Mick Jagger biography

Synopsis

Early Musical Influences

Singer, songwriter, actor, producer. Born Michael Phillip Jagger on July 26, 1943, in Dartford, England. As the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger has become a rock legend for his gritty, blues-influenced songs and for his charismatic stage presence. He has been delighting fans for more than four decades.

The oldest son of a teacher and a homemaker, Jagger was a good student and popular among his classmates. He developed an interest in American blues and R&B music at an early age and got his first guitar at 14. As a teenager, Jagger started collecting blues records from the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. He and his friend Dick Taylor soon started a band together called Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys with Jagger as its singer.

In 1960, Jagger was accepted to the London School of Economics. He lived at home and commuted into the city to attend classes. Also working on his band, Jagger soon added a new member, guitarist Keith Richards. The two had known each other growing up in Dartford. Exploring London's emerging blues scene together, Jagger and Richards spent some time at the Ealing Club. There they saw Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated play and were wowed by guitarist Brian Jones who made guest appearances with the group. After a while, Jagger also appeared as a guest vocalist with Blues Incorporated as well.

Forming the Rolling Stones

Jagger, Richards, and Taylor soon joined up with Jones who wanted to start his own group. Pianist Ian Stewart was also an early member of what would become the Rolling Stones. By 1963, Charlie Watts joined as its drummer and Taylor departed. Stewart, however, stayed on to serve as the band's road manager, as well as to play and record with them. Taylor was replaced by Bill Wyman. Under the direction of their manager Andrew Loog Oldham, the Rolling Stones were marketed as a group of wild and rough rockers. The group's wild style helped land them a deal with Decca Records. Jagger was a key ingredient in the band's growing success, attracting audiences with his stage antics and his sex appeal.

At first, the band mostly recorded cover versions of other people's songs, but Richards and Jagger soon emerged as a powerful songwriting duo-occasionally using the pseudonym "Nanker Phelge" for some of their early work. The Rolling Stones first made the British charts in 1964 with a cover version of Bobby Womack's "It's All Over Now." That same year, the band toured the United States and had their first American hit with "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday." More hits soon followed, including the chart-topping "Satisfaction" and "Paint It Black."

Tragedy Strikes

In 1967, Jagger's personal life made headlines. He and his girlfriend, singer Marianne Faithfull, were among those arrested during a police raid of Keith Richards's country home in England. During their search, police officers found drug paraphernalia and illegal substances. Both Jagger and Richards were tried and convicted for drug-related offenses, but their sentences were dropped on appeal. Two years later, Jagger and Faithfull were arrested for drug possession after authorities raided Jagger's London home.

By the end of the decade, Jagger and the rest of the band were enjoying huge success. Beggars Banquet was released in 1968 and featured a straightforward rock style. One of its singles, "Jumpin' Jack Flash," hit the No. 1 spot on the U.K. charts.

In 1969, the Rolling Stones went through several big changes. Brian Jones left the group that June after his many drug arrests prevented him from leaving the country for the group's U.S. tour. He was replaced by 20-year-old guitarist Mick Taylor. Jones was found drowned in his pool less than a month later. The coronor's report found that Jones was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of his death, and ruled his passing as "death by misadventure." In response to Jones' untimely demise, The Rolling Stones performed a free concert in Hyde Park on July 5, 1969, two days after Jones' death. Originally scheduled as an opportunity to present their new guitarist, the group dedicated the concert to Jones.

Before the concert began, Jagger read excepts from Percy Shelley's "Adonais," a poem about