Ronnie Wood / Charlie Watts
Birthdate: June 1st, 1947 / June 2nd, 1941
Band: The Rolling Stones
Instrument: Guitar and Bass / Drummer
Age in 2024: 77 / Passed in 2021, would have been 83
The Rolling Stones guitarist and bassist Ronnie Wood and former drummer Charlie Watts both celebrate their birthdays this month! Ronnie was born June 1st, 1947, as Ronald David Wood in Hillingdon, Middlesex, England, and Charlie was born February 6th, 1962, as Charles Robert Watts in Bloomsbury, London, England and unfortunately passed away in 2021.
A legendary band that hardly needs an introduction, the Rolling Stones is an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Their sound is associated with what defined the hard rock genre. Part of the British invasion of 1964, the first stable lineup included members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts. Jones was the original “leader” of the band before Jagger and Richards stepped up as songwriters and creative leads for the group. The Rolling Stones exuded the rebellious nature of youth and counterculture of the 1960s.
The Stones have had dozens of hits over their 60 plus year existence; throughout the early years having written “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Get Off of My Cloud,” and “Paint It Black” to name a few. All of these songs were international hits. Early on, they would play in the London clubs before signing on manager Andrew Loog Oldham, ex-manager of The Beatles. Oldham encouraged the rebellious and dirty-rocker appearance to counteract the more pristine and cleaner image that The Beatles had.
Their iconic tongue and lips logo was first created in the early 70s and used on the 1971 album Sticky Fingers. While Jagger asked art designer John Pasche for a tongue and lips that took imagery from Hindu goddess Kali, Pasche used Jagger’s look for what would eventually become an iconic symbol for the Rolling Stones.
Sticky Fingers would go on to become the first of eight consecutive number one studio albums in the U.S. for the Rolling Stones. They have also won three Grammy awards, in addition to one Grammy Lifetime Achievement award. The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. With an estimated 200 million record sales, the Rolling Stones are easily one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Most recently, the Stones released their 26th American studio album, Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material in eighteen years. Although their first album was released all the way back in 1964, the Rolling Stones have continued their legacy of rock and roll into the 21st century.
