Friday, April 20, 2012

PHOTO: Demi Lovato Bikini In Brazil

PHOTO: Demi Lovato Shows Off Bikini Body In Brazil:




Looking good, Demi Lovato!

The popular singer, 19, was all smiles as she hit the beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday with her friends. Lovato sported a strapless, brown two-piece as she played in the waves and showed off her healthy beach body.

Though she seemed to be in good spirits while enjoying the sun, her time in South America got a bit crazy when she was in Venezuela earlier in the week -- though she didn't seem to mind too much.

....17 freaking bodyguards yesterday and I STILL got my hair pulled!!! Hahahahaha Venezuela you are INSANE!!! I love you guys," Lovato tweeted Sunday.




Demi Lovato Biography

Background information
Birth name Demetria Devonne Lovato 
Born August 20, 1992 (1992-08-20) (age 18)[1]
Dallas, Texas, United States
Genres Pop rock
Occupations Actress, singer, songwriter, dancer, model
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 2003–present
Labels Hollywood
Associated acts Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, We the Kings
Website Official Website : http://www.demilovato.com

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for her roles as Mitchie Torres in the Camp Rock movies and as Sonny Munroe in Sonny With a Chance. Lovato starred in the 2009 movie Princess Protection Program. Before Disney, she had one of the roles on Barney & Friends.

As a solo musical artist, Lovato released her debut album Don't Forget on September 23, 2008. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 selling 89,000 copies in the first week. It has since sold over 473,000 records in the US. Lovato stated in an interview that the album was recorded in ten days. Lovato released her second album, Here We Go Again, on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 selling 108,000 copies in the first week.

Contents
1 Early life
2 Music career
2.1 2007–08: Musical beginnings and soundtrack appearances
2.2 2008–09: Don't Forget and Here We Go Again
2.3 2010–present: Third studio album, South American and World tours, and treatment center stint
3 Acting career
4 Other work
4.1 Philanthropy
5 Image and personal life
5.1 Relationships
6 Filmography
7 Discography
8 See also
9 Awards


Early life
Lovato was born in Dallas, Texas to Patrick Lovato and Dianna Hart De La Garza. She is of Mexican descent from her father and Irish and Italian descent from her mother. She has an older sister Dallas Lovato and a younger half sister, Madison De La Garza. Her mother was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country recording artist; her father moved to New Mexico after their marriage ended in 1994. She earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. She began playing piano at the age of seven.

Music career
2007–08: Musical beginnings and soundtrack appearances
Before any of Lovato's music was officially released a few of her original songs, including "Shadow," were featured on the show As The Bell Rings. Lovato also sang a cover of "That's How You Know" from the film Enchanted that was released on DisneyMania 6 on May 20, 2008.

In June and July 2008, Lovato performed at various House of Blues and parks for her Demi Live! Warm Up Tour in preparation for the release of her debut album and the Burnin' Up Tour with the Jonas Brothers. The soundtrack to the Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock was released in June 2008. Lovato was featured on four of the tracks on the soundtrack including "This is Me", a duet with Joe Jonas. "This Is Me" peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Lovato served as the opening act in the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour from July through September 2008. Several concerts on the tour were filmed as footage for a 3-D concert film titled Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience which was released on February 27, 2009. Lovato was featured in the film performing "This Is Me" with Joe Jonas.

Lovato also appears on two soundtrack albums in 2010. She recorded songs for the Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam soundtrack, which was released on August 10, 2010, and the Sonny With a Chance soundtrack in late 2010.

2008–09: Don't Forget and Here We Go Again
On September 23, 2008, Lovato released her debut album Don't Forget. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 89,000 units in its first week of release. It has since sold over 473,000 records in the US. Lovato stated in an interview that the album was recorded in ten days.

The album was preceded by the lead single "Get Back", which was released on August 12, 2008 and reached number forty-three on the Hot 100. In December 2008, the second single "La La Land" was released and reached number fifty-two on the Hot 100. In March 2009, the third single "Don't Forget" was released and reached number forty-one on the Hot 100, becoming her most successful solo single at the time.

An EP, Moves Me, was released in December 2008 by the Well Go USA label, but not under Lovato's support. The EP featured songs recorded by Lovato before being signed by Hollywood Records.

In 2009, Lovato recorded "One and the Same" for Princess Protection Program as a duet with Gomez – they both appear in the film.

In early 2009, it was announced that Lovato would be embarking on the Summer Tour 2009 in order to promote her sophomore album, which she stated would be released in the summer of 2009. The tour began on June 21, 2009 in Hartford, Connecticut and concluded on August 24, 2009 in Manchester, New Hampshire.


Lovato and her band performing in her 2009 Summer TourLovato released her second studio album, Here We Go Again on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 108,000 records sold in its first week. Prior to the album's release Lovato stated: "It’s going to take a different sound, so hopefully it goes over well. I sing a lot of rock, but this time I want to do more John Mayer-ish type of songs. Hopefully I can write with people like him." The album was more inspired by acoustic music than her debut's pop rock-influenced sound.

The album received a score of 65/100 from Metacritic. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic noted that the album was not as much fun as Lovato's previous album, Don't Forget, but he praised "Here We Go Again," "Solo," "Remember December," and "So Far So Great" as high points, for being "ideally matched to Lovato's adolescent energy and spirit, which remain her most appealing qualities." Chicago Tribune also gave the album five stars, saying "No sophomore slump for these young artists". Kerri Mason of Billboard praised the album for not relying heavily on production compared to other Disney Channel artists and called Lovato "a natural talent who could really take flight after outgrowing Disney." Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly praised the more rock-oriented tracks such as "Got Dynamite," calling them suggestions of "a direction that might set her apart in years to come."

In December 2009, Allmusic ranked Here We Go Again as one of the best pop albums of 2009.

In 2010, the album was nominated for 3 Teen Choice Awards, "Choice Album", "Choice Love Song" and Lovato for "Choice Music Breakout Artist: Female".


The album was preceded by the lead single, "Here We Go Again", which was released on June 23, 2009. It became Lovato's highest charting single as it reached number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "Remember December", was released on November 17, 2009 but only managed to reach number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 (number one-hundred-six on the Hot 100).

She appeared on We The Kings's second studio album Smile Kid as well. The album was released December 8, 2009. On the album, she contributes guest vocals to the song "We'll Be a Dream", which was later released as single in March 2010. The music video for the song was released on April 22, 2010 through MTV.com.

2010–present: Third studio album, South American and World tours, and treatment center stint
On March 30, 2010 Lovato's South American Tour was announced through her official Myspace page. This will be her first international headlining tour. The tour kicked off May 23, 2010 in Santiago, Chile and concluded on May 28, 2010 in São Paulo, Brazil. On April 27, 2010 the Jonas Brothers announced their World Tour 2010 featuring Lovato as a special guest. The tour was to visit multiple countries and continents including the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, and Europe. The North American leg of the tour began on August 7, 2010 in Tinley Park, IL and was set to end on November 9, 2010 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Lovato also stated in July 2010 that work on her third album had begun, stating: "The new album, so far it’s a little more pop, it’s more R&B. It’s a little more soulful. It has a different sound to it so I’m really excited to see how it turns out. Keri Hilson and Rihanna are inspiring my sound right now. I have also written a half Spanish song. It turned out really incredible so hopefully my fans will love it too." The album will be released in Spring 2011, as confirmed by Lovato.

On November 1, 2010, Lovato's publicist announced that Lovato had left the Jonas Brothers World Tour early, in order to enter a treatment center and "seek medical treatment for emotional and physical issues she has dealt with for some time" . The publicist stated that although Lovato "regrets not being able to finish her tour", she plans to get "back to work in the near future."

Acting career
Lovato began her acting career at the age of seven on the children's television series Barney & Friends as Angela, appearing in seasons seven and eight alongside long time friend Selena Gomez.

In 2006 Lovato guest starred on Prison Break as Danielle Curtin in the episode "First Down". She also appeared in the second season of the television sitcom Just Jordan as Nicole, in the episode "Slippery When Wet". In January 2007, she landed the role of Charlotte Adams on the Disney Channel Original Short Series, As the Bell Rings, which premiered on August 26, 2007. A few of her original songs, including "Shadow," were featured on the show. Upon leaving the show, her character was replaced by Lindsey Black. Lovato sang a cover of "That's How You Know" from the film Enchanted. The song was released on DisneyMania 6 on May 20, 2008.


Lovato at a Jonas Brothers photo shoot on the South Bank in 2008In 2008, Lovato starred in the Disney Channel film, Camp Rock. She played Mitchie Torres, a fourteen-year-old girl with hopes of becoming a singer. The movie premiered on June 20, 2008 in the USA on Disney Channel with 8.9 million viewers, making Lovato a house-hold name among tweens. She provided vocals on four of the songs featured on the Camp Rock soundtrack, including "This Is Me" featuring Joe Jonas.

In June 2009 Lovato co-starred in Princess Protection Program as Princess Rosalinda alongside Selena Gomez on Disney Channel. The TV movie is about a young Princess who is taken into custody by the Princess Protection Program and is whisked away to rural Louisiana where she must learn the ins and outs of behaving like a normal American teenager. The movie is the third highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie, and premiered on Disney Channel with 9.8 million viewers.

Next, Lovato went on to star in the Disney Channel Original Series, Sonny With a Chance, which premiered on February 8, 2009. The series' second season premiered on March 14, 2010. The show stars Lovato as Sonny who becomes the new cast member of a live comedy show, So Random!.

In September 2009, production began for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. The Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on September 3, 2010. The movie also gained 8 million viewers on its premiere.

In March 2010, Lovato was one of the many stars featured in a PSA for Voto Latino in order to promote the organization's "Be Counted" campaign for the 2010 U.S. Census.

Lovato guest appeared in an episode of the medical drama series Grey's Anatomy as a teenage patient, whose parents brought her in for schizophrenia. The episode titled "Shiny Happy People" aired May 13, 2010 on the ABC television network. In a review of the episode, EW.com praised her performance stating, "I still believe that even an unbiased observer would conclude that the Disney princess did a fine job acting it up as a suicidal 16-year-old who was admitted after trying to claw her own eyes out".

