RONNIE WOOD a New Book Illuminates the Guitarist’S Life Before the Rolling Stones

ISSUE #41 MMUSICMAG.COM Q&A John Abbott RONNIE WOOD A new book illuminates the guitarist’s life before the Rolling Stones AS A MEMBER OF THE ROLLING years, we’d put two guitars and vocals in the night. I could see he had his eye on Stones for 40 years, Ronnie Wood’s legacy through one amp, and the bass player had me. I just knew in the back of my mind that is assured. But a recently discovered journal his own. That’s why we let him join the band. some day it would come around, and sure he kept in 1965—before his tenures with (laughs) But as soon as I could afford my enough, it did. the Jeff Beck Group, Small Faces and the own I started to go to Jim Marshall’s [gear] Stones—offers unique insight into the then- shop. I’d run across people like Pete You traded your guitar to play bass 18-year-old’s mindset and ambitions. The Townshend in there and we’d have a hilarious for the Jeff Beck Group? diary—which includes illustrations by Wood, friendly rivalry going to see who could get I’d reached the saturation point on guitar now a noted visual artist—is being released the biggest stack. with the Birds, so when Jeff Beck asked as a limited-edition book, How Can It Be? if I wouldn’t mind playing bass, I welcomed A Rock & Roll Diary. It chronicles Wood’s Was there camaraderie among the the idea. Playing bass gave me a new, exploits on the London club scene while he competing bands? revitalized energy to go back to guitar was with the Birds, and his interactions with The Birds never really had any hit records, later. After that started to crumble, future superstars. “Everything was surprising but other bands would offer encouragement: Rod [Stewart] and I always loved the to read back,” says Wood, 68. “It was like a “Keep it up, you’ll get there one day.” We’d Small Faces. Then Steve Marriott left the glimpse into my not-so-private life.” meet with guys like Eric Clapton and Jimi band so I rang up Ronnie Lane and we formed Hendrix in a little London club called Blazes. Faces—that was my next step up the ladder. How did you fi nd the diary? Mitch Mitchell of Jimi’s band would stay at It was quite a surprise. My older brothers my house once in a while. I was always a Is a Faces reunion still possible without found it when my mother died. Among the good friend of Keith Moon. Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagan? stuff of mine she kept was this little treasure, I just got together with Rod and [Faces along with some artwork I did around the Did you know the Rolling Stones then? drummer] Kenney Jones, and we played same time. People will discover a lot of I always knew I wanted to be in that band. I “Stay With Me” and “Sweet Little Rock things about me from the book—as I did. felt very close to them musically and image- ’n’ Roller.” We had renewed energy about Reading this is like, “Wow, did I do that?” wise, and felt that every band I was in was perhaps getting together. It’s just a matter of just another steppingstone toward being in fi tting it in between my Stones commitments— Recall your early gear? the Stones. Mick had rung me up once to we’re going out again to North America I remember how great it was when I could be part of this session he was producing. this summer. afford an amp of my own. For the fi rst few We became friends but like ships passing –Jeff Tamarkin ‘Every band I was in was just another steppingstone toward being in the Stones.’ 24 M mag 41.indd 24 6/28/15 7:19 PM.

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