In October 1961, two young men — boys, really — met by chance while waiting at a train station in London’s eastern suburbs. They came from different class backgrounds: Mike was a scholarship student at the London School of Economics, whereas Keith had been expelled from technical school and was making a desultory effort in art school. They soon found themselves enthusiastically discussing their shared love of American blues and R&B: Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Willie Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter. They decided to get together to listen to records. After all, Keith played guitar and claimed to know all of Chuck Berry’s licks.
Before long, Mike (by then going by Mick) and Keith were performing regularly in London clubs as part of a quintet. Within three years, they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. By the end of the decade, the Rolling Stones had become one of the world’s most popular and critically acclaimed rock bands.
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