Demi Lovato made a surprise appearance on America's Next Top Model on the September 15 episode to speak out about bullying. Lovato also appeared on CNN on September 7, to speak out about bullying.

Other work
Philanthropy
Demi Lovato has partnered with mall proprietor GGP as the face of Shop Til You Rock, a music-inspired series of public events, which kick off at malls around the US in Summer 2010. The combines the season’s hottest fashions & today’s most popular musical guests in a series of interactive events. Lovato is also the spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER. Lovato explained to NY Post about becoming a spokesperson agains bullying “Bullying is a very serious thing to me, I’ve witnessed it first hand – I was bullied myself when I was 12, I want to be able to help other girls around my sister’s age come into their own with a strong confidence in their skin, their size, who they are and everything about themselves.”

Demi Lovato is also the spokesperson for the Join the Sourge Campaign! DoSomething.Org and the CLEAN & CLEAR Brand launched Joining the Surge, which is a national campaign that empowers teenagers to take action in their communities.

Lovato is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its public service announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Lovato, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On", a charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2009. The song debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty. Disney's Friends For Change will direct all of its proceeds from "Send it On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato and Joe Jonas recored a new song called "Make A Wave", the second charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2010.

Lovato is also apart of the "A Day Made Better" School Advocacy Campaign. "The campaign is giving a deserving teacher with $1000 in school supplies on behalf of OfficeMax’s “A Day Made Better” school advocacy campaign"

Lovato has also supported the following charities:

DonateMyDress.org
Kids Wish Network
Love Our Children USA
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
City Of Hope
Image and personal life
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Lovato admitted to going through painful experiences with bullying in the seventh grade. According to Lovato, the bullying was so bad that one day, in a fit of frustration and distress, she requested her mom give her a home-schooled education. She wrote the song "For the Love of a Daughter" about her estranged father. Lovato is a Christian and prays with her band before they perform. After Lovato and Gomez, whom she first met at the Barney & Friends auditions, posted a video blog on YouTube in March 2008, Miley Cyrus and her friend Mandy Jiroux uploaded a parody of that video, which caught the interest of entertainment media. Reports included the theory that Lovato and Gomez might replace Cyrus. Gomez clarified there was no feud.

In 2010, on her eighteenth birthday, Lovato bought her family a Mediterranean Style house in Los Angeles. She said, "For me to give that to my family on my birthday, that was the best present." then added, "It's got pretty much everything you could possibly imagine in it. It's the most beautiful, homey-feeling house. I love it." Lovato also purchased their past $1.88 million home in Toluca Lake, LA. She bought the house when she was 16 years old.

On November 1, 2010, Lovato's publicist announced that Lovato had left her international tour with the Jonas Brothers "in order to seek medical treatment for emotional and physical issues she has dealt with for some time". The publicist stated that Lovato had "decided to take personal responsibility for her actions and seek help" at a treatment center.

Lovato is a vegetarian. She has been honored The Honorary Ambassador of Education award from the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders.

Relationships
In 2010, Lovato began dating Joe Jonas, whom she first met while filming Camp Rock in 2007. On May 24, 2010, Lovato confirmed via her official Twitter that she and Jonas were no longer together. In an interview with UsMagazine, Jonas stated, "Demi and I knew that going into our romantic relationship it may not be an easy one. I realize that over the time we have spent together that I feel I care more about our friendship right now. It was my choice to break up, but I love her as a friend. She's been there for me when I needed her. I will continue to be her friend and be there for her."

Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
2008 Camp Rock Mitchie Torres Disney Channel Original Movie
2009 Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience Herself 3D Concert film
Princess Protection Program Princess Rosalinda Maria Montoya Fiore / Rosie Gonzalez Disney Channel Original Movie
2010 Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Mitchie Torres
2010 Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare Lux Direct-to-video movie
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2003-2004 Barney & Friends Angela Recurring role
2006 Prison Break Danielle Curtin (1 episode) "First Down"
2007 & 2009 As The Bell Rings Charlotte Adams Guest Appearance, episode "Charlotte in the Halls"
2008 Just Jordan Nicole (1 episode) "Slippery When Wet"
Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream Herself Season 1, episode 3
Studio DC: Almost Live Herself Second show
Disney Channel Games 2008 Herself Third annual
Disney Channel's Totally New Year 2008 Herself Disney Channel special New Years event
2009 – present Sonny With a Chance Allison "Sonny" Munroe Disney Channel Original Series
2010 Grey's Anatomy Hayley (1 episode) "Shiny Happy People"
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Herself (1 episode) Guest appearance
2010 CNN Herself Guest appearance
2010 America's Next Top Model Herself (1 episode) Guest appearance

Discography
Main article: Demi Lovato discography
Don't Forget (2008)
Here We Go Again (2009)
See also
Demi Lovato tours
List of songs by Demi Lovato
Awards
Year Award Category Work Result
2009 Young Artist Awards "Best Performance in a TV Movie – Leading Young Actress" Camp Rock Nominated
Teen Choice Awards "Choice TV – Breakout Star Female" Sonny With a Chance Won
"Choice Music – Tour (shared with David Archuleta)" Summer Tour 2009 Won
"Choice Other Stuff – Red Carpet Icon: Female" Herself Nominated
"Choice Summer – TV Star-Female" Princess Protection Program Nominated
Alma Awards Special Achievement In Music Herself Nominated
2010 People's Choice Awards Favorite Breakout Music Artist Herself Nominated
Young Artist Award "Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries, or Special – Leading Young Actress" Princess Protection Program Nominated
Teen Choice Award "Choice TV Comedy Actress" Sonny With A Chance Nominated
"Choice Breakout Artist: Female" Herself Nominated
"Choice Pop Album" Here We Go Again Nominated
"Choice Love Song" Catch Me Nominated
"Choice Hook Up" (shared with We The Kings) We'll Be a Dream Nominated
Honorary Ambassador of Education Award  Herself Won





AMAZING PHOTOS: Lady Gaga Goes SEXY

AMAZING PHOTOS: Lady Gaga Goes SEXY:





See more pictures of Lady Gaga's wild outfits!



Lady Gaga isn't exactly shy about showing off her body. Girl's worn a dress made of meat and stuffed her boobs into spiked leather. Also, everyone in the Western hemisphere has seen her nipples at some point, right?

But for all of the Gaga's revealing outfits, she rarely dresses straight-up Hollywood sexy, a la Kim Kardashian or Scarlett Johansson. Until now, that is, when photogs spotted the pop star in South Korea wearing an atypical outfit for her: a slinky Atelier Versace cream-colored gown with a neckline cut down to there.

Gaga topped off the couture ensemble with a pretty white mask.

There's more couture in the future for Lady Gaga. Her "Born This Way Ball" tour begins on April 27 in Seoul, for which she'll be wearing custom-made Giorgio Armani costumes.

See photos of Lady Gaga's plunging neckline below!


Kate Moss in 'Beyond the Glittering' Biography

Kate Moss in 'Beyond the Glittering' Biography :


Kate Moss in 'Beyond the Glittering'...





Kate Moss Photos Biography

Kate Moss  
Birth name Katherine Ann Moss
Date of birth 16 January 1974 (1974-01-16) (age 35)
Place of birth Addiscombe, Croydon, London, England
Height 5 ft 6.5 in (1.689 m)
Hair colour brown
Eye colour hazel
Dress size UK 6 - US 2 - EU 34
Shoe size UK 6.5 - US 9 - EU 39
Agency Storm Model Management
D'management Group
Marilyn Model Agency
IMG Models
Katherine "Kate" Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. She has appeared on over 300 magazine covers. She is known for her waifish figure, uncommonly short height for a fashion model, and appearances in many advertising campaigns. She is also notorious for her high-profile relationships and party lifestyle. In 2007, she came 2nd on the Forbes top 15 richest supermodels list, estimated to have earned $9 million in one year.


==Early life==
Moss was born in Addiscombe, Croydon, London to Linda Rosina (Shepherd), a barmaid, and Peter Edward Moss, a travel agent. Kate has a younger brother named Nick and a half-sister and half-brother. Moss's parents divorced when she was 13. She attended Ridgeway Primary School and Riddlesdown High School in Purley. She was not particularly noted for her academic success, although she did excel at sports. According to Fred Vermorel's Addicted to Love: Kate Moss, "Out of eight GCSEs she scraped through with one C (in Science) and all the rest were Ds, Es and Fs".

==Career==
Moss was discovered in 1988 at the age of 14 by Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm Model Management, at JFK Airport in New York City, after a holiday in The Bahamas. Moss's career began when Corinne Day shot black-and-white photographs of her, styled by Melanie Ward, for British magazine The Face when she was 15, in a photo shoot titled "The Third Summer of Love". Moss then went on to become the "anti-supermodel" of the 1990s in contrast to the "supermodels" of the moment, such as Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, and Naomi Campbell, who were known for their curvaceous and tall figures.

Moss was voted 8th in Maxim's "50 Sexiest Women of 1999" and 22nd in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women of 1995". Men's magazine Arena named her as their Sexiest Woman in their 150th issue. In March 2007, Moss won the Sexiest Woman NME Award. She made her first appearance in the British women's Sunday Times Rich List in 2007, where she was estimated to be worth £45 million. She ranked as the 99th richest woman in Britain. In the 2009 Rich List, she was ranked as the 1348th richest person in the UK, with a net worth of £40 million.

In July 2007, earning an estimated total of $9 million in the past 12 months, Forbes magazine named her second on the list of the World's 15 top-earning supermodels.


==Moss during her waif period Style==
Moss ushered in the waif look in 1993 (which prompted much speculation over her weight) with a highly publicised campaign for Calvin Klein. Her depiction in photographs also drew criticism from then-President of the United States Bill Clinton, who spoke out against the growing heroin chic trend. When questioned about her weight, Moss commented "It was just the time. It was a swing from more buxom girls like Cindy Crawford and people were shocked to see what they called a 'waif'. What can you say? How many times can you say 'I'm not anorexic'?" Moss found success in the industry despite being unusually short for a fashion model and has worked for many elite fashion lines.

