Keith Richards has revealed that he sees The Rolling Stones as Ian Stewart's band, saying that the late pianist, who was removed from the original lineup in 1963, was the person who put the band together.
Richards, 78, made the remarks during an appearance on Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast while discussing the Stones' early years.
"I consider the Stones to be Ian's band," Richards said, according to the Independent. His comment caught Maron off guard, prompting him to utter "Really?" in disbelief.
"He put it together; he pulled us together. Without him, we wouldn't have coagulated," Richards explained.
Brian Jones put out an advertisement in Jazz News on May 3, 1962, looking for musicians to join a rhythm and blues group, and it was Stewart who responded first. He would go on to arrange for Mick Jagger and Richards to audition in Soho while also persuading Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman to join. The following year however, he was removed from the lineup.
"He wasn't good-looking enough, and they thought six [members] was too many," Richards told Maron. "Stu, having the largest heart in the world, said, 'Yeah I understand.' But it was still his band, and he became our road manager and everything. And I think Ian Stewart considered us his babies, and I considered him as my dad."
For two decades Stewart was regarded as the "sixth Stone" while helping them out as a tour and sessions manager. However, in 1985 he died at age 47 after suffering a heart attack. Four years later, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the band.
"The Rolling Stones are only here because of Ian Stewart. Without him the Rolling Stones would have never existed," Richards said in a video message in which he praised Stewart at an awards ceremony in Glasgow where he was posthumously recognized in 2017, according to The Scotsman. "He hooked up with Brian Jones and then Mick and I sort of waltzed in and then suddenly it became the Rolling Stones. His love of music, his choice of the guys to play with was legendary. I still have so much affection for the man."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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