July 2012
I hope the Rolling Stones consider a 50th Anniversary Tour.
I hope that the band also pays tribute to founding member, pianist Ian Stewart. For those who do not know Ian Stewart, or “Stu” as he was known by the band, he was a founding member of The Rolling Stones, but was dismissed from the line-up in May 1963 because he didn’t fit the image they wanted to portray.
He remained with the band as road manager and pianist, both in the studio and on most of their concert tours until his untimely death in 1985 at the age of 47.
He remained such an important part of The Rolling Stones that when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, the band insisted that “Stu” be inducted along with the rest of the band.
Shortly after Stewart’s death Mick Jagger said: “Stu was the one guy we tried to please. We wanted his approval when we were writing or rehearsing a song. We’d want him to like it.”
In his 2010 autobiography “Life”, Keith Richards says: “Ian Stewart. I’m still working for him. To me the Rolling Stones is his band. Without his knowledge and organization … we’d be nowhere.”
This is how important Ian Stewart was to The Rolling Stoned back them. I hope they haven’t forgotten. True fans certainly haven’t.