In addition to being known for her modelling work, Kate Moss is also an international fashion icon. She has garnered many awards for her style, including the Council of Fashion Designers of America's fashion influence award and a place on the Vanity Fair international best-dressed list. In the early part of the 21st century she was, together with actress Sienna Miller, one of the main proponents of boho-chic. She appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair's September 2006 style issue. In the year of 2005–2006, her style was influenced by Rock and Roll. Due to her reputation, she is credited for setting numerous trends. In recent years, she has popularised denim cutoff shorts, Ugg boots, ballet flats, Vivienne Westwood Pirate Boots, skinny jeans, waistcoat, Alexander McQueen's skull scarf, Louis Vuitton's Sprouse Leopard Cashmere Scarf, and the Balenciaga handbag, as well as recently bringing high-waisted styles and waist-cinching belts back into popularity.

In 2008, Moss was added to PETA's 'Worst-Dressed' Celebrities of 2008' because of her frequent use of fur.

==Campaigns==
Moss has had campaigns with major Italian, French, American, and British designers including Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Calvin Klein, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Missoni, Longchamp, David Yurman, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, Burberry,Stella McCartney, Rimmel, and Bvlgari, including a campaign for the successful Brazilian label ELLUS during summer 2000. She has been featured in fashion spreads in most major fashion magazines including UK, US, and French Vogue magazines (as well as other international versions of Vogue), Another Man, Vanity Fair, the Face, and W. Moss has appeared on the cover of British Vogue alone 26 times, in addition to dozens of other international Vogue covers, and has been featured on the cover of 17 issues of W, including one issue with nine different covers that featured the model. W even names Moss its muse (September 2003 issue). She has worked with the most well-known photographers in the fashion industry today, such as Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti, Steven Klein, Juergen Teller, and Peter Lindbergh, and won the prestigious Vogue/CFDA award from the Fashion Designers of America in July 2005 as Fashion Inspiration. The haute couture dress she wore to the award ceremony was from the Christian Dior autumn 2005 haute couture designed by John Galliano.

April 2005 saw the launch of the Rimmel London mascara TV ad featuring a leather-clad Kate Moss riding a motorbike through London to the sound of the rock song "Another Cold Beer" by Steven Crayn.

Twelve months after her cocaine scandal, Moss made a comeback by bagging 18 top modelling contracts for the Autumn/Winter 2006 season: Rimmel, Agent Provocateur, Virgin Mobile, Belstaff, Beymen, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli, Longchamp, Stella McCartney, Bulgari, Chanel, Nikon, David Yurman, Versace, Mia Shvili, Calvin Klein Jeans and Burberry. Moss also agreed to make her first foray into the design world by designing a collection, in collaboration with Katy England, for Topshop, Moss launched a fragrance and body lotion range bearing her name in association with Coty in 2007.

According to Forbes, Moss has earned more money since her cocaine scandal than ever before: her 2004–2005 earnings were $5 million and her 2005–2006 earnings were $8 million. In 2007, with estimated earnings of $9 million, she was the second highest paid model in the world, behind Gisele Bündchen.

In November 2006, Moss won the Model of the Year prize at the British Fashion Awards, the top accolade in British fashion, but the award divided opinion and stirred fresh controversy.

On 27 September 2007, The Sun published a story entitled, "Kate Moss dumped by seven brands", describing her "cocaine honeymoon" as fading away. The story continues by stating that in autumn 2006 she had eighteen contracts in comparison to 2007's eleven, and that in 2006 fashion bible Vogue had six campaigns using Moss including Dior, Louis Vuitton and Burberry, but November 2007's issue has none. The story concludes by saying that an industry source has said "She is still very big but the honeymoon period has ended."

Despite these press reports, Moss was later announced as the face of Donna Karan, Yves Saint-Laurent and Roberto Cavalli for spring 2008.

Despite all press reports and comments about her relevancy as a model, Moss frequently appears in advertising campaigns; most recently she appears in the Autumn 2008 advertising campaigns for Donna Karan Collection, Stella McCartney and Roberto Cavalli.

==Fashion designer==
On 1 May 2007, a collection of clothes purported to be designed by Moss exclusively for the Topshop chain were launched across the UK in the chain's 225 stores. These and all future "Kate Moss" designs are in fact creations by in-house Arcadia designers all signed to confidentiality agreements. A Kate Moss "countdown to launch" board filled a window of the company's flagship Oxford Street store and on 30 April, Moss launched the clothing line at Topshop in Oxford Street, where she briefly appeared in the shop window modelling a red dress from the clothing collection just before the shop was opened, causing a media frenzy. Topshop has reportedly paid Moss £3 million for her work which consists of choosing designs and then modelling them, as well as allowing her name to be used on the garments. The collection of fifty designs includes clothes, bags, shoes and belts where prices range from £12 for a vest top to £150 for a cropped leather jacket. Clothes in the collection include skinny jeans, one-shoulder mini dresses and T-shirts with the letter K woven into the design. However, purchases were limited to five items per shopper to prevent the clothes appearing on eBay, and customers were only allowed to try on eight garments in the shop. Despite these efforts, the day after the launch saw hundreds of items up for sale on eBay. Although bulk buying is restricted the collection is not a limited edition and the range will remain in stores for an indefinite period.

The collection received mixed reviews from the fashion press. British fashion critics lauded the range, however the New York Post hailed it "Duplikate", based on the strong similarities between Moss's own wardrobe. The range was mildly criticised by fashion advisors Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, who argued that the clothing was modelled for only the slimmest of women, and that they were not suitable for the average woman's figure. They stated, "No one has a figure like hers so her clothes only really look good on her – not real women." The Topshop range was later released in the United States at the New York chain store Barneys, where 26 designs from the range were on sale for higher prices.

Moss's underwear collection for Topshop went on sale on 22 October 2007.


Alan McGee, Kate Moss, and BP Fallon DJing at Death Disco NY in 2004 Other endeavours
Moss has appeared in music videos such as "Kowalski" by Primal Scream, "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" by the White Stripes, "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John, "Sex with Strangers" by Marianne Faithfull and "Delia's Gone" and "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash.

She has also provided vocals for songs by Primal Scream (the 2003 version of "Some Velvet Morning") and Babyshambles. Her vocals are featured on the Babyshambles song "La Belle et la Bête", singing the line "Is she more beautiful than me?". Prior to breaking up with Pete Doherty, Moss co-wrote four songs on Babyshambles' second album Shotter's Nation—"You Talk", "French Dog Blues", "Baddie's Boogie", and "Deft Left Hand".

Moss has also DJ'd on more than one occasion at the Death Disco club with her friends Alan McGee and BP Fallon.

Moss is also known for her close friendships with many rock and roll icons and musicians such as Elton John, Mick Jones,Philip Colbert, Anita Pallenberg, Marianne Faithfull, Bobby Gillespie and Siobhan Fahey.

In 1999, Moss played a non-musical role in the British television comedy Blackadder: Back & Forth, appearing both as Maid Marian and as a fictional Queen of England "who looks good naked".

Moss has also been the subject of portraits by contemporary artists such as Lucian Freud and Chuck Close. In 2005, a painting of Moss by Freud sold for £3.93 million at a Christie's auction. Close has taken a series of daguerreotypes of Moss, which he has also translated into Jacquard tapestry.

On 8 May 2009, it was reported that Moss would begin writing an autobiography, published by Richard Branson who said the book would make "an interesting read." It is reputed to have cost Branson £1 million.

==Charity work==
Moss has been a supporter of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, and in the 1990s featured in one of their target T-shirt campaigns. She also supported War Child. Moss also designed a charm in a necklace for Wallis in 2007 in aid of Cancer Research UK and said "I am happy to give my support to help fund crucial research, as so many lives are affected by this terrible disease".

She has also helped to launch the SamandRuby charity in March 2006. The charity was started to provide funding for the education and shelter of Thai children. The SamandRuby organisation is named after a friend of Moss's, Samantha Archer Fayet, and her 6-month-old daughter Ruby Rose who were killed by the Tsunami while visiting Thailand. Moss also supports the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Hoping Foundation, the Lucie Blackman Trust, Make Poverty History, Comic Relief and Homes of Hope which her close friend Sadie Frost also supports.

On 22 November 2006, Moss recorded an appearance in a Little Britain sketch for Comic Relief at the Hammersmith Apollo as a character called Katie Pollard, sister of Vicky Pollard played by Matt Lucas.

==Personal life==
Kate Moss has a daughter, Lila Grace Moss, born on 29 September 2002, with Dazed & Confused editor Jefferson Hack. She is also godmother to the two sons of The Clash member Paul Simonon and to the daughter of Sadie Frost and Jude Law.

Moss has long been linked romantically with former Libertines member Pete Doherty, first meeting him at her 31st birthday party in January 2005. On 11 April 2007, Doherty announced Moss as his fiancée during one of his concerts in London, at which Moss also performed. Doherty planned to marry Moss during the summer of 2007. However, in July 2007 Moss and Doherty split. A removal van arrived to take away Doherty's possessions from Moss's home after they had a series of rows and arguments. Doherty is reported to have said, "It's like living with a fucking stalker." Moss had also changed the locks to the gates allowing access into her house. She was due to model on the catwalk for John Galliano with Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Lily Cole and Gisele Bündchen but was too distraught with her break-up to participate.

Moss currently lives with her daughter Lila in a £9 million townhouse in St John's Wood, North London. Tabloids and gossip magazines frequently report on her status, and since Doherty, Moss has been dating Jamie Hince, guitarist for The Kills. The Sun reported on 26 March 2008, that Moss was due to marry Hince after becoming engaged during a trip to Amsterdam; however, various other British tabloids reported that the Sun article was false. On 22 April 2009, Lillian Berlin of American band Living Things said in an interview that Moss had slept with his brother and band-mate Eve Berlin in June 2008, during the time she was dating Hince.

