Bill Wyman assembled an all-star band of UK rock stars and top session players under the moniker Willie and the Poor Boys (taken from the Creedence Clearwater Revival album of the same name). The band featured the likes of Rolling Stones Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood; current Who drummer Kenney Jones (who, with Wood, had been in Faces with Ronnie Lane); Chris Rea; Andy Fairweather-Low; and many others. The band was hastily put together and played a series of performances featuring old rock 'n' roll and blues covers in support of ailing Faces bassist Ronnie Lane, who had been stricken with multiple sclerosis.
The fall 1984 tour also featured headliners Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page (who, collectively, had been members of the Yardbirds, Cream, Led Zeppelin, and the Jeff Beck Group) and resulted in a long form video and live LP. This amazing rock 'n' roll trek was called the Ronnie Lane Appeal ARMS (Advanced Research for Multiple Sclerosis) tour. What makes Willie and the Poor Boys significant is the fact that it represents the first time members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Led Zeppelin worked together on a single musical project. After leaving the Rolling Stones in the mid-'90s, Wyman assembled his version of Willie and the Poor Boys, entitled Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. That group has released several albums and done numerous tours.