Tag Archives: Mick Jagger

Music Monday: December 26, 2022

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

Music Monday

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Well, we are at the end of another year. This time next week we will be in 2023. I want to thank you all for being here for the last 365 days. It means so much to me. I appreciate all of you. And I look forward to you joining me in the new year which I hope is a good one for all of us.

While celebrating all things Christmas for the last 25 days, I missed an important music birthday: Keith Richards turned 79 years young. The long time Rolling Stone guitarist & one half of the group’s prolific songwriting team was born December 16, 1943 in Dartford, Kent, England.

For 60 years The Stones have done it all, from being part of the British Invasion to defining classic rock to playing with their own musical heroes to reaching legendary status. And Richards has been one of the most recognizable faces behind the band with a sound that helped put The Stones in their rightful place in music & cultural history. I chose today’s song because I hope it is something will all get to be in 2023.

Happy birthday, Keith & Happy New Year to all of you.

“Always took candy from strangers
Didn’t wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day“.

Stones 2010

The Rolling Stones circa 2000 (L to R):  Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood.  (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Happy” (1972, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

Stay safe and well.

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Music Monday: July 25, 2022

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

Music Monday

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

July is filled with several high profile musical birthdays. In fact, there are so many I broke them up into two separate posts to do the artists justice. Last week we focused on the women. This week it is all about the men.

First up is the man who made a triumphant return to music in 2006 after a self-imposed career sabbatical that lasted way too long. Yusuf Islam, commonly known as Yusuf f/k/a Cat Stevens, turned 74 this month. He was born July 21, 1948 in Marylebone, London, England and was one of the most prominent voices of the early 1970’s. He is best know for the hits “Peace Train”, “Wild World”, “Morning Has Broken”, “Father & Son” along with the stunning soundtrack to the 1971 black (yet incredibly endearing) comedy, “Harold & Maude”.

Cat Stevens

Cat Stevens n/k/a Yusuf pictured in the early 1970’s. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The man with the voice behind one of the greatest songs ever recorded was born July 26, 1940 in Simonton, Texas. Dobie Gray started singing gospel music as a child in church. By 1964 he had his first hit with “The In Crowd“. But he is best known for one of today’s songs, a Top Ten hit from 1973, which has become a classic rock anthem. The same year he did a beautiful cover of the Tom Jans classic, “Loving Arms“. Gray’s career spanned several genres of music including soul, R&B, pop & country. Sadly, he died in 2011 at the age of 71.

Dobie

Dobie Gray circa 1972. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

One of the most famous, charismatic & influential front men of all time is turning 79 years young tomorrow. Sir Michael Philip Jagger was born July 26, 1943 in Dartford, Kent, England. He & The Rolling Stones, are celebrating their 60th year together with only Jagger & his song writing partner & guitarist Keith Richards as the band’s last two original members after the death of drummer Charlie Watts nearly one year ago. The group went on tour last year in the late drummer’s honor and are a lock as one of the world’s greatest bands in music history.

Jagger

Mick Jagger circa 1978. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Yusuf f/k/a Cat Stevens: “Trouble” (1970, written by Cat Stevens).

Dobie Gray: “Drift Away” (1973, written by Mentor Williams).

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

Stay safe and well.

Music Monday: June 6, 2022

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to the first edition of Music Monday for June.

Music Monday

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Two members of The Rolling Stones share the same birthday month. Guitarist Ron Wood celebrated birthday number 75 on June 1. Before he joined the band in 1976, he made a name for himself in The Jeff Beck Group, The Faces and with Rod Stewart. Their 1993 collaboration on Unplugged…..and Seated remains one of my favorites from that series.

Original member Charlie Watts was born June 2, 1941 in London, England. We lost the stylish dashing drummer last August & it hurt in a way I never saw coming. We all know musicians age like the rest of us but when a band is together for nearly 60 years, you start to believe they will outlive us all. Maybe that is just me. But what an ache Watts left behind in all of us who love The Stones.

Today’s song is in my permanent Top 10 list. It has been that way since the first time I heard it. It does not feature Wood but it is still one of the band’s greatest tracks of all time. It is from their 1969 Let It Bleed album and has been one of their signature tunes since then. I cannot even imagine my life without this monumental song in it. I am pretty sure Martin Scorsese feels the same way.

“A storm is threatening
My very life today
If I don’t get some shelter
I’m gonna fade away“.

Stones 2010

The Rolling Stones circa 2010 (L-R): Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Gimme Shelter” (1969, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

Stay safe & well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 528

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Aug 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On Day 442 we celebrated Charlie Watts 80th birthday, which was June 2. Today we say goodbye to the legendary Rolling Stones drummer who died on August 24. Aside from this being a tremendous loss for his family, the band and for music, it is truly the end of an era. The group that spent nearly 60 years together-with the core members playing together for 31 years until Bill Wyman retired in 1993-remained intact as one of the most influential & driving forces in music history.