==Cocaine scandal==
British tabloids and the paparazzi, particularly the Daily Mirror, have long claimed that Moss habitually used cocaine. In interviews, Moss dismissed these claims as ridiculous, and the Sunday Mirror was sued successfully by Moss for claiming that she had slipped into a coma after taking large amounts of cocaine in Spain in the 1990s.

On 15 September 2005, the Daily Mirror ran front page and inside photos that seemed to show Moss snorting several lines of cocaine at a Babyshambles recording session. It was also reported that Moss snorted five lines in 40 minutes. It has been alleged by Babyshambles' singer Pete Doherty that James Mullord, his former manager, sold the photos to the newspaper for more than £150,000. Within a short time of publication, Moss lost major modelling contracts with several international companies.

On 20 September 2005, the Swedish fashion retailer H&M, which had intended to feature her in a campaign of their autumn clothes range designed by Moss's good friend Stella McCartney, announced instead that it was dropping Moss after the drug allegations. The contract was reportedly worth £4 million a year. A day later, Chanel announced that it would not be renewing its contract with Moss, which was set to expire that October, although the company said that its decision had nothing to do with the drug scandal. Burberry also decided to drop Moss's campaign with them. Moss quickly issued an apology, though she stopped short of admitting drug use. "I take full responsibility for my actions. I also accept that there are various personal issues that I need to address and have started taking the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them," she said. "I want to apologise to all of the people I have let down because of my behaviour, which has reflected badly on my family, friends, co-workers, business associates and others."

Moss continued to appear in major ad campaigns during this period for Dior. She was on the cover of the November 2005 W and also appeared inside in a multi-page fashion shoot. She was also defended by friends and supporters, including models Naomi Campbell and Helena Christensen, French actress Catherine Deneuve, her ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp, and designer Alexander McQueen. McQueen's defence was especially notable, and during his walk-out after a fashion show he wore a t-shirt saying "We love you Kate".


British artist Stella Vine defended Moss in 2005 and painted pictures of her such as Holy water cannot help you now.Artist Stella Vine also publicly supported Moss, and paintings by Vine of the model, painted during the scandal, were exhibited and reproduced in the press. Vine defended Moss, saying to The Independent: "I had been painting Kate Moss for a long time, both before the time of her crisis and during it. I felt very strongly for her - she's a hard-working mum and it seemed as if suddenly the world turned against her." Vine's large paintings of Moss include Holy water cannot help you now (2005) and Kate unfinished (2005), whilst another had the slogan Must be the season of the witch across it in red paint. Vine compared the supermodel to Mona Lisa and said, "There's a bravery in Kate's eyes and I love her for that." Vine felt the media should not have accused Moss of being a bad mother, arguing that "men can go off and take as many drugs as they want, have as many children as they want, and their parenting rarely comes into question". A Vine painting of Moss was bought by Alexander McQueen.

Pop singer Robbie Williams said of Moss's relationship with Doherty, "I can understand why Kate finds it difficult to leave Pete; he has a certain charisma surrounding him." In November 2005, Moss ended her relationship with Doherty soon after he checked himself out of Meadows Clinic in Arizona, failing to complete a programme for drug rehabilitation. Moss herself underwent successful treatment there in October and had urged Doherty to seek the same treatment himself. Doherty claims that their separation involved other issues, telling the The Sun newspaper that Moss left him because, "I can’t buy her diamonds." On 5 January 2006, the Metropolitan Police asked Moss to return from the US to Britain to answer questions about the September 2005 cocaine scandal. The following day, the Daily Mirror reported that Moss would return to Britain and face arrest for allegations of cocaine usage. She was interviewed by police in London on 31 January 2006, with her solicitor present, but reportedly made no admissions, and she was not arrested (photographs of alleged drug-taking are not admissible evidence in English courts). On 16 June 2006, British police finally dropped the charges for lack of evidence. Ultimately, Moss was cleared of all charges and resumed her modelling career. Criticism of Moss has, however, continued, and her career revival has been viewed as a sign of moral and cultural decline by conservatives such as Peter Hitchens.

==Gold statue==
In 2008, it was reported that a £1.5m ($2.8m) 100% gold statue had been made of supermodel Kate Moss as part of a British Museum exhibition. Entitled Siren, the 50 kg (110 lb) hollow statue was made by Marc Quinn, who described Moss as "the ideal beauty of the moment". The statue is said to be the largest gold statue to be created since the era of Ancient Egypt.

Laetitia Casta in 'L'adorée' Biography

Laetitia Casta in 'L'adorée' Biography...:


Laetitia Casta in 'L'adorée'...




Laetitia Casta 
Birth name Laetitia Marie Laure Casta 
Date of birth May 11, 1978 (1978-05-11) (age 31)
Place of birth Pont-Audemer, Eure, France
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1/2 in)
Hair color Brown
Eye color Blue
Measurements (US) 35-23.5-35.5 in
(EU) 89-59.5-90 cm
Weight 125.4 lb (57 kg)
Dress size (US) 6
(EU) 36
Shoe size (US) 7
(EU) 38
Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (born May 11, 1978 in Pont-Audemer, Eure) is a French model and actress.

==Personal life and background==
Casta's mother, Line Blin, is from Normandy. Her father, Dominique Casta, is from Corsica. She has an older brother, Jean-Baptiste, and a younger sister, Marie-Ange. She spent her childhood in Normandy and Noisy-le-Grand (93 - France). On October 19, 2001, she gave birth to her daughter, Sahteene. The father is her former boyfriend Stephane Sednaoui. Casta is engaged to Italian actor Stefano Accorsi. The couple have two children, a son named Orlando, born on September 21, 2006, and a daughter named Athena, born on August 29, 2009.

==Career==
Casta's career reportedly began when she was discovered by a photographer during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, at age 15.

Casta was the official face of L'Oréal, Dior, and Chanel. She was featured in Guess? Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, Miu Miu and XOXO ad campaigns. Casta has appeared on over 100 magazine covers including Victoria's Secret catalogs, ELLE magazine, and Vogue magazine. She also appeared in three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, Rolling Stone, and a Pirelli Calendar. She is now the face of Ralph Lauren's newest fragrance, Notorious.

She once had a close professional relationship with designer Yves St. Laurent, whose outfits she would regularly wear at public appearances.

==Acting==
Casta has made forays into Francophone film and television productions, including Asterix et Obelix contre Cesar (known as Astérix and Obélix vs. César in English language versions), a live-action film of the Astérix world in which she plays a potential love interest for Obélix, portrayed by Gérard Depardieu. More recently, Casta appeared in Les Âmes Fortes, a dramatic film directed by Raùl Ruiz.

Casta was also prominently featured in the music video for the Chris Isaak song "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" in 1999. Through most of the video, Casta was seen in a motel room and sexy lingerie while being watched by Isaak in the next room. There were two versions of the video. VH1 aired the censored version before 9 p.m. and the uncensored version was aired after the 9 p.m. watershed. This video was ranked #28 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Video Moments. The video was regarded as too steamy by the network. She is also the subject of a song written by popular alternative rock band, Brand New, in their song "Magazines".

==As Marianne==
In 1999, Casta came out first of a national survey ordered by the Association des Maires de France to decide who should be the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol of the French Republic, which stands inside every French town hall. Casta succeeded model Inès de la Fressange. Marianne's embodiements are changed frequently, but each mayor chooses which bust he wants for his town, so past Mariannes can be used. Polls have shown that Casta, Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve were the most popular among French mayors.

Casta became the focus of a minor controversy when, shortly after being selected to be Marianne, she relocated to London. Although she stated her move was motivated by professional reasons, the magazine Le Point, among others, suggested that she was trying to escape taxes, something for which French celebrities are often criticized by journalists and left-wing politicians.

 Film portal
==Filmography==
Year Film Role Director Notes
2010 Serge Gainsbourg, vie héroïque Brigitte Bardot Joann Sfar
2009 Visage Salomé Tsai Ming-Liang Cannes Film Festival: official selection in competition
2008 Nés en 68 Catherine Olivier Ducastel
Jacques Martineau Cabourg: Golden Swann of the Best Actress
La jeune fille et les loups Angèle Amblard Gilles Legrand
2007 Le Petit Monde De Charlotte Charlotte A. Cavatica Gary Winick Voice of the spider
2006 Le Grand appartement Francesca Cigalone Pascal Thomas
La Déraison du Louvre The young woman Ange Leccia Short film
Nymphea The naiad Ange Leccia Short film
2004 Luisa Sanfelice Luisa Sanfelice Paolo and Vittorio Taviani TV film for France2, RAI Uno
2003 Errance Lou Damien Odoul
2002 Gitano Lucia Junco Manuel Palacios
Rue des plaisirs Marion Patrice Leconte
2001 Les âmes fortes Thérèse Raoul Ruiz 2001 Cannes Film Festival: official selection out of competition
2000 La Bicyclette Bleue Léa Delmas Thierry Binisti TV film for France2
1999 Astérix et Obélix contre César Falbala Claude Zidi

==Theatre==
Ondine (2004) play by Giraudoux, Théâtre Antoine
Elle t'attend (2008) play by Florian Zeller, Théâtre de la Madeleine
==Books==
Heath, Christopher; Laetitia Casta (September 1, 1999). Laetitia Casta. ISBN 0-670-88819-2.


Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez : KISS CAM

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez: Kiss Cam Couple!:


Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez on Kiss Camplay
Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez on Kiss Cam







Justin Bieber enjoyed a very special night on Tuesday.
First, the singer graced the stage of The Voice and revealed the release date of his next studio album. Circle June 19 on your calendar, fans.
Then, the young superstar raced over to The Staples Center and joined girlfriend Selena Gomez at the Lakers game. It was a disappointing affair for the home team, who were blown out by the Spurs, but an adorable one for fans of this couple.
Because they were featured on the arena Kiss Cam! See for yourself now:



ROLLING STONES TRIBUTE by SEIKO : WATCHES

ROLLING STONES TRIBUTE by SEIKO : WATCHES:

La casa relojera Seiko rinde homenaje a través de un reloj Rolling Stones 50th Anniversary Limited Edition , inspirado en la legendaria banda británica de rock.

