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Quick Facts
- NAME: Bill Wyman
- OCCUPATION: Bassist
- BIRTH DATE: October 24, 1936 (Age: 76)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Lewishman, England
- Originally: William George Perks
- ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio
Best Known For
Bill Wyman is best known for being the bass player for The Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
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The Rolling Stones - Full Biography
They began calling themselves the "World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band" in the late '60s, and few disputed the claim. The Rolling Stones' music, based on Chicago blues, has continued to sound vital through the decades.
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Play NowBill Wyman. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 02:59, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032.
Bill Wyman. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032 [Accessed 20 May 2013].
"Bill Wyman." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 20 2013, 02:59 http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032.
"Bill Wyman," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032 [accessed May 20, 2013].
"Bill Wyman," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032 (accessed May 20, 2013).
Bill Wyman [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032.
Bill Wyman, http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032 (last visited May 20, 2013).
Bill Wyman. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/bill-wyman-16242032. Accessed May 20, 2013.
Synopsis
Bill Wyman was born October 24, 1936 in Lewishman, England. Following service in the Royal Navy, Wyman taught himself bass and auditioned for The Rolling Stones in 1962. The band became successful throughout the 1960's and 1970's, which Wyman used to launch a solo career that continues to this day.
Profile
Born William George Perks on October 24, 1936, in Lewishman, Kent. As a child, Wyman played organ with his father, taking up piano lessons at age 10. After serving in the Armed Forces in the British Navy, he returned to England, took a job as a carpenter, and set about teaching himself to play bass guitar.
In 1962, Wyman auditioned and earned a spot with the Rolling Stones, who then included Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Charlie Watts (drums), and Brian Jones (guitar). The band released its debut album, The Rolling Stones, in 1964. Subsequent albums throughout the 1960s and 1970s catapulted the British band into a worldwide phenomenon thanks to such hit songs as "Brown Sugar" (1971), "Angie" (1973), "It's Only Rock 'n Roll" (1974) and "Respectable" (1978).
During the Stones' run of success, Wyman also managed to launch a solo career. His second solo album, Stone Alone (1976), received critical acclaim but poor sales. Wyman stayed with the Stones until 1993, and has since been playing with his own band the Rhythm Kings. The group has released several albums, including 2004's Just a Thrill, which featured a guest appearance by George Harrison of the Beatles fame. The band continues to tour every year.
Exploring other creative outlets, Wyman has written several books. He explored his time with the Rolling Stones in Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock and Roll Band (1990), Rolling with the Stones (2002), The Stones: A History in Cartoons (2006), and The Rolling Stones: In the Beginning (2006). A true fan of blues music, he also wrote Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey: A Journey to Music's Heart and Soul (2001). Wyman is also a gifted photographer whose portraits of artist Marc Chagall were published in 1998's Wyman Shoots Chagall.
An amateur archaeologist and metal detector hobbyist, he also penned Bill Wyman's Treasure Island: Britain's History Uncovered (2005). He became the spokesman for the Bill Wyman Signature Metal Detector in 2007.
Wyman has been married to Suzanne Accosta since 1993, and the couple has three daughters, Katharine, Jessica, and Matilda. He also has a son, Stephen, from his first marriage to Diane Cory.
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The Rolling Stones
View groupIn 1962, one of the most successful and critically acclaimed rock bands of all time, The Rolling Stones was started in London. Named after, the Muddy Water’s song “Rollin’ Stone," the original band included frontman Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones, bassist Bill Wyman, drummer Charlie Watts and pianist Ian Stewart. Guitarist Ron Wood joined Jagger, Richards and Watts in 1975. The Stones, in their various incarnations, have rocked on for 50 years, selling over 200 million albums worldwide. Here’s a look at the musicians who critics and fans alike have dubbed the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band.”
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