Mick Jagger - vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica; Keith Richards - guitars, vocals; Charlie Watts - drums; Ron Wood - guitars, vocals; Bill Wyman - bass; Ian McLagen - keyboards, vocals; Ian Stewart - piano; Ernie Watts - saxophone
Originally formed with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, and Brian Jones as a blues pub band (with the blessing and guidance of UK blues legend, Alexis Korner), The Rolling Stones quickly moved into the spot of being the "street-wise and gritty" alternative to the four-headed pop music monster The Beatles had become. They followed the Fab Four into the U.S. with the British Invasion, and quickly established their own musical credibility with a string of brilliant pop singles that included "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "Time Is on My Side," "The Last Time," "19th Nervous Breakdown," "Ruby Tuesday," and "Paint It Black." By the early '70s, the Stones took over as the premier British rock 'n' roll band, and continued their streak of hits with songs like "Jumpin' Jack Flash," "Brown Sugar," and "Start Me Up."
Although Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have often gotten the most attention, people should never mistake the fact that the Stones are a band in every sense of the word. Bassist Bill Wyman (prior to his departure in the early 1990s) and drummer Charlie Watts were just as important to the music as the Glimmer Twins; and Ron Wood, who had been in the band several years at this point, provides a strong counterpoint to the sloppy but soulful guitar licks of Keith Richards.
Despite ups and downs, drug busts, countless sold-out tours, great and poor LP releases, personnel changes, illnesses, and even deaths, the Stones have endured, decades after their formation. Jagger, Richards, and Watts remain from the original line-up and they continue to record and tour to this day.