No es la primera vez que la firma de relojes hace algo con la banda, tanto Mick Jagger como Keith Richards han estado muy cerca del mundo de la relojería, realizando creaciones inspirados en la músicos.

Seiko pays tribute to The Rolling Stones

The watchmaker Seiko honors through a clock Rolling Stones50th Anniversary Limited Edition, inspired by the legendary British rock band.

Not the first time that the firm does something to watch the band, both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been close tothe world of watchmaking, artistic creations inspired by the musicians.


The Rolling Stones 

Background information
Origin London, England
Genres Rock, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, blues
Years active 1962-present
Labels Decca, London, Rolling Stones, Virgin, ABKCO, Interscope, Polydor

Website
http://www.RollingStones.com

USA Fashion & Music News
Rolling Stones Biography & Pictures
http://thefireboys.blogspot.com/2010/03/rolling-stones-photos-biography.html

Members
Mick Jagger
Keith Richards
Ronnie Wood
Charlie Watts
Former members
Brian Jones
Ian Stewart
Dick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Bill Wyman

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in 1962 in London when guitarist and harmonica player Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early lineup. Stewart, deemed unsuitable as a teen idol, was removed from the official lineup in 1963 but continued as the band's road manager and occasional keyboardist until his death in 1985. After signing to Decca Records in 1963, the spelling of their name changed from "the Rollin' Stones" to "the Rolling Stones."

In 1963 Jagger and Richards formed a songwriting partnership and eventually took over leadership of the band as Jones became increasingly troubled and erratic. After recording mainly covers of American blues and R&B songs, every studio record since the 1966 album Aftermath has featured mainly Jagger/Richards songs. Mick Taylor replaced Jones shortly before Jones's death in 1969. Taylor quit in 1974, and was replaced in 1975 by Faces guitarist Ronnie Wood, who has remained with the band ever since. Wyman left the Rolling Stones in 1992, and Darryl Jones, who is not an official band member, has been the primary bassist since 1994.

First popular in the UK, The Rolling Stones toured the US repeatedly during the early 1960s "British Invasion". The Rolling Stones have released 22 studio albums in the UK (24 in the US), eight concert albums (nine in the US) and numerous compilations; and have album sales estimated at more than 200 million worldwide. Sticky Fingers (1971) began a string of eight consecutive studio albums reaching number one in the United States. Their latest album, 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", making them as the second most successful group in the history of Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Contents
1 History
1.1 Early history
1.2 1962-64
1.3 1965-69
1.4 1970-74
1.5 1975-82
1.6 1983-91
1.7 1992-2004
1.8 Since 2005
2 Musical evolution
2.1 Infusion of American blues
2.2 Early songwriting
3 Band members
3.1 Line-ups
4 Discography
5 Concert tours
6 Official videography


==History==
==Early history==
In the early 1950s Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were classmates at Wentworth Primary School in Dartford, Kent. They met again in 1960 while Richards was attending Sidcup Art College. Richards recalled, "I was still going to school, and he was going up to the London School of Economics... So I get on this train one morning, and there's Jagger and under his arm he has four or five albums... He's got Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters". With mutual friend Dick Taylor (later of Pretty Things), they formed the band Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys. Stones founders Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were active in the nascent London R&B scene fostered by Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner. Jagger and Richards met Jones while he was playing slide guitar sitting in with Korner's Blues Incorporated. Korner also had hired Jagger periodically and frequently future Stones drummer Charlie Watts. Richards credits Stewart with instigating and finding a space for rehearsals. The early rehearsals included Stewart, Jones, Jagger and Richards, as well as guitarist Geoff Bradford and vocalist Brian Knight. The latter two objected to the Chuck Berry material that Jagger and Richards favoured, and ended their involvement with the as-yet-unnamed band. In June 1962 the lineup was: Jagger, Richards, Stewart, Jones, Taylor, and drummer Tony Chapman. Taylor then left the group. According to Richards, Jones christened the band in a "panic" while phoning Jazz News to place an advertisement. When asked what the band's name was, Jones glanced at a Muddy Waters LP lying on the floor; one of the tracks was "Rollin' Stone".

1962-64
On 12 July 1962 the group played their first formal gig at the Marquee Club, billed as "The Rollin' Stones". The line-up was Jagger, Richards, Jones, Stewart on piano, Taylor on bass and Tony Chapman on drums. Jones and Stewart intended to play primarily Chicago blues, but were agreeable the Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley numbers Jagger and Richards brought to the band. Bassist Bill Wyman joined in December and drummer Charlie Watts the following January to form the band's long-standing rhythm section.

Acting Rolling Stones' manager Giorgio Gomelsky booked them for what became an eight-month Sunday residency at The Crawdaddy Club - named after the bands' 20-minute version of Bo Diddley's "Doin' the Crawdad" which they often closed with. First located at the Station Hotel in Richmond , the Crawdaddy Club moved to the larger Richmond Athletic Association. Gomelsky paired the Rolling Stones' residency at the club with the emergence of The Beatles as key events for "Swinging London" in which the blues enjoyed an international renaissance.

In March 1963 engineer Glyn Johns arranged an agreement with The Rollling Stones and IBC Studios for the band's very first recording session. In exchange for three hours of studio time, Jones signed on the band's behalf a recording contract with IBC. The session produced a four-cut demo featuring two Bo Diddley songs, "Diddley Daddy" and "Road-Runner", as well as Muddy Waters's "I Want to be Loved" and Jimmy Reed's "Honey, What's Wrong?". Later, on the eve of signing to Decca Records, Jones feigned that he was leaving the band and paid 90 pounds cash which he was provided with to buy out the IBC contact.

Tipped off by Record Mirror journalist Peter Jones about the large and fashionable Crawdaddy audiences, former Beatles publicist, Andrew Loog Oldham, became the Rolling Stones manager in April, 1963. Oldham's age of nineteen - besides making him younger than any of the band members - made him ineligible for an agent's license. To make matters legal, in May of 1963 Oldham became co-manager of the band with veteran booker Eric Easton, as Mrs. Oldham signed the agreement for her underage son.  Gomelsky had no written agreement with the band and was not consulted.

Oldham and Easton got the Rolling Stones signed to Decca by AR rep Dick Rowe who, subsequent to becoming known for rejecting the Beatles, courted the Rolling Stones based on Beatle George Harrison's solicited recommendation.  Desperate to bring the Rolling Stones to Decca, Rowe signed the band through Oldham and Eastons' production company Impact Sound, after an attempt to record the band at Decca's West Hampstead studios without Oldham's involvement ended in failure. The three year Impact Sound agreement committed The Rolling Stones to Decca and gave them three times the royalty rate of an average recording act under a tape-lease agreement that gave the band artistic control of their recordings, ownership of the recording masters, which they leased to Decca, and Oldham was also allowed his choice of recording studios. All of these were favourable terms which, at the time, were unusual in England". Despite having almost no recording-studio experience, Oldham made himself the band's producer and booked the band into independent studios such as Olympic, De Lane Lea and Regent Sound.

Besides earning better royalty rates through using independent studios, the band found avoiding any major studio artistically conducive. After finding the stereo four-track facilities of Olympic to be unnerving, in late 1963 and early 1964 Oldham and the Rolling Stones settled on Regent Sound, a relatively primitive and inexpensive monophonic demo facility on Denmark Street, with egg boxes on the ceiling for sound treatment. All tracks for the first album were recorded at Regent, where noted Oldham, "The sound leaked, instrument to instrument, the right way" creating a "wall of noise" in mono that suited the band's sound. Because at Regent the band could record for extended intervals, they could create and experiment without possible interference from Decca A&R.

Recording at independent studios also let Oldham present The Rolling Stones as stars, who, unlike the Beatles, were not "mere motals...sweating in the studio for the man",  as Oldham developed his media strategy to contrast The Rolling Stones as the nasty opposites of the Beatles. How The Rolling Stones were perceived was important to Oldham: he changed the spelling of the band from "the Rollin' Stones" to "the Rolling Stones" and changed the spelling of Richards last name to Richard because it "looked more pop". He also had Stewart, who did not fit Oldham's mold of "pretty, thin, long-haired boys", removed from band photos and live appearances to become the band's road manager and occasional studio pianist.  To exploit the media Oldham learned to take advantage of what the band offered. According to Wyman: "Our reputation and image as the Bad Boys came later, completely accidentally. Andrew never did engineer it. He simply exploited it exhaustively." In fact, before reversing course, Oldham initially tried to make the band more presentable with identical suits, but acquiesced as the band gradually returned to wearing their own clothes for public appearances.


The Rolling Stones in the 1960s. From left: Jagger, Jones, Richards, Wyman and WattsThe Rolling Stones' first single, recorded during an unhappy session at Olympic Studios during contract negotiations as an audition of sorts, was released with the A-side(released 7 June 1963) being a cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On". Though The Rolling Stones appeared on the TV show "Thank Your Luck Stars" playing "Come On",, they disliked the song and refused to play it at live gigs. Decca also did little to promote "Come On". Oldham, aware of how unimpressive "Come On" was, still feared that if the record did poorly, Decca would neglect the band and not allow any other record company to sign them. Oldham's response was to dispatch fan club members to buy copies at record shops specifically chosen because they were polled by the charts. After the release of "Come On" the band began touring, playing their first gig outside greater London at the Outlook Club in Middlesbrough on 13 July. Later in the year Oldham and Easton booked the band on their first big UK concert tour, as a supporting act for American stars including Bo Diddley, Little Richard and The Everly Brothers. The autumn 1963 tour became a "training ground" for the young band's stagecraft.

During this tour the Rolling Stones recorded their second single, a Lennon/McCartney-penned number entitled "I Wanna Be Your Man; it reached number 12 in the UK charts. Their third single featured Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" , released in February of 1964, and reached number 3.

Oldham believed that recording songs written by "middle-aged blacks", besides giving away revenue to artists he did not represent, could also limit the band's appeal to its teenage audience. At Oldham's direction, Jagger and Richards began to co-write songs, the first batch of which he described as "soppy and imitative." Because songwriting developed slowly, songs on the band's first album The Rolling Stones, (issued in the US as England's Newest Hit Makers) were primarily covers, with only one Jagger/Richards original  "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)"  and two numbers credited to Nanker Phelge, the pen name for songs written by the entire group.

