MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY (VIRTUAL) STONES FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD

VIDEO - Keith Richards & X-pensive Winos - Run Rudolph Run - Meadowlands 88

THE PHOTO OF THE WEEK - (HB-KEITH)

Footwear from his 1981 tour with the Rolling Stones.
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Ronnie Wood's Wife Pregnant With Twins...

The guitarist's wife of three years, 37-year-old Sally Humphries, is pregnant with the couple's first children, according to Britain's The Sun newspaper.
He can't wait to be a dad again, and doesn't think his age is a problem at all," a source tells the paper. "He still feels very young and fit."Ever since marrying Sally, (having children) had always been a possibility for them. They never ruled it out.Ronnie and theatre producer Sally wed in 2012.
The star already has four adult children from his previous marriages to late model Krissy Findlay and second wife Jo Wood, and he welcomed his latest grandchild in September (15), when son Jesse and his partner, British TV and radio personality Fearne Cotton, welcomed a girl named Honey Krissy, a sibling for their son Rex.
Representatives for the rocker have yet to comment on the report.

(RIP) - Ian McLagan - Never Say Never (Live @ Letterman)

VIDEO - Rolling Stones saxophonist: 5 great solos

Keith Richards - Love Overdue

Exclusive: Collector wants to sell unreleased Rolling Stones tape...

Jeremy Nielsen, who recently revealed he possessed a tape of Rolling Stones tracks thought to be previously unheard, said in an interview he has been in touch with an archivist who confirmed the tape is a rarity. “I am in contact with and recently spoke (with) an acknowledged expert regarding the Rolling Stones. He has listened to the tracks and is very impressed at the "fabulous quality" and confirms that one of the tracks is unheard of and to all intents does not exist.”
The tracks on the tape are “Diddley Daddy,” “Roadrunner,” “Bright Lights, Big City,” “I Want To Be Loved,” “Baby's What's Wrong,” “As Tears Go By,” “Congratulations” and “No One Loves You More Than Me,” plus a second take of “As Tears Go By.” The first five tracks, from “Diddley Daddy” to “Baby's What's Wrong,” were recorded in March of 1963 at IBC Studios and have been widely bootlegged and were recently included with the Stones' “Grrrrr” album.

But the other songs are a mystery. The unreleased track 8, “No One Loves You More Than Me” is an upbeat song with a great vocal by Jagger. And the second version of “As Tears Go By,” track 9, which features Jagger singing backed by the Stones and without orchestra backing of any kind, was not even known to exist and has never been documented. According to Nielsen, the archivist confirmed that the three other tracks are different versions to those released. As to precisely where these song tracks were recorded, the archivist told him he can make a good guess but actually does not know.
“The first version of 'As Tears Go By' is effectively the same as the record in that the words are the same, but the composition is different and I think the tape version of Jagger's voice is stronger and is not 'sanitized' as the record,” Neilsen says. “I also think the 'group' version (the second one) is better than just Jagger and possibly Richards, but could have been Big Jim Johnson and his 12 string guitar.”
Nielsen says, though, that the four tracks were not likely recorded during the March 1963 IBC recording session, because they “show a much 'broader' sound pattern on a spectrum analyser and therefore could not have been recorded on the same recording equipment.” But, he says, this does not mean they were not recorded at IBC at a later date, because IBC were upgrading their equipment continually.
“It is most likely they were done prior to Marianne Faithful's 'As Tears Go By' release and the official recording of 'Congratulations' on the 12th May '64.” It also is a possibility, he said, that the outtake version of “As Tears Go By” may be an orphan track. But, Neilsen said, “the tape as a whole is really only a collectors dream come true.”

And it's for sale. “I have owned this tape for almost 50 years and kept it secure and the nine-song tracks are as good as if they where recorded just yesterday. I would now like to sell it and for a Stones collector, the tape is a dream because the quality is better than anything released, song tracks six, seven and nine are different versions to those released. And song eight is unique and “effectively doesn't exist.” It is not referred to by the Stones, or any publication or archivist and now has no mechanical copyright and no one knows who wrote the song. This makes it an 'orphan work', which for the Rolling Stones is unique and to a collector, very collectable and valuable.”

FY!

Bill reveals his favourite photo – Daily Express interview ...

