Skip to content
 

The Rolling Stones '50 & Counting'

We know it's only rock 'n' roll — but we like it! As the Stones go out on tour, view a gallery of their 50 years

  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Michael Ochs Archives

    With Suits to Match

    En español | Mick Jagger (center) and Keith Richards (far right) were still teenagers when the Rolling Stones released their first single, "Come On," in June 1963. Also in the band: Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Brian Jones.

    1 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Terry O'Neill/Getty Images

    Quickly to the Top

    By 1964, the boys — from left, Bill, Brian, Charlie, Mick and Keith — were vying with the Beatles to be the world's most popular band.

    2 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    Mick, Off to Gaol

    What's a 1960s rock band without a drug arrest? Mick and Keith were busted at a party in 1967; evidence years later suggested a police setup.

    3 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    The Death of Brian

    Weeks after being booted from the band in June 1969, Brian Jones drowned in his swimming pool. He was 27. Charlie and Bill were the only Stones at the funeral.

    4 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    AP Photo

    Tragedy at Altamont

    In one of rock's ghastliest moments, members of the Hells Angels stabbed a fan to death as the Stones played in Altamont, Calif., in 1969.

    5 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    David Montgomery/Getty Images

    First No. 1 Album

    In 1971 the Beatles were no more, and the Stones — now including Mick Taylor (second from left) — released their first album to hit No. 1 in both the U.S. and U.K.: Sticky Fingers.

    6 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Michael Putland/Getty Images

    Exit Mick Taylor

    The music video for 1974's "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" was the last hurrah for guitarist Mick Taylor; the next year, Ronnie Wood would replace him.

    7 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images

    Rock and Royalty

    Charlie chats with Princess Diana at the Royal Albert Hall in London after a 1983 benefit concert for the Prince of Wales Trust.

    8 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Bettmann/Corbis

    Wyman's Last Tour

    Mick squeezes Keith at a 1989 press conference to kick off the "Steel Wheels" tour, which would be the last for Bill (left), who still does occasional cameos.

    9 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Mary Ellen Matthews/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

    Two Micks on 'SNL'

    In what would become a Saturday Night Live signature moment, in 2001 Jimmy Fallon plays Mick's younger reflection in the mirror.

    10 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Paramount Classics/Courtesy Everett Collection

    You Talkin' to Me?

    Director Martin Scorsese (center) with Keith, Charlie, Mick and Ron while filming his 2008 documentary about the band, Shine a Light.

    11 of 13
  • Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Tour
    Kevin Mazur

    Time Is on Their Side

    It must be; after all, they're still performing at ages 65 (Ron), 69 (Mick and Keith) and 71 (Charlie). The "50 & Counting" tour, which had a preview gig in Newark, N.J., last fall (pictured), kicked off anew May 3.

    12 of 13
  • Entertainment End-Slide
    13 of 13