Once so messed up on drugs and alcohol that Keith Richards allegedly put a gun to his head, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has made it to 70. Soon to tour again with Stones, he has many reasons to celebrate.
Image: picture alliance / dpa
Advertisement
Ron Wood took a few musical detours before finding his way to the Rolling Stones. His career began in the early 1960s as a guitarist with the British rhythm and blues band, The Birds. He also played bass with the Jeff Beck Group and eventually joined the Small Faces together with Rod Stewart.
Soon known as the Faces, the English act was celebrated by the critical US music press. The band also liked to celebrate, and were often just as drunk as the people in the audience - Wood had been drinking heavily since the age of 14. Later in the night, the band infamously liked to celebrate by destroying their hotel room.
Faces in 1974: Kenny Jones, Ron Wood and Rod StewartImage: Getty Images/Express/D. Stone
Calm amidst the storm
Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones had just lost their guitarist Mick Taylor and were looking for a substitute able to hold a beer, a cigarette and a guitar at the same time. The Stones asked Wood - with whom they had previously played in the studio - to join them on a US tour.
The apprentice impressed. By the end of 1975, as the Faces officially disbanded, Wood was a permanent member of the Rolling Stones, the band he said he knew he would one day join after first seeing them perform in 1964.
Initially, Wood was hired as a Stones employee who received a monthly salary - and who did not share in the mega profits of "Rolling Stones Inc." He didn't seem to mind. But in 1993, Wood was granted full membership status with the Rolling Stones - he and the band had already been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Ronnie Wood in front of his painting "Electric Horses" at his 2013 exhibitionImage: Imago/i Images
Known for his stoic and calm demeanor, Wood was able to negotiate the sex, drugs and debauchery that came with playing in the world's biggest rock group. He was also able stand between the Stones' two alpha males, Mick Jagger and Keith Richard, when they were squabbling. His playing was the perfect complement to main guitarist, Keith Richards. "Rolling Stone" magazine once described the "guitarists' near-telepathic affinity."
Rock 'n' roll survivor
In 2008, 60-year-old Wood was infamously in and out of rehab for alcoholism and had left his second wife for an 18-year-old Russian waitress, Ekaterina Ivanova.
Nine years later, Wood is now sober and happily married again - and busy with baby twin girls.
Ronnie Wood (second left) and The Rolling Stones in London, 2016Image: Imago/APress
He will also soon be back on the road for the "Stones - No Filter" tour this September. Starting on September 9 in Hamburg, a total of 13 concerts are planned across nine European countries.
And after having just had successful surgery to remove a small lung lesion found during a recent routine screening, the rock 'n' roll warrior and once heavy smoker is set to live on.
"No additional treatment is necessary, and the Stones' European tour will not be affected," read a statement on the Rolling Stones Facebook page.
Rolling Stones celebrate 60 years as a band
Their first concert was at London's Marquee Club on July 12, 1962. Six decades later, the Stones' concerts are still among the world's greatest rock'n'roll events.
Image: Robin Utrecht/picture alliance
60 years of Rolling Stones
They keep on rolling: The Stones are still touring across Europe, 60 years after the band played their first-ever gig, at London's Marquee Club on July 12, 1962. A new four-part BBC documentary series, "My Life as a Rolling Stone," focuses on the four core members, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts. Here's a look at how they became so legendary.
Image: Robin Utrecht/picture alliance
Starting out with rhythm and blues
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met each other at school. In 1962, they founded The Rolling Stones. Also performing at their first concert in London were Tony Chapman (drums), Dick Taylor (bass) and Ian Stewart (piano). Another line-up followed with Brian Jones (second guitar), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums), who performed on the first album, The Rolling Stones, in 1964.
Image: Getty Images
Bad boy band
With their feel-good pop, The Beatles were already achieving world fame in 1964. That's why Andrew Loog Oldham, then manager of the Stones, wanted to create a group to counter the Fab Four. They were to become famous as the "bad boys" — though during their first TV performance in the show "Ready Steady Go," they came across as harmless good guys.