“This photo of me with Howlin’ Wolf was taken at his home in Chicago in July 1975.
I gave him tickets for a Stones concert and, as I’d heard in the media that he didn’t have any money, I arranged a limo to collect him and his wife Lillie. He came backstage then when he went into the auditorium, they all stood and applauded him.
His wife said it was one of the most wonderful moments of his life and the next night he invited the whole band to his house. Can you believe that nobody wanted to go except me? 

Howlin’ Wolf was like a giant bear. Everyone thought he was frightening and to look at him he was, but he was a real sweetheart when you got to know him

Bill Wyman

So I ended up going along with my son Stephen, who was 13 at the time, and we had the most wonderful night – eating soul food and talking about music.
I asked him to put one of his records on and he said, ‘I haven’t got any because I end up giving them away to people when they come round.’
Stephen took the photo. He travelled with me and the Stones during school holidays, throughout Europe and also America whenever possible so he was used to meeting celebrities, but he was always in awe of them and he always asked for their autographs.
Howlin’ Wolf was like a giant bear. Everyone thought he was frightening and to look at him he was, but he was a real sweetheart when you got to know him.
I first met him in May 1965 when The Rolling Stones did the Shindig! show, which was a bit like Top Of The Pops, and it was the first airing in America of Satisfaction.
We insisted that if they didn’t put Howlin’ Wolf on the show, we wouldn’t do it either, and when he performed he caused a sensation.
Five years later myself, Charlie Watts and Eric Clapton played on The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions album and being in the studio with him was fantastic. That was a bit special to say the least – he was one of my idols.
Charlie and myself were the married ones in the Stones. I was already married with an eight-month-old son when I joined the band in 1962 and Charlie got married a couple of years later then had a daughter.
We were the steady, reliable rhythm section. In those early days, the family only came along on rare occasions because there wasn’t the money to pay for them, plus the schedule was so packed.
I’m not sure bands today would understand what it was like back then. In 1963 alone, we played more than 340 shows, and 320 the year after, and that was before we did Europe, Scandinavia and Australia.
You’d do so much on any given day: you’d meet up in the morning to do interviews and have photos taken, then you’d grab a quick lunch, you’d cut three tracks in the recording studio, jump in the van and you were off to Southend or Sheffield to do two shows a night.
After that you’d drive to Landudno or somewhere and that was before there were motorways so you could be in a van all night.

It’s a different business now, but I do enjoy the freedom I have to make music on my own – to be able to produce it and arrange it myself. That’s what I did on my new album. You use very few musicians and do most of it yourself, and that’s where the buck stops – you can’t blame anybody else for how it turns out.”

VIDEO + PHOTOS - In honor of Merry Clayton, Keith Richards will be performing with Waddy Wachtel, Ivan Neville, Willie Weeks, Steve Jordan, Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler.

The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) will host its 14th Annual "A Great Night in Harlem" gala event on Thursday, October 22, at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem. All proceeds raised benefit the JFA's Musicians Emergency Fund.

Merry Clayton, who was featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, and who suffered a grave car accident last year, will receive JFA's first Clark & Gwen Terry Award For Courage. Morgan Neville produced a short film and Steve Jordan created a musical tribute that includes Valerie Simpson, Renée Fleming, Lisa Fischer, Sara Dash, Nona Hendryx, Will Lee, Ray Parker Jr., Ivan Neville, and more.********http://rocksoff.org*********

Video - Guitar Moves with Keith Richards: "The Acoustic Guitar Is the Most Important"

Keith Richards in Memphis and New York City for gala events...

On Oct. 17, 2015, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards attended the Memphis Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Cannon Center in Memphis, Tenn., to accept an award on behalf of Scotty Moore.
On Oct. 22, 2015, Richards will perform as part of an all-star tribute to Merry Clayton at the Jazz Foundation Of America Gala at the Apollo Theater in New York City. Clayton is a singer who is most famous for doing the backup vocals to the Rolling Stones classic "Gimme Shelter." Richards will perform the tribute with Waddy Wachtell, Ivan Neville, Willie Weeks, Steve Jordan, Sarah Dash, Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler. Wachtell, Neville and Steve Jordan are part of Richards' X-Pensive Winos band. Fischer and Fowler are backup singers for the Rolling Stones.
In addition, Richards is on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine's issue dated Oct. 22, 2015. According to Rolling Stone, "Richards recently suffered a very painful injury, which he's been keeping secret." The injury happened on July 4, 2015, when the Rolling Stones were performing in Indianapolis, and he tripped on a hat that an audience member had thrown on stage. Richards told Rolling Stone: "I might've cracked a rib. There's nothing doctors can do about it. I thought, 'Sh*t, if I let them know how much I'm hurting, the doctors and the insurance companies will be like, 'Cancel the next gigs.' F*ck it. I'll live with it. After 50 years on the stage, you're going to fall over occasionally and take a knock."
Richards also revealed in the interview that when he goes to restaurants, he never eats any food. He also confirmed his earlier statements that the Rolling Stones will record an album of new songs, which will presumably be released in 2016 or 2017. Richards' third studio solo album, Crosseyed Heart, was released in September 2015, and was a Top 20 hit in several countries.

