Founding Lineup and Early Formation
The original members of the Rolling Stones were Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Ian Stewart, and Bill Wyman, with Charlie Watts joining shortly after the band's formation in London in 1962. Mick Jagger serves as lead vocalist and harmonica player, Keith Richards is lead guitarist and backing vocalist, and Brian Jones was the original multi-instrumentalist and bandleader before his death in 1969. Ian Stewart served as the band's original pianist and road manager, while Bill Wyman played bass and Charlie Watts anchored the group on drums. The band's first stable rhythm section and core songwriting partnership between Jagger and Richards defined the early British blues-rock sound and set the foundation for decades of touring and studio work Forbes.
Brian Jones was the first leader and public face of the group, recruiting Jagger and Richards after meeting them at a London blues club, and he played sitar, slide guitar, and keyboards on early records such as "Paint It Black" and "Under My Thumb." His departure in June 1969 and subsequent death by drowning in July 1969 marked a definitive break from the original lineup, after which Mick Taylor and later Ron Wood joined as guitarists while the core Jagger-Richards-Watts rhythm section remained intact Rolling Stone.
Current Status of the Original Members
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Mick Jagger, born Michael Philip Jagger in 1943, remains the lead singer and frontman of the Rolling Stones, continuing to tour and record new material while maintaining a separate career in film production and philanthropy. Keith Richards, born in 1943, is the band's lead guitarist, primary songwriter alongside Jagger, and author of bestselling memoirs, and he remains active in touring and studio work with the band Forbes.
Bill Wyman, born in 1936, retired from the Rolling Stones in 1993 and has since pursued solo projects, photography, and business ventures, while Charlie Watts, born in 1941, remained the band's drummer until his death in August 2021, after which Steve Smith and later touring drummers filled the role. Ian Stewart, who died in 1985, is remembered as an original member and honorary Stone whose piano work shaped the band's early sound, and his influence is documented in band histories and archival releases Rolling Stone.
Financial Profile and Legacy
Net Worth and Business Interests
Mick Jagger's estimated net worth is in the hundreds of millions, derived from decades of touring, record sales, and business investments, while Keith Richards holds a comparable fortune tied to royalties, solo albums, and brand partnerships. The Rolling Stones as a group rank among the highest-grossing live music acts in history, with their Sixty and Sixty+ tours generating hundreds of millions in revenue and reinforcing the band's position as one of the most commercially durable rock acts