From the moment he became The Stones permanent drummer in February 1963, Watts kept the beat-strong, steady, constant & true-while his bandmates played more flamboyant roles. And despite being in one of the most successful groups of all time, Watts led a relatively simple life compared to the others. Married since 1964 to Shirley Ann Shepherd, the two became parents in 1968 to their daughter & eventually grandparents to her daughter. A bout with throat cancer in 2004 sidelined the group who did not resume recording until Watts was ready.

Between his quiet demeanor & sophisticated attire, he almost appeared out of step with the rest of the band. But if not for his rhythm, presence and innovative style, The Rolling Stones sound would not have been what it was. They hit the #1 spot on the US charts for one week on March 4, 1967 with today’s song. Fifty four years later, it seems a fitting tribute to the man we lost on Tuesday. Rest in peace, Charles Robert Watts.

“Goodbye Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you
When you change with every new day
Still I’m gonna miss you“.

CW1

Stones

KR IG page

Top: Charlie Watts circa 1990. Middle: The Rolling Stones circa 2005 (L-R): Keith Richards, Watts, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood. Bottom: Richards’ poignant social media tribute to Watts. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Ruby Tuesday” (1967, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 497

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Mick Jagger was born on July 26, 1943 in England making today his 78th birthday. He & the rest of his bandmates in The Rolling Stones have been making music together for nearly 60 years. In that time Jagger has established himself as one of the most recognizable & iconic lead singers of all time.

Today’s song is from the band’s 1966 album, Aftermath. It was released with two slightly different song listings for both a US & UK edition. It was the group’s first record to have all original songs written by Jagger & Keith Richards including “Mother’s Little Helper”, “Under My Thumb” and “Paint It Black”. But I consider today’s track to be my favorite. Here’s to 100 more birthdays for Sir Michael Philip Jagger.

“The girl who wants to run away
Discovers that she’s had her day
It’s no good your thinking that you are still mine
You’re out of touch my baby“.

Stones

Mick

Top: The Rolling Stones circa 1965 clockwise from lower left: Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman. Bottom: Jagger circa 2010. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Out Of Time” (1966, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 483

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Sixteen years after they released their first record together, The Rolling Stones had the #1 album in America on July 15, 1978 with Some Girls. But over a decade earlier, on July 10, 1965, the band had the top hit in the country. It stayed in the #1 spot for four consecutive weeks and went on to become one of their signature songs.

The backstory is Keith Richards wrote this in his sleep. He actually does not remember waking up to write it down but when he got up in the morning, there it was scribbled on the pad on top of his bedside table. If there was any doubt that man was not suppose to have a legendary career in music, that one story alone ended the speculation.

It has been used in dozens of TV shows & movies with great effect. For me it was most memorable when it played as Don Draper walked out of the New York Athletic Cub into the blaring hot summer sun after he started swimming to keep his drinking in check during the season 4 episode 8 of “Mad Men”. When my favorite songs collide with my favorite shows, all is right in my world.

“When I’m watchin’ my TV and a man comes on and tells me
How white my shirts can be
But he can’t be a man ’cause he doesn’t smoke
The same cigarettes as me”.

Les Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones circa 1965 (L-R):  Bill Wyman, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones and Charlie Watts.  (Image found online.  Original source unknown).  

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

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 473

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Tom Petty music quote

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On June 17, 1972 The Rolling Stones had the #1 album in the United States with Exile On Main Street. It was released a month earlier and reached the top spot with some help from today’s song. It was the record’s first single released in April of the same year which became a #7 hit for the band.

Linda Ronstadt did an excellent cover of this tune on her 1977 album Simple Dreams. Her version was featured as part of her concert footage for the 1978 movie “FM”. It has more of a pop/country feel where The Stones original track possesses a soulful edge courtesy of three fabulous female R&B singers on backing vocals.

“Honey got no money
I’m all sixes and sevens and nines
Say now baby, I’m the rank outsider
You can be my partner in crime”.

exile on main

Rolling Stones, Jagger, Mick & Richards, Mick

Top:  The Rolling Stones’ 1972 album, Exile On Main Street.  Bottom:  Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on stage at MSG, NYC. July 24, 1972. © Bob Gruen / http://www.bobgruen.com   (Images found online.  Original sources unknown).  

The Rolling Stones: “Tumbling Dice” (1972, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 442

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

June 2021 blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

We have two Rolling Stones birthdays to begin this new month with. Guitarist, & songwriter Ron Wood, born June 1, 1947 in England, turns 74 today. June 2 marks the 80th birthday for drummer Charlie Watts, also born in England, in 1941.

