The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones were a contender for the most beloved group in rock history, and unlike their main competition, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, they endured with most key members intact. The band was formed in London in 1962 by singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones, bassist Bill Wyman, drummer Charlie Watts and pianist Ian Stewart (who was demoted to sideman early on, but remained with them until his death in 1985).

From the start the Stones were perceived as the dangerous, outlaw alternative to the Beatles, giving them an exotic appeal to '60s teens. The truth was of course more complicated: the Stones were largely art-school kids while the Beatles were working-class, and Lennon/McCartney actually wrote the Stones' second hit, "I Wanna Be Your Man." But unlike the Beatles, the Stones were conceived as a blues band, and their early albums had faithful covers of Muddy Waters, Solomon Burke and Howlin' Wolf (The Beatles and Stones did have Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly in common).

A cover of "Time Is On My Side," by New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas, was the Stones' first major U.S. hit in fall 1964. Manager Andrew Oldham insisted that Jagger and Richards become a songwriting team, which proved a savvy move: One of their early compositions, 1965's "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," became an international hit and one of rock's enduring anthems. Their writing got more daring as the '60s went on, taking on social satire ("19th Nervous Breakdown," "Mother's Little Helper") and psychedelia ("She's a Rainbow").

Though the Stones mystique always had a dark side, the darkness got real in 1969 as Brian Jones, who'd been fired from the band over drug habits, drowned under mysterious circumstances in his swimming pool. Later that year the Stones played a free concert at Altamont Speedway in California, making the mistake of hiring Hell's Angels to work security. The concert erupted into violence and is now remembered as the anti-Woodstock.

The Stones however endured with new guitarist Mick Taylor, making two of their most celebrated albums in 1971's Sticky Fingers and 1972's Exile on Main Street-the first steeped in country and the second in blues, both somewhat informed by Richards' heroin addiction. The Stones were international jet-setters through the '70s, and in 1978 (with ex-Faces member Ronnie Wood replacing Taylor) had a resurgence with Some Girls, absorbing the energy of the punk era.

Two albums later Tattoo You included the rocker "Start Me Up" and the ballad "Waiting on a Friend," arguably the last two classic Stones songs. The band however was far from done and though new recordings got less frequent, they continued to mount high-profile concert tours every few years, still with three founders (Wyman retired in 1993).

2016 brought a well received, back-to-roots album of blues covers, Blue & Lonesome. Their 2019 tour was postponed when Jagger underwent emergency heart surgery; however they were back in the stadiums two months later, confirming their status as rock's most indestructible band. However, the death of drummer Charlie Watts on August 24, 2021 at the age of 80 left Jagger and Richards the only two original members, and had some fans questioning whether the band should continue without their stalwart drummer.