The Rolling Stones' first US tour, in June 1964, was, in Bill Wyman's words, "a disaster. When we arrived, we didn't have a hit record  or anything going for us." When the band appeared on Dean Martin's TV variety show The Hollywood Palace, Martin mocked both their hair and their performance. During the tour recorded for two days at Chess Studios in Chicago, meeting many of their most important influences, including Muddy Waters.  These sessions included what would become The Rolling Stones' first number 1 hit in the UK: their cover of Bobby and Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now".

"The Stones" followed James Brown in the filmed theatrical release of The TAMI Show, which showcased American acts with British Invasion artists. According to Jagger in 2003, "We weren't actually following James Brown because there were hours in between the filming of each section. Nevertheless, he was still very annoyed about it..." On 25 October the band also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan, reacting to the pandemonium the Stones caused, stated he would never book them again, though he later did book them repeatedly. Their second LP  the US-only 12 X 5  was released during this tour; like their first album, it contained mainly cover tunes, augmented by Jagger/Richards and Nanker Phelge tracks.

The Rolling Stones' fifth UK single  a cover of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster" backed by "Off the Hook" (Nanker Phelge)  was released in November 1964 and became their second number-1 hit in the UK  an unprecedented achievement for a blues number. The band's US distributors (London Records) declined to release "Little Red Rooster" as a single there. In December 1964 London Records released the band's first single with Jagger/Richards originals on both sides: "Heart of Stone" backed with "What a Shame"; "Heart of Stone" went to number 19 in the US.

1965-69
The band's second UK LP - The Rolling Stones No. 2, released in January 1965 - was another number 1 on the album charts; the US version, released in February as The Rolling Stones, Now!, went to number 5. Most of the material had been recorded at Chess Studios in Chicago and RCA Studios in Los Angeles. In January/February 1965 the band also toured Australia and New Zealand for the first time, playing 34 shows for about 100,000 fans.

The first Jagger/Richards composition to reach number 1 on the UK singles charts was "The Last Time" (released in February 1965); it went to number 9 in the US. It was also later identified by Richards as the "the bridge to into thinking about writing for The Stones. It gave us a level of confidence; a pathway of how to do it."  Their first international number-1 hit was "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", recorded in May 1965 during the band's third North American tour. In recording the guitar riff with the fuzzbox that drives the song, Richards had envisoned it as a scratch track to guide a horn section. Disagreeing, Oldham released "Satisfaction" without the planned horn overdubs. Issued in the US in June 1965, it spent four weeks at the top of the charts there, establishing the Stones as a worldwide premier act.

The US version of the LP Out of Our Heads (released in July 1965) also went to number 1; it included seven original songs (three Jagger/Richards numbers and four credited to Nanker Phelge). Their second international number-1 single, "Get Off of My Cloud" was released in the autumn of 1965, followed by another US-only LP: December's Children.

Aftermath (UK number 1; US 2), released in the late spring of 1966, was the first Rolling Stones album to be composed entirely of Jagger/Richards songs. On this album Jones's contributions expanded beyond guitar and harmonica. To the Middle Eastern-influenced "Paint It Black" he added sitar, to the ballad "Lady Jane" he added dulcimer, and to "Under My Thumb" he added marimbas. Aftermath was also notable for the almost 12-minute long "Goin' Home", the first extended jam on a top-selling rock & roll album.

The Stones' success on the British and American singles charts peaked during 1966. "19th Nervous Breakdown" (Feb. 1966, UK number 2, US number 2) was followed by their first trans-Atlantic number-1 hit "Paint It Black" (May 1966). "Mother's Little Helper" (June 1966) was only released as a single in the USA, where it reached number 8; it was one of the first pop songs to address the issue of prescription drug abuse. Notably, Jagger sang the lyric in his natural London accent, rather than his usual affected southern American accent.

The September 1966 single "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?" (UK number 5, US number 9) was notable in several respects: It was the first Stones recording to feature brass horns, the (now-famous) back-cover photo on the original US picture sleeve depicted the group satirically dressed in drag, and the song was accompanied by one of the first purposely-made promotional film clips (music videos), directed by Peter Whitehead.

January 1967 saw the release of Between the Buttons (UK number 3; US 2); the album was Andrew Oldham's last venture as The Rolling Stones' producer (his role as the band's manager had been taken over by Allen Klein in 1965). The US version included the double A-side single "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday", which went to number 1 in America and number 3 in the UK. When the band went to New York to perform the numbers on The Ed Sullivan Show, they were ordered to change the lyrics of the refrain to "let's spend some time together".

Jagger, Richards and Jones began to be hounded by authorities over their recreational drug use in early 1967, after News of the World ran a three-part feature entitled "Pop Stars and Drugs: Facts That Will Shock You". The series described alleged LSD parties hosted by The Moody Blues and attended by top stars including The Who's Pete Townshend and Cream's Ginger Baker, and alleged admissions of drug use by leading pop musicians. The first article targeted Donovan (who was raided and charged soon after); the second installment (published on 5 February) targeted the Rolling Stones. A reporter who contributed to the story spent an evening at the exclusive London club Blaise's, where a member of the Stones allegedly took several Benzedrine tablets, displayed a piece of hashish and invited his companions back to his flat for a "smoke". The article claimed that this was Mick Jagger, but it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity the reporter had in fact been eavesdropping on Brian Jones. On the night the article was published Jagger appeared on the Eammon Andrews chat show and announced that he was filing a writ of libel against the paper.

A week later on Sunday 12 February, Sussex police (tipped off by the News of the World) raided a party at Keith Richards's home, Redlands. No arrests were made at the time but Jagger, Richards and their friend Robert Fraser (an art dealer) were subsequently charged with drug offences. Richards said in 2003, "When we got busted at Redlands, it suddenly made us realise that this was a whole different ball game and that was when the fun stopped. Up until then it had been as though London existed in a beautiful space where you could do anything you wanted."

In March, while awaiting the consequences of the police raid, Jagger, Richards and Jones took a short trip to Morocco, accompanied by Marianne Faithfull, Jones's girlfriend Anita Pallenberg and other friends. During this trip the stormy relations between Jones and Pallenberg deteriorated to the point that Pallenberg left Morocco with Richards. Richards said later: "That was the final nail in the coffin with me and Brian. He'd never forgive me for that and I don't blame him, but hell, shit happens." Richards and Pallenberg would remain a couple for twelve years. Despite these complications, The Rolling Stones toured Europe in March and April 1967. The tour included the band's first performances in Poland, Greece and Italy.

On 10 May 1967 the same day Jagger, Richards and Fraser were arraigned in connection with the Redlands charges Brian Jones's house was raided by police and he was arrested and charged with possession of cannabis. Three out of five Rolling Stones now faced criminal charges. Jagger and Richards were tried at the end of June. On 29 June Jagger was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for possession of four amphetamine tablets; Richards was found guilty of allowing cannabis to be smoked on his property and sentenced to one year in prison. Both Jagger and Richards were imprisoned at that point, but were released on bail the next day pending appeal. The Times ran the famous editorial entitled "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?" in which editor William Rees-Mogg was strongly critical of the sentencing, pointing out that Jagger had been treated far more harshly for a minor first offence than "any purely anonymous young man".

While awaiting the appeal hearings, the band recorded a new single, "We Love You", as a thank-you for the loyalty shown by their fans. It began with the sound of prison doors closing, and the accompanying music video included allusions to the trial of Oscar Wilde. On 31 July, the appeals court overturned Richards's conviction, and Jagger's sentence was reduced to a conditional discharge. Brian Jones's trial took place in November 1967; in December, after appealing the original prison sentence, Jones was fined £1000, put on three years' probation and ordered to seek professional help.

December 1967 also saw the release of Their Satanic Majesties Request (UK number 3; US 2), released shortly after The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Satanic Majesties had been recorded in difficult circumstances while Jagger, Richards and Jones were dealing with their court cases. The band parted ways with producer Andrew Oldham during the sessions. The split was amicable, at least publicly, but in 2003 Jagger said: "The reason Andrew left was because he thought that we weren't concentrating and that we were being childish. It was not a great moment really - and I would have thought it wasn't a great moment for Andrew either. There were a lot of distractions and you always need someone to focus you at that point, that was Andrew's job."

Satanic Majesties thus became the first album The Rolling Stones produced on their own. It was also the first of their albums released in identical versions on both sides of the Atlantic. Its psychedelic sound was complemented by the cover art, which featured a 3D photo by Michael Cooper, who had also photographed the cover of Sgt. Pepper. Bill Wyman wrote and sang a track on the album: "In Another Land", which was also released as a single, the first on which Jagger did not sing lead vocal.

The band spent the first few months of 1968 working on material for their next album. Those sessions resulted in the song "Jumpin' Jack Flash", released as a single in May. The song and the subsequent album, Beggars Banquet (UK number 3; US 5), an eclectic mix of country and blues-inspired tunes, marked the band's return to their roots, and the beginning of their collaboration with producer Jimmy Miller. Featuring the lead single "Street Fighting Man" (which addressed the political upheavals of May 1968) and the opening track "Sympathy for the Devil", Beggars Banquet was hailed as an achievement for the Stones at the time of release. On the musical evolution between albums, Richards said, "There is a change between material on Satanic Majesties and Beggars Banquet. I'd grown sick to death of the whole Maharishi guru shit and the beads and bells. Who knows where these things come from, but I guess was a reaction to what we'd done in our time off and also that severe dose of reality. A spell in prison... will certainly give you room for thought... I was fucking pissed with being busted. So it was, 'Right we'll go and strip this thing down.' There's a lot of anger in the music from that period." Richards started using open tunings for rhythm parts (often in conjunction with a capo), most prominently an open-E or open-D tuning in 1968. Beginning in 1969, he often used 5-string open-G tuning (with the lower 6th string removed), as heard on the 1969 single "Honky Tonk Women", "Brown Sugar" (Sticky Fingers, 1971), "Tumbling Dice"(capo IV), "Happy"(capo IV) (Exile on Main St., 1972), and "Start Me Up" (Tattoo You, 1981).