Image: Getty Images
A different image
One year later, on September 11, 1965, the Stones gave their first concert in West Germany — in the somewhat conservative city of Münster. The police had a hard time keeping their fans under control. Most residents in Münster, however, eyed the Stones with suspicion. In fact they were lucky. Fans in Berlin demolished a stage during a later concert, which would take seven years to rebuild.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Otto Noecker
Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll
During the late 1960s, no other band came to embody the image of the hedonistic rock band more than the Stones. Groupies and heavy drug use were par for the course. Hard drugs eventually took their toll on Stones guitarist Brian Jones. He left the band in June 1969 and a short time later, drowned in his swimming pool under mysterious circumstances.
Image: Imago
An ingenious idea
In May 1965, the Stones went on their third tour across the US, playing cover versions of rock hits once more. They still hadn't produced enough songs of their own. One night, Keith played a new melody on his guitar, and loved it so much that he recorded it and had Mick listen to it. It was the hookline of their first worldwide hit, "Satisfaction."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Shock in Altamont
The Altamont Free Concert, initiated by the Stones management, was intended as a peaceful counter event to Woodstock. Alongside the Stones on stage were, among others, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Jefferson Airplane. When the Stones appeared, the crowd got out of control and the concert had to be interrupted. Hells Angels were behind the commotion.
Image: picture-alliance/AP
The end of the hippie era
When the Stones started playing "Under my Thumb," a man collapsed in front of the stage after a member of the Hells Angels stabbed him in the back. The band was deeply shocked. "If Woodstock was the dream," said British photographer Eamon McCabe later, "then Altamont was the nightmare." This day, December 6, 1969 is said to mark the end of the hippie era.
Image: picture-alliance/AP
1973, still with Mick Taylor (2nd from left)
The band faced tax troubles in the 70s, which led them to flee to France, where they recorded "Exile On Main St." in 1972, considered by many to be the best Stones album ever. In 1974, guitarist Mick Taylor left and was replaced by Ron Wood.
Image: akg-images/picture alliance
Drug-fueled 1970s
Drug busts complicated the band's international tour plans. Charged with "possession of heroin for the purpose of trafficking," Keith Richards was sent to rehab to avoid a long prison sentence, while Mick Jagger continued his jet-set lifestyle. Musically, they experimented with different musical genres, dabbling in funk ("Miss You" in 1978) and disco ("Emotional Rescue" in 1980).
Image: Michael Putland/Avalon/Retna/picture alliance
An amazing live band
Overcoming those problems, by the 1980s the band was back to doing what they do best: performing live concerts. They were in such demand that they easily filled entire football stadiums — including in Germany in 1982, where they played many legendary shows.
Image: Istvan Bajzat/dpa/picture alliance
Rocking around the world
Even after founding member Bill Wyman left in 1993, the Rolling Stones simply carried on into the next millennium, playing stages around the world. The idea of a farewell tour popped up a few times, but they kept on rocking. Despite their age, they never failed to put on spectacular shows. This photo was taken in 2003 in Moscow.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
'I'm a rolling stone'
In 2006, Japanese fans enjoyed a Stones concert in the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo (pictured). Some time later, the Stones performed in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. True fans know where the band's name came from: Apparently, Brian Jones was inspired by the blues hit "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters, which contained the line, "I'm a rolling stone."
Image: AP
2021: Charlie Watts dies
He was the Stones' backbone. But in 2004 drummer Charlie Watts was diagnosed with cancer. Radiation therapy led to recovery, and he continued touring with the Stones for many years. His last concert was in August 2019, as part of the "No Filter" tour. Two years later, he died at the age of 80.
Image: Ian West/PA/picture alliance
The new man on the drums
At 65, he is way younger than all other members: Steve Jordan was first hired to fill in for a few gigs and finish the Stones' "No Filter" tour in the US after Charlie Watts' death. Now he has joined the world's longest-serving rock band on their European tour.