Keith Richards Honors Merry Clayton After Car Crash...

The session singer Merry Clayton, best known for her fire-starting vocal runs on the Rolling Stones’ song “Gimme Shelter,” was still reaching new highs when she was involved in a serious car accident last year.

Just a few months before the June 2014 crash, the film “20 Feet From Stardom,” which put backup singers including Ms. Clayton front and center, won an Academy Award for best documentary, after its Grammy victory for best music film.

“Oh my God, I was at the pinnacle — I was at the top of my game,” she said recently in her first interview since the accident. “I was overwhelmed at what had transpired with the film and then to just go out for a moment and in that moment your life is changed.”

More than a year later, Ms. Clayton, 66, is returning gradually to public view, having lost both her legs as a result of the accident. On Thursday, she will receive the Clark & Gwen Terry Award for Courage at the Jazz Foundation of America’s “A Great Night in Harlem” gala at the Apollo, where Sonny Rollins will also receive a lifetime achievement honor. Ms. Clayton will accept her award in a taped segment from her home in Los Angeles, while Keith Richards will note the occasion with a live performance of “Gimme Shelter,” the first track from the Stones’ 1969 album, “Let It Bleed.”

After five months in the hospital, Ms. Clayton has been undergoing what she called “intense therapy” in Los Angeles. “It’s been a lot of learning and a lot of adjusting,” she said by phone. “It was a rough one, but I’m

from some strong, strong stock and from strong, strong believers.”

Raised as a gospel singer, she credited her faith — along with the support of her family; her manager, Alan Abrahams; and friends, like the record executive Lou Adler — with helping her recover. The Jazz Foundation and MusiCares, a charity affiliated with the Grammys for ailing musicians, also “came to the rescue immediately,” Ms. Clayton said, for instance, helping to add a stair lift to her house.

“It’s not an easy task, but I am just so determined,” Ms. Clayton said of her rehabilitation. “If I was determined enough to make it out of that hospital alive and better, I can certainly forge straight ahead.”

She said the gravity of her accident became clear to her only recently, when she saw something about prosthetics on television. “It finally hit me after maybe a year and a half,” Ms. Clayton said. “I stopped and I looked at this and said, ‘Oh my God, that’s me.’ ”

“One of my goals is to get back on my feet again,” she added. “My mind is good, my heart is good and hope is a wonderful thing.”

Ms. Clayton, who also sang backup for Ray Charles, Carole King and Neil Young, said Mr. Richards had called her recently to “dish the tea” about his performance at the Jazz Foundation event, proceeds from which will benefit the organization’s Musicians Emergency Fund. “He said, ‘Hello, darling, it’s Keith,’ ” she recalled. “Who else would be saying, ‘Hello, darling’ ”?

Beyond the tribute, new music is in the works, with a comeback project planned for next year, Ms. Clayton said. “I’ve always wanted to bless people with my voice because it’s my gift from God,” she said. “I’m still gorgeous, and guess what, I still have my voice. As long as I have my chops and I’m still looking wonderful, why should I go back?”

Keith Richards accepts the induction award on behalf of Scotty Moore during the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Cannon Center on October 17, 2015 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mick Jagger, Julien Temple and Carlos Acosta working on BBC film series in Cuba...

