“Back In The USA”). Holland-Dozier-Holland (“Heatwave”), Eric Kaz & Libby Titus (“Love Has No Pride“-my absolute favorite version of this song), Phil Everly (“When Will I Be Loved”), Mick Jagger & Keith Richards (“Tumbling Dice”) and many others.

Despite being called “The Queen of Rock”, she has sung practically every type of music imaginable-rock, pop, country (I adore her “Trio” albums with Dolly Parton & Emmylou Harris), jazz, big band/standards (with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra) and Mexican.  She was also in one of my favorite movies ever (“FM”) and on Broadway (in “The Pirates of Penzance”).

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THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Linda Ronstadt, 1983, (c)Universal.  (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

She retired in 2011 and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.  She did not appear at the ceremony due to her announcement a year earlier that she could no longer sing as a result of Parkinson’s Disease.  Such a sad ending to her unbelievably powerful voice, enormous talent and incredibly lustrous career that earned her 11 Grammy Awards, 3 American Music Awards, 2 Academy of Country music Awards and many other accolades.

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Linda Ronstadt circa 1975 (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Before her HOF induction, Rhino Records put together a collection of duets with some of her previous collaborators and influences, many of whom happen to be some of the top female voices in history and several more of my favorites.  Two of the songs are covers from the movie “White Christmas.  I already love her solo version of  “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas“, but now I have added the two movie songs to my list.  One has nothing to do with Christmas, but since it was in the movie, I believe it qualifies for the countdown.

Linda Ronstadt and Rosemary Clooney:  “White Christmas”

Linda Ronstadt and Bette Midler:  “Sisters“.

I do not own the rights to the songs or the pictures of Linda Ronstadt.  I am just sharing some things that I love with you   🙂

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy listening!!!