The band released today’s song in the US on June 1, 1968, which happened to be Wood’s 21st birthday. But it would be seven years before he played his first show with the group that would later make him a member. Before that he was a member of The Jeff Beck Group where he met Rod Stewart.

The two men went on to form The Faces in 1969. Together they wrote one of my favorite songs of all time, 1971’s “Stay With Me” (Day 218). The same year, Wood played & contributed songs to Stewart’s 1971 breakthrough album, Every Picture Tells A Story. In 1975, Wood joined The Rolling Stones but remains friends with Stewart, whom he joined for his MTV Unplugged show in 1993.

Watts has been in The Stones since their formation in 1963. His grew up listening to jazz music & started playing the drums when he was 14. He also attended art school & worked as a graphic designer in addition to his work in the band, Blues Incorporated. Playing shows with them in and around the London club circuit is how he came to meet the members of The Stones.

Today’s song was a #3 hit for the band in 1969. In 1986, when it was covered by Aretha Franklin for the movie of the same name, it hit #21. Wood & song co-writer Keith Richards played guitar on her track & appeared in the video as well. Her version is, of course, spectacular because Franklin is The Queen. But it was The Stones version that was used in the movie “Pirate Radio” when Gavin Kavanagh returned to the airwaves, so that makes it my favorite version forever. Happy birthday Ron Wood and Charlie Watts. May you both see 100 more.

“I was drowned I was washed up
And left for dead
I fell down to my feet
And I saw they bled“.

Stones 1978

The-Rolling-Stones

Top: The Rolling Stones circa 1978 (L-R): Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Ron Wood, Bill Wyman and Keith Richards. Bottom: The Stones circa 2008 (L-E): Watts, Richards, Jagger and Wood. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (1968, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 376

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

March 2021 Blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Fifty years ago The Rolling Stones famous logo made its debut. On March 26, 1971 the band’s lips and tongue trademark appeared on their VIP passes for the Marquee Club show in London, making their emblem one of the most identifiable ones in the world.

The same year today’s song hit #1 in four countries including the US and it peaked at #2 hit on the UK charts. It features another one of the band’s iconic guitar riffs and a smoking sax solo by Bobby Keys. The track is from the Stones 1971 Sticky Fingers album which had another legendary picture related to the group-the infamous Andy Warhol designed photo of a man’s crotch area featuring a functional zipper. The Rolling Stones were masters of both innovative music & iconic images.

“I bet your mama was a tent show queen
And all her boyfriends were sweet sixteen
I’m no schoolboy but I know what I like
You shoulda heard me just around midnight“.

Lips logo

Sticky Fingers

Stones 1971

Top: The Rolling Stones lips & tongue logo. Middle: The Sticky Fingers album cover. Bottom: The Stones circa 1971 (L-R): Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor. (Images found online.  Original sources unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Brown Sugar” (1971, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 349

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Feb 2021 Blog

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

The stories of bands throughout history seem to follow one of two paths: They fight with each other and when they fail to achieve success they break up. Or, they fight with each other, achieve great success and break up. In both instances they may reunite again after some time passed but not always. Rarely does a band stay together for too long and it is almost unheard of that one stays together for nearly six decades. That esteemed privilege belongs to The Rolling Stones.

Of course, there have been many changes to the band in those 60 years. Personnel changes, personal changes, musical direction changes, addiction issues, legal issues and so on. And the very first storm they weathered was the loss of the man who founded the band, Brian Jones.

He was born 79 years ago today on Feb 28, 1942 in England. Both of his parents played the piano and passed their love of music on to their son. Jones played in a few groups before placing an ad in 1962 for a blues band. Mick Jagger answered it & brought Keith Richards along for a rehearsal where he joined the group as well, forming the nucleus of the band Jones would name after the Muddy Waters song, “Rollin’ Stone”.

Their success began with today’s song, a cover of a Bobby Womack song which was the group’s first #1 hit in the UK in 1964. Despite the success of the record the group’s manager & producer encouraged the band to write their own songs like The Beatles were doing. Once the Jagger & Richards songwriting team started to see success, the group started moving away from the blues to more of a rock sound.

Thus began problems between Jones & the rest of the band, which when combined with his drug arrests, paternity issues, alleged mood swings and other issues led to him being fired from The Stones in June 1969. A month later, he was found dead in his swimming pool at the age of 27, drowned presumably as an involuntary result of substance abuse. A very sad ending for a man who gave us The Rolling Stones.

“Well, she used to run around with every man in town
She spent all my money, playing her high class game
She put me out, it was a pity how I cried
Tables turn and now her turn to cry“.

Stones 1964

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

The Rolling Stones: “It’s All Over Now” (1964. written by Bobby Womack & Shirley Womack).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.