The third rhythm guitarist of the band, Ronnie Wood is an established person in the world of rock n roll. It’s not like he was an unknown guitarist stranding before joining the band, instead, he was a well-established guy in the London blues scene. Introducing himself in the scene of blues music in the mid-1960s, teenager Wood was loved in the city.
The lineup of the Rolling Stones has changed quite a few times due to different circumstances. But, Ronnie Wood is one of the best things that happened to the band. Wood is still one of the prominent ones in the band, and back then before Taylor departed the band, he helped create the band’s biggest hits.
Woods made a name for himself with Faces’ final album ‘ooh La La’. Wood was the lead singer on the title track which gave him visibility. Also, he wanted to pursue his own solo career. He was working on his first solo album ‘I’ve Got My Own Album to Do’ which came out in 1974. That’s when he called his friends to help him and one of his closest friends was Keith Richards. Richards played on the album and Taylor also assisted with the work.
During one session for ‘I’ve Got My Own Album To Do’ at Wood’s house many musicians were present to lay down their music. It included Faces’ drummer Kenny Jones, bassist Willie Weeks and even David Bowie. Mick Jagger was also present and while discussing rock and roll music, ‘It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll (But I Like It) was suddenly there. The basics of the song were presented then.
The song was a huge success and was one of the Rolling Stones’ greatest hits. The song was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for several weeks and peaked at number 16. The album also reached number one after its October 1974 release. Woods didn’t get any credit on the album but was given a shout-out for inspiration.
Jagger talked about it in 1993 and commented, “The idea of the song has to do with our public persona at the time, I was getting a bit tired of people having a go, all that, ‘oh, it’s not as good as their last one’ business. The single sleeve had a picture of me with a pen digging into me as if it were a sword. It was a lighthearted, anti-journalistic sort of thing”.
Taylor left the band after recording the album ‘It’s Only Rock n’ Roll’ in 1974. According to Far Out, “Wood was sitting in between Taylor and Jagger at a party when Taylor leaned over to Jagger and announced that he was leaving the band. Wood and Jagger were shocked, considering that the Stones already had studio time booked for their next recording sessions, and Taylor simply got up and left.”
That’s when Jagger asked Wood to join the band. Wood wouldn’t join the band until late 1975 but did help the Stones even when he was still a member of the Faces. He helped them with the ‘Black and Blue’ sessions and even toured with the Rolling Stones, finally joining the band in late 1975.