The end of 1968 saw the filming of The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. It featured John Lennon, Yoko Ono, The Dirty Mac, The Who, Jethro Tull, Marianne Faithfull and Taj Mahal. The footage was shelved for twenty-eight years but was finally released officially in 1996.

By the release of Beggars Banquet, Brian Jones was increasingly troubled and was only sporadically contributing to the band. Jagger said that Jones was "not psychologically suited to this way of life". His drug use had become a hindrance, and he was unable to obtain a US visa. Richards reported that, in a June meeting with Jagger, Richards, and Watts at Jones's house, Jones admitted that he was unable to "go on the road again". According to Richards, all agreed to let Jones "...say I've left, and if I want to I can come back". His replacement was the 20-year-old guitarist Mick Taylor, of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, who started recording with the band immediately. On 3 July 1969, less than a month later, Jones drowned in the swimming pool at his Cotchford Farm home in Sussex.

1970-74

Richards on stage in 1972The Rolling Stones were scheduled to play at a free concert in London's Hyde Park two days after Brian Jones's death; they decided to proceed with the show as a tribute to Jones. The concert, their first with Mick Taylor, was performed in front of an estimated 250,000 fans. The performance was filmed by a Granada Television production team, and was shown on British television as Stones in the Park. Jagger read an excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley's elegy Adonais and released thousands of butterflies in memory of Jones. The show included the concert debut of "Honky Tonk Women", which the band had just released. Their stage manager Sam Cutler introduced them as "the greatest rock & roll band in the world" - a description he repeated throughout their 1969 US tour, and which has stuck to this day.


The release of Let It Bleed (UK number 1; US 3) came in December. Their last album of the sixties, Let It Bleed featured "Gimmie Shelter" (with backing vocals by female vocalist Merry Clayton), "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Midnight Rambler", as well as a cover of Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain". Jones and Taylor are featured on two tracks each. Many of these numbers were played during the band's US tour in November 1969, their first in three years. Just after the tour the band performed at the Altamont Free Concert at the Altamont Speedway, about 60 km east of San Francisco. The biker gang Hells Angels provided security, and a fan, Meredith Hunter, was stabbed and beaten to death by the Angels. Part of the tour and the Altamont concert were documented in Albert and David Maysles' film Gimme Shelter. As a response to the growing popularity of bootleg recordings, the album Get Yer Ya-Yas Out! (UK 1; US 6) was released in 1970; it was declared by critic Lester Bangs to be the best live album ever.

At the turn of the decade the band appeared on the BBC's highly rated review of the sixties music scene Pop Go The Sixties, performing Gimme Shelter on the show, which was broadcast live on 1 January 1970. Later in 1970 the band's contracts with both Allen Klein and Decca Records ended, and amid contractual disputes with Klein, they formed their own record company, Rolling Stones Records. Sticky Fingers (UK number 1; US 1), released in March 1971, the band's first album on their own label, featured an elaborate cover design by Andy Warhol. The album contains one of their best known hits, "Brown Sugar", and the country-influenced "Wild Horses". Both were recorded at Alabama's Muscle Shoals Sound Studio during the 1969 American tour. The album continued the band's immersion into heavily blues-influenced compositions. The album is noted for its "loose, ramshackle ambience" and marked Mick Taylor's first full release with the band.


Mick Taylor, playing slide guitar on his Les Paul guitar with the Stones, 1972Following the release of Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones left England on the advice of financial advisors. The band moved to the South of France, where Richards rented the Villa Nellcôte and sublet rooms to band members and entourage. Using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, they held recording sessions in the basement; they completed the resulting tracks, along with material dating as far back as 1969, at Sunset Studios in Los Angeles. The resulting double album, Exile on Main St. (UK number 1; US 1), was released in May 1972. Given an A+ grade by critic Robert Christgau and disparaged by Lester Bangs who reversed his opinion within months -- Exile is now accepted as one of the Stones' best albums. The films Cocksucker Blues (never officially released) and Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (released in 1974) document the subsequent highly publicised 1972 North American ("STP") Tour, with its retinue of jet-set hangers-on, including writer Terry Southern.

In November 1972, the band began sessions in Kingston, Jamaica, for their follow-up to Exile, Goats Head Soup (UK 1; US 1) (1973). The album spawned the worldwide hit "Angie", but proved the first in a string of commercially successful but tepidly received studio albums. The sessions for Goats Head Soup led to a number of outtakes, most notably an early version of the popular ballad "Waiting on a Friend", not released until Tattoo You eight years later.

The making of the record was interrupted by another legal battle over drugs, dating back to their stay in France; a warrant for Richards's arrest had been issued, and the other band members had to return briefly to France for questioning. This, along with Jagger's convictions on drug charges (in 1967 and 1970), complicated the band's plans for their Pacific tour in early 1973: they were denied permission to play in Japan and almost banned from Australia. This was followed by a European tour (bypassing France) in September/October 1973 - prior to which Richards had been arrested once more on drug charges, this time in England.

The band went to Musicland studios in Munich to record their next album, 1974's It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (UK 2; US 1), but Jimmy Miller, who had drug abuse issues, was no longer producer. Instead, Jagger and Richards assumed production duties and were credited as "the Glimmer Twins". Both the album and the single of the same name were hits.

Near the end of 1974, Taylor began to lose patience. The band's situation made normal functioning complicated, with band members living in different countries and legal barriers restricting where they could tour. In addition, drug use was affecting Richards's creativity and productivity, and Taylor felt some of his own creative contributions were going unrecognized. At the end of 1974, with a recording session already booked in Munich to record another album, Taylor quit The Rolling Stones. Taylor said in 1980, "I was getting a bit fed up. I wanted to broaden my scope as a guitarist and do something else... I wasn't really composing songs or writing at that time. I was just beginning to write, and that influenced my decision... There are some people who can just ride along from crest to crest; they can ride along somebody else's success. And there are some people for whom that's not enough. It really wasn't enough for me."

1975-82

Ronnie Wood (left) and Mick Jagger (right), during the 1975 Tour of the AmericasThe Stones used the recording sessions in Munich to audition replacements for Taylor. Guitarists as stylistically disparate as Humble Pie lead Peter Frampton and ex-Yardbirds virtuoso Jeff Beck were auditioned. Rory Gallagher and Shuggie Otis also dropped by the Munich sessions. American session players Wayne Perkins and Harvey Mandel also appeared on much of the next album, Black and Blue (UK 2; US 1) (1976). Yet Richards and Jagger also wanted the Stones to remain purely a British band. When Ronnie Wood auditioned, everyone agreed that he was the right choice. Wood had already recorded and played live with Richards, and had contributed to the recording and writing of the track "It's Only Rock 'n Roll". Though he had earlier declined Jagger's offer to join the Stones, because of his ties to the The Faces, Wood committed to the Stones in 1975 for their upcoming Tour of the Americas. He officially joined the band the following year, as the Faces dissolved. Unlike the other band members, however, Wood was a salaried employee and remained so until Wyman's departure nearly two decades later, when Wood finally became a full member of the Rolling Stones' partnership.

The 1975 Tour of the Americas kicked off in New York City with the band performing on a flatbed trailer being pulled down Broadway. The tour featured stage props including a giant phallus and a rope on which Jagger swung out over the audience.


Toronto's El Mocambo Club where part of Love You Live was recorded.Jagger had booked live recording sessions at the El Mocambo club in Toronto to balance a long-overdue live album, 1977's Love You Live (UK 3; US 5), the first Stones live album since 1970's Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!. Richards's addiction to heroin delayed his arrival in Toronto; the other members had already assembled, awaiting Richards, and sent him a telegram asking him where he was. On 24 February 1977, when Richards and his family flew in from London, they were temporarily detained by Canada Customs after Richards was found in possession of a burnt spoon and hash residue. Three days later, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, armed with an arrest warrant for Pallenberg, discovered "22 grams of heroin" in Richards's room. Richards was charged with importing narcotics into Canada, an offense that carried a minimum seven-year sentence. Later the Crown prosecutor conceded that Richards had procured the drugs after arrival. Despite the arrest, the band played two shows in Toronto, only to raise more controversy when Margaret Trudeau, then-wife of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, was seen partying with the band after one show. The band's two shows were not advertised to the public. Instead, the El Mocambo had been booked for the entire week by April Wine for a recording session. 1050 CHUM, a local radio station, ran a contest for free tickets to see April Wine. Contest winners who selected tickets for Friday or Saturday night were surprised to find that the Stones were playing.

On 4 March, Richards's partner Anita Pallenberg pled guilty to drug possession and incurred a fine in connection with the original airport incident. The drug case against Richards dragged on for over a year. Ultimately, Richards received a suspended sentence and was ordered to play two free concerts for the CNIB in Oshawa; both shows featured the Rolling Stones and The New Barbarians, a group that Wood had put together to promote his latest solo album, and which Richards also joined. This episode strengthened Richards's resolve to stop using heroin. It also contributed to the end of his relationship with Pallenberg, which had become strained since the death of their third child (an infant son named Tara). In addition, Pallenberg was unable to curb her heroin addiction while Keith struggled to get clean. While Richards was settling his legal and personal problems, Jagger continued his jet-set lifestyle. He was a regular at New York's Studio 54 disco club, often in the company of model Jerry Hall. His marriage to Bianca Jagger ended in 1978, although they had long been estranged.

Although The Rolling Stones remained popular through the first half of the 1970s, music critics had grown increasingly dismissive of the band's output, and record sales failed to meet expectations. By the late 70s, after punk rock became influential, many criticised the Stones as decadent, aging millionaires and their music as stagnant or irrelevant. This changed in 1978, after the band released Some Girls (UK #2; US #1), which included the hit single "Miss You", the country ballad "Far Away Eyes", "Beast of Burden", and "Shattered". In part as a response to punk, many songs were fast, basic, guitar-driven rock and roll, and the album's success re-established the Rolling Stones' immense popularity among young people. Following the US Tour 1978, the band guested on the first show of the fourth season of the TV series "Saturday Night Live". The group did not tour Europe the following year, breaking the routine of touring Europe every three years that the band had followed since 1967.

