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Mick Jagger

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Mick Jagger is the singer and one of the founders of The Rolling Stones. He was born in 1943 in Dartford, in the English county of Kent. As a child he sang in the church choir and listened to singers on the radio. In the mid-1950s he started a little band that played songs by Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. In 1961 he ran into his old schoolmate Keith Richards again at Dartford station. Jagger had records by Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters with him, and that was how their partnership began. With Brian Jones they played with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated. In July 1962 they performed for the first time as the Rollin' Stones, named after a song by Muddy Waters. Jagger then gave up his studies at the London School of Economics.

Music and breakthrough

At first the band mainly played American rhythm and blues. At the urging of their manager Andrew Loog Oldham, Jagger and Richards began writing their own songs. With The Last Time and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction the Stones acquired the image of rebellious troublemakers, as opposed to the sweet Beatles. The songwriting duo of Jagger and Richards became one of the most successful in rock history.

Influence

Jagger's raw voice and his exuberant performances, together with Richards's guitar, became the band's trademark. He brought style and sex appeal to rock 'n' roll and became a model for later frontmen. He also made solo albums, such as She's the Boss (1985), and in 1985 sang Dancing in the Street with David Bowie. In 1989 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Stones. In 2003 he was knighted.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Miss You by The Rolling Stones from 1978. Notice the bass line that jumps back and forth in octaves as in disco, Jagger's falsetto, and the harmonica that plays the melody.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: Artists