Happy 90th birthday [gulp] today to Mr William George Perks - better known, of course as Bill Wyman, long-serving member of the Rolling Stones.
Apparently when Brian Jones, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were trying to recruit a bassist, they decided on Bill mainly because he had a spare guitar amplifier and always had cigarettes, as well as owning a bass guitar that he had built himself... Still, he stayed with them for the next 31 years, so something clicked!
Of course, Bill always had side-projects with other blues players, but briefly struck out on his own - and this cult hit from 1981 was the result:
Love it or hate it, once it's in your head, it's a difficult one to shift..!
OMG! that was, uh, less than stellar, sweetpea! Glad he had other projects to keep himself busy! But, 90? Now I really feel old! xoxo
ReplyDeleteNovelty hits of the 70s and 80s - and there were loads! - rarely are that memorable... However, Mr Wyman never really needed the money, so I imagine he had fun doing it.
DeleteIt's carved itself a niche in the UK's collective musical memory, however, so he did something right. Jx
I can't remember ever hearing it here!
DeleteLooking at Wikipedia, it appears that it was only a hit here, in Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and in Australia. Not surprised you never heard it... Jx
DeleteI didn’t think a Stone could be that boring on his own!
ReplyDeleteIt's a skill. Jx
DeleteHe looks uncannily like Frances de la tour in my sideboard. Mother had that song in her singles collection, I quite like it too.
ReplyDeleteYou never saw them in the same room... Jx
DeleteWow I knew they were old but 90 that's amazing!
ReplyDeleteHe's the oldest of the Stones. Mick and Keith are "only" 83 and 82, respectively. Unsurprisingly, Bill's retired (from the band, at least; he released a solo album in 2024)... Jx
DeleteI can never think of Bill Wyman without remembering Mandy Smith.
ReplyDeleteSx
Unfortunately. Jx
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