Born on 1 June: Ron Wood, the discreet Rolling Stone with a passion for blues and Chuck Berry

Alongside drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away in August 2021, rhythm guitarist Ron Wood—born in Hillington in 1947—has always embodied a sense of coolness and calm within the legendary English rock band.

It was almost a rite of passage in the glorious sixties British rock scene, with the whirlwind of global fame. Ron Wood too, for a time, succumbed to the allure of hard drugs. He’s been through detox more than once. But that’s all in the past…

Before joining the Stones in 1975, he also played bass for a short-lived band he formed between 1967 and 1969. In this "year of love," as Serge Gainsbourg sang, there was a shake-up in personnel within the Small Faces. Rod Stewart and Ron Wood replaced Steve Marriott. The band shortened their name to The Faces and set out to rival none other than the Rolling Stones, who were starting to wane a little. 

Becoming friends with Keith Richards, he replaced Mick Taylor for the "rolling stones" tour in 1975. Nearly half a century later, he’s still part of the group and continues to treat himself to small pleasures (not even guilty ones) by paying tribute to his blues and rock heroes. Always surrounded by rock’s finest: Pete Townshend (The Who), Denny Laine (Wings), Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) and, of course, his Stones bandmates. A standout example would be "Mr. Luck", a live recording at London’s Royal Albert Hall dedicated to American bluesman Jimmy Reed with Mick Taylor, and in 2019, another live album focused on the repertoire of Chuck Berry. 

But what do his colleagues think of this discreet character?

His mate Keith Richards describes their collaboration as a return to "the ancient art of weaving", a fluid interplay between guitars, contrasted with the clear-cut separation of roles during the Mick Taylor era.

For his part, producer Glyn Johns (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Clash, among others) adds a caveat that serves as a compliment for his friend Ronnie. He believes that Ron’s creative potential was stifled by the Jagger-Richards duo, which, indeed, seems obvious…

(MH with Stéphane Soupart - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Ron Wood with Keith Richards (on the right) and the Rolling Stones at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam (Netherlands, 4 June 1982)