The BBC’s Creative Director Alan Yentob is working with Mick Jagger, the film director Julien Temple and ballet dancer Carlos Acosta on a series of films about the new Cuba.
Only weeks after the Caribbean nation re-opened relations with the United States, Yentob told The Independent that Temple was currently with Jagger in the Cuban capital Havana working on a “long-term project” to create the latest in a series of city-based films for the flagship BBC1 arts show Imagine. Previous films have featured London and Rio de Janeiro.
The Imagine host said he hoped to capture the story of a potential Rolling Stones concert in Havana, which could provide the finale for the band’s South American tour next spring. “We have started filming and this is going to be a project which will have a theatrical life (cinema release),” he said. Yentob, who is old friends with Jagger, also worked with Temple on Requiem for Detroit, a remarkable BBC2 film exploring the cultural and economic story of one of America’s greatest industrial cities.

The BBC Creative Director is making a separate film with Acosta as the dancer realises a long-held ambition of putting together a new ballet company drawn primarily from his native Cuba. “This is his last season at the Royal Opera House and he’s setting up his own company. It’s also his story about his life in Cuba and his family,” Yentob promised.
A new series of Imagine begins later this month with a film set in Venice, where Yentob and the author and Independent columnist Howard Jacobson examine the impact of one of Shakespeare’s most contentious characters, Shylock, the Jewish money-lender from The Merchant of Venice. The pair visit the city’s ancient Jewish quarter, Il Ghetto Nuovo, and discuss with Shakespearean academics the influence of Shylock on anti-Semitism. Jacobson’s re-imagining of the character is the subject of his forthcoming book, Shylock is My Name.

Temple and Yentob have combined again in the new Imagine series to make The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson, tracing the former Dr Feelgood guitarist’s battle with cancer and recent improvement in health. Temple previously made the acclaimed Dr Feelgood documentary Oil City Confidential and the new Imagine film was to be the story of the charismatic Wilko’s final days. Yentob said: “We started when he was going to die and then he got this redemption and discovered he was not going to die. It’s an amazing film.”
In a further adventure in music documentary, to be shown next month, Yentob has shot Who is David Gilmour? in which the Pink Floyd singer and guitarist explains the process of making his last album, Rattle That Lock, with his wife Polly Samson, the novelist and lyricist. “He does these scat verses and she put earphones on and walks across the beach and writes the words,” he said.
The new series includes a documentary on David Chipperfield – “he’s Angela Merkel’s favourite architect” – and the sculptor Sir Antony Gormley as he prepares for his momentous exhibition at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence.

 http://www.independent.co.uk

Rolling Stones' rider satisfaction...

The Rolling Stones tour rider has been leaked and their demands include alcohol being served 24 hours a day and a full supply of their favourite cigarettes at their hotels and instructions to work all electrical devices in their rooms.

The legendary rock band's rider has been leaked by TMZ and suggests the ageing members, who include Sir Mick Jagger, 72, and Keith Richards, 71, struggle with modern technology as they need written notes to be able to get standard items such as the TV and kettle to work.
They also demand alcohol is always available at the bar 24 hours a day wherever they are and a full supply of their favourite brands of cigarettes, Marlboro Reds and Marlboro Lights, according to the website.
The band - which also includes Charlie Watts, 74, and Ronnie Wood, 68 - also ask that each of their rooms have blacked out windows so they can party into the early hours in privacy.

The 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' rockers also request that extra staff are on hand for their room service requests and insist on being able to get their dry cleaning done whatever the time is so they don't have to wait till the next morning to get rid of any stains on their clothing.
The Rolling Stones completed their 15-date 'Zip Code Tour' of North America in July.

Keith Richards: 'I Think I Cracked A Rib During Summer Rolling Stones Gig'...

The rocker took a nasty fall onstage at the 4 July (15) gig and knew instinctively he'd suffered some internal damage, but he feared that if he went public with his pain, tour bosses would scrap the gig and postpone the next few tour dates.
Richards tells Rolling Stone magazine, "Somebody tossed a red straw boater hat (onstage). It landed right in front of my feet. I kicked it aside... and it f**king bounced back in front of me, and I hit the floor.
"Suddenly I'm on my hands and knees in front of 60,000 people. My bracelet came off from the shock. It was, 'OK, get out of this one, pal!'"
"I might've cracked a rib," he adds, "There's nothing doctors can do about it. I thought, 'S**t, if I let them know how much I'm hurting, the doctors and the insurance companies will be like, 'Cancel the next gigs'. F**k it. I'll live with it. After 50 years on the stage, you're going to fall over occasionally and take a knock."