Following the success of Some Girls, the band released their next album Emotional Rescue (UK 1; US 1) in mid-1980. The recording of the album was reportedly plagued by turmoil, with Jagger and Richards' relationship reaching a new low. Richards, though still using heroin according to keyboardist Ian Mclagan, began to assert more control in the studio  more than Jagger had become used to  and a struggle ensued as Richards felt he was fighting for "his half of the Glimmer Twins." Emotional Rescue hit the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and the title track reached #3 in the US.

In early 1981, the group reconvened and decided to tour the US that year, leaving little time to write and record a new album, as well as rehearse for the tour. That year's resulting album, Tattoo You (UK 2; US 1) featured a number of outtakes, including lead single "Start Me Up", which reached #2 in the US and ranked #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 year-end chart. Two songs ("Waiting on a Friend" (US #13) and "Tops") featured Mick Taylor's guitar playing, while jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins played on "Slave" and dubbed a part on "Waiting on a Friend". The Rolling Stones scored one more Top Twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, the #20 hit "Hang Fire". The Stones' American Tour 1981 was their biggest, longest and most colourful production to date, with the band playing from 25 September through 19 December. It was the highest grossing tour of that year. Some shows were recorded, resulting in the 1982 live album Still Life (American Concert 1981) (UK 4; US 5), and the 1983 Hal Ashby concert film Let's Spend the Night Together, which was filmed at Sun Devil Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona and the Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands, New Jersey.

In mid-1982, to commemorate their 20th anniversary, the Stones took their American stage show to Europe. The European Tour 1982 was their first European tour in six years. The tour was essentially a carbon copy of the 1981 American tour. For the tour, the band were joined by former Allman Brothers Band piano player Chuck Leavell, who continues to play and record with the Stones. By the end of the year, the band had signed a new four-album, 28 million dollar recording deal with a new label, CBS Records.

1983-91
Before leaving Atlantic, the Stones released Undercover (UK 3; US 4) in late 1983. Despite good reviews and the Top Ten peak position of the title track, the record sold below expectations and there was no tour to support it. Subsequently the Stones' new marketer/distributor CBS Records took over distributing the Stones' Atlantic catalogue.

By this time, the Jagger/Richards split was growing. Much to the consternation of Richards, Jagger had signed a solo deal with CBS Records, and he spent much of 1984 writing songs for this first solo effort. He has also stated that he was feeling stultified within the framework of the Rolling Stones. By 1985, Jagger was spending more time on solo recordings, and much of the material on 1986's Dirty Work (UK #4; US #4) was generated by Keith Richards, with more contributions by Ron Wood than on previous Rolling Stones albums. Rumours surfaced that Jagger and Richards were rarely, if ever, in the studio at the same time, leaving Richards to keep the recording sessions moving forward.

In December 1985, the band's co-founder, pianist, road manager and long-time friend Ian Stewart died of a heart attack. The Rolling Stones played a private tribute concert for him at London's 100 Club in February 1986, two days before they were presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dirty Work was released in March 1986 to mixed reviews despite the presence of the US Top Five hit "Harlem Shuffle"; Jagger refused to tour to promote the album, stating later that several band members were in no condition to tour. Richards was infuriated when Jagger instead undertook his own solo tour which included Rolling Stones songs. He has referred to this period in his relations with Jagger as "World War III". Jagger's solo records, She's The Boss (UK 6; US 13) (1985) and Primitive Cool (UK 26; US 41) (1987), met with moderate success, although Richards disparaged both. Many believed the group would disband. In 1988, with the Rolling Stones inactive, Richards released his first solo album, Talk Is Cheap (UK 37; US 24). It was well received by fans and critics, going gold in the US.

In early 1989, the Rolling Stones, including Mick Taylor, Ronnie Wood and Ian Stewart (posthumously), were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jagger and Richards set aside animosities and went to work on a new Rolling Stones album that would be called Steel Wheels (UK 2; US 3). Heralded as a return to form, it included the singles "Mixed Emotions" (US #5), "Rock and a Hard Place" (US #23) and "Almost Hear You Sigh". It also included "Continental Drift", which was recorded in Tangier in 1989 with The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar.

The subsequent Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tours, encompassing North America, Japan and Europe, saw the Rolling Stones touring for the first time in seven years (since Europe 1982), and it was their biggest stage production to date. Opening acts included Living Colour and Guns N' Roses; the onstage personnel included a horn section and backup singers Lisa Fischer and Bernard Fowler, both of whom continue to tour regularly with the Rolling Stones. Recordings from the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours produced the 1991 concert album Flashpoint (UK 6; US 16), which also included two studio tracks recorded in 1991: the single "Highwire" and "Sex Drive".

These were the last Rolling Stones tours for Bill Wyman, who left the band after years of deliberation, although his retirement was not made official until December 1992. He then published Stone Alone, an autobiography based on scrapbooks and diaries he had been keeping since the band's early days. A few years later he formed Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings and began recording and touring again.

1992-2004
After the successes of the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours, the band took a break. Charlie Watts released two jazz albums; Ronnie Wood made his fifth solo album, the first in 11 years, called Slide On This; Keith Richards released his second solo album in late 1992, Main Offender (UK 45; US 99), and did a small tour including big concerts in Spain and Argentina. Mick Jagger got good reviews and sales with his third solo album, Wandering Spirit (UK 12; US 11). The album sold more than two million copies worldwide, going gold in the US.

After Wyman's departure, the Rolling Stones' new distributor/record label, Virgin Records, remastered and repackaged the band's back catalogue from Sticky Fingers to Steel Wheels, except for the three live albums, and issued another hits compilation in 1993 entitled Jump Back (UK 16; US 30). By 1993 the Stones set upon their next studio album. Darryl Jones, former sideman of Miles Davis and Sting, was chosen by Charlie Watts as Wyman's replacement for 1994's Voodoo Lounge (UK 1; US 2). The album met strong reviews and sales, going double platinum in the US. Reviewers took note of the album's "traditionalist" sounds, which were credited to the Rolling Stones' new producer Don Was. It would go on to win the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.

1994 also brought the accompanying Voodoo Lounge Tour, which lasted into 1995. Numbers from various concerts and rehearsals (mostly acoustic) made up Stripped (UK 9; US 9), which featured a cover of Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone", as well as infrequently played songs like "Shine a Light", "Sweet Virginia" and "The Spider and the Fly".


Keith Richards in Hannover, 2006, during the A Bigger Bang TourThe Rolling Stones ended the 1990s with the album Bridges To Babylon (UK 6; US 3), released in 1997 to mixed reviews. The video of the single "Anybody Seen My Baby?" featured Angelina Jolie as guest and met steady rotation on both MTV and VH1. Sales were reasonably equivalent to those of previous records (about 1.2 million copies sold in the US), and the subsequent Bridges to Babylon Tour, which crossed Europe, North America and other destinations, proved the band to be a strong live attraction. Once again, a live album was culled from the tour, No Security (UK 67; US 34), only this time all but two songs ("Live With Me" and "The Last Time") were previously unreleased on live albums. In 1999, the Stones staged the No Security Tour in the US and continued the Bridges to Babylon tour in Europe. The No Security Tour offered a stripped-down production in contrast to the pyrotechnics and mammoth stages of other recent tours.

In late 2001, Mick Jagger released his fourth solo album, Goddess in the Doorway (UK 44; US 39) which met with mixed reviews. Jagger and Richards took part in "The Concert for New York City", performing "Salt of the Earth" and "Miss You" with a backing band.

In 2002, the band released Forty Licks (UK 2; US 2), a greatest hits double album, to mark their forty years as a band. The collection contained four new songs recorded with the latter-day core band of Jagger, Richards, Watts, Wood, Leavell and Jones. The album has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. The same year, Q magazine named The Rolling Stones as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die", and the 2002-2003 Licks Tour gave people that chance. The tour included shows in small theatres, arenas and stadiums. The band headlined the Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto concert in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to help the city  which they have used for rehearsals since the Steel Wheels tour  recover from the 2003 SARS epidemic. The concert was attended by an estimated 490,000 people.

On 9 November 2003, the band played their first concert in Hong Kong as part of the Harbour Fest celebration, also in support of the SARS-affected economy. In November 2003, the band exclusively licensed the right to sell their new four-DVD boxed set, Four Flicks, recorded on the band's most recent world tour, to the US Best Buy chain of stores. In response, some Canadian and US music retail chains (including HMV Canada and Circuit City) pulled Rolling Stones CDs and related merchandise from their shelves and replaced them with signs explaining the situation. In 2004, a double live album of the Licks Tour, Live Licks (UK 38; US 50), was released, going gold in the US.

Since 2005

Wood and Jagger onstage with the Rolling Stones in Vienna, 2006On 26 July 2005, Jagger's birthday, the band announced the name of their new album, A Bigger Bang (UK 2; US 3), their first album in almost eight years. A Bigger Bang was released on 6 September to strong reviews, including a glowing write-up in Rolling Stone magazine. The single "Streets of Love" reached the Top 15 in UK and Europe.

The album included the most controversial song from the Stones in years, "Sweet Neo Con", a criticism of American Neoconservatism from Jagger. The song was reportedly almost dropped from the album because of objections from Richards. When asked if he was afraid of political backlash such as the Dixie Chicks had endured for criticism of American involvement in the war in Iraq, Richards responded that the album came first, and that, "I don't want to be sidetracked by some little political 'storm in a teacup'."

The subsequent A Bigger Bang Tour began in August 2005, and visited North America, South America and East Asia. In February 2006, the group played the half-time show of Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan. By the end of 2005, the Bigger Bang tour set a record of $162 million in gross receipts, breaking the North American mark also set by the Stones in 1994. On 18 February 2006 the band played a free concert with a claimed 1.5 million attendance at the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.

After performances in Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand in March/April 2006, the Rolling Stones tour took a scheduled break before proceeding to Europe; during this break Keith Richards was hospