MICK JAGGER: The Man Behind the song ‘Moves Like Jagger’

Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip “Mick” Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, actor and producer, best known as the lead vocalist of rock band The Rolling Stones. Jagger has also acted in and produced several films.

The Rolling Stones started in the early 1960s as a rhythm and blues cover band with Jagger as frontman. Beginning in 1964, Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards developed a songwriting partnership, and by the mid-1960s the group had evolved into a major rock band. Frequent conflict with the authorities (including alleged drug use and his romantic involvements) ensured that during this time Jagger was never far from the headlines, and he was often portrayed as a counterculture figure. In the late 1960s Jagger began acting in films (starting with Performance and Ned Kelly), to mixed reception. In the 1970s, Jagger, with the rest of the Stones, became tax exiles, consolidated their global position and gained more control over their business affairs with the formation of the Rolling Stones Records label. During this time, Jagger was also known for his high-profile marriages to Bianca Jagger and later to Jerry Hall. In 1985, Jagger released his first solo album, She’s the Boss. He was knighted in 2003.

Jagger’s career has spanned over 50 years. His performance style has been said to have “opened up definitions of gendered masculinity and so laid the foundations for self-invention and sexual plasticity which are now an integral part of contemporary youth culture“.^[1] Allmusic has described Jagger as “one of the most popular and influential frontmen in the history of rock & roll”.^[2] His distinctive voice and performance, along with Keith Richards’ guitar style, have been the trademark of The Rolling Stones throughout their career.

The Rolling Stones (From left to right) — Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Ron Wood Mr

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica, guitar), and Keith Richards (guitar, vocals). Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up. R&B and blues cover songs dominated the Rolling Stones’ early material, but their repertoire has always included rock and roll. Critic and musicologist Robert Palmer attributes the Rolling Stones’ endurance and relevance to having been “rooted in traditional verities, in rhythm-and-blues and soul music” while “more ephemeral pop fashions have come and gone”.^[1] The Rolling Stones have been credited for the greater international popularity of the primitive urban blues typified by Chess Records‘ artists such as Muddy Waters, writer of the song after which the band is named, “Rollin’ Stone“.

Jones initially led the band, but after teaming as songwriters, Jagger and Richards assumed leadership. By 1969, Jones’ diminishing contributions to the band and his inability to tour led to his departure from the band three weeks before he drowned. His immediate replacement Mick Taylor stayed with the band until 1974, and was replaced by Ronnie Wood. Wyman retired from the band in 1993; his replacement Darryl Jones has not been made a full member. Stewart was taken from the official line-up in 1963 and continued as the band’s road manager and occasional keyboardist until his death in 1985. Since 1982, Chuck Leavell has been the band’s primary keyboardist.

First popular in Europe, the Rolling Stones quickly became successful in North America during the British Invasion of the mid 1960s. Having released 22 studio albums in the United Kingdom (24 in the United States), nine live albums (ten in the US), and numerous compilations, their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million albums.  Sticky Fingers (1971) began a string of eight consecutive studio albums reaching number one in the United States. Their most recent album of entirely new material, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005. In 1989, the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004, they ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.  In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the Rolling Stones at number ten on “The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists“, and as the second most successful group in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.