Charlie Watts hates tattoos...

Charlie Watts ''hates'' tattoos and was unimpressed when his granddaughter Charlotte had the Rolling Stones logo inked on her arm.

Charlie Watts ''hates'' tattoos.
The Rolling Stones rocker was unimpressed when his granddaughter Charlotte Watts had the band's famous lips logo inked onto her arm when she was just 14 years old.
Charlotte said: ''It was the only one that my Mama was ever going to let me get because it's the only one that neither of us could ever regret. Although, she wasn't happy when I chose such an obvious place!
''Pa said one thing, 'What do you want that for?!' He hates tattoos and piercings.''
The 18-year-old model is very ''proud'' of her down-to-earth grandfather and is grateful he leads a more low-key life than bandmate Sir Mick Jagger.
She told HELLO! Fashion Monthly magazine: ''We're really proud of Pa. He's just so humble about it [fame]. He's not all over the place, he's just so damn cool.
''It would probably be a different story if we were being chased all the time. I can't imagine what it must be like for Mick.''

Last month, Charlotte was left devastated when a £32,000 taxidermy wolf -a gift from her grandfather after she underwent surgery on her back - was stolen from her West London home by a group of partygoers, and she is now feeling relieved after her beloved animal, who she has named Frostbite, was handed in to police.
She said: ''I'm just very relieved he's safe and sound. I thought they'd thrown him out the window and went outside expecting to see a crushed wolf. Then I realised they'd taken him. I was so upset.
''It is not something I'd normally receive for Christmas - it was the fact I'd survived something really horrible. And I really love wolves and knew I could never have a pet one, so I got Frostbite.''
The new issue of HELLO! Fashion Monthly is on sale tomorrow (06.10.15)

Photos: Ronnie Wood - Cheltenham Literature Festival - Day 2 at Cheltenham - Cheltenham, United Kingdom - Saturday 3rd October 2015

Rod Stewart wants The Faces to perform at Glastonbury ...

Rod Stewart wants The Faces to perform at Glastonbury and has called on festival bosses to get in touch.

Rod Stewart is desperate for The Faces to be invited to play at Glastonbury festival.
The 70-year-old singer has called on the festival's founder Michael Eavis to get in touch with the band - which recently reformed with remaining members Ronnie Wood and Kenney Jones - because it's the one gig they never got to do.
Rod pleaded: ''I just wish someone would phone us up from Glastonbury and ask us to do that. They have never done it. We would be up for it. There are only three of us standing now.''
The 'Stay With Me' hitmakers tried to reform for a string of dates in 2010 and 2011 but chose to go with Simply Red's Mick Hucknall on lead vocals instead of Rod.
And Ronnie previously blamed Rod's management for the delay in making the full reunion happen.
The 'Ooh La La' crooners - whose bassist Ronnie Lane passed away in 1997 - were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 where they were set to reunite but Rod pulled out of the performance due to illness.
The rockers finally reunited last month, but Rod admitted it went by in a flash.
He told BBC Radio London: ''It is like sex sometimes. It goes by too fast.''

Oct. 5, 2015, Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger was seen in Havana, fueling speculation that there will be a Stones concert in Cuba...

On Oct. 5, 2015, Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger was seen in Havana, fueling speculation that there will be a Stones concert in Cuba. According to the official Communist Party newspaper Granma, Jagger's visit to Havana (Cuba's capital) was private "but it could be related to a concert that the Rolling Stones wants to give in Cuba."
Granma also reported that during the weekend of Oct. 3, 2015, Jagger attended a timba concert given by the group Bamboleo. He was also seen at multiple nightclubs in Havana. There is speculation that the Rolling Stones are eyeing a concert at Latin American Stadium in Havana. With a possible Stones concert in Cuba, will other Latin American countries in North America also be on the itinerary for a future Rolling Stones tour? Mexico would certainly be on that list.

As previously reported, the Rolling Stones will record a new studio album and tour South America in 2016. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards confirmed the news on Sept. 15, 2015, during a iHeartRadio "Icons" event broadcast during an interview with host Jim Kerr. According to press release from iHeartRadio: "Richards told Kerr that he was in London last week and got together with Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. The group will tour South America in the first months of next year, and have 'definite plans to record' after that." The album's release date and the band's South American tour dates have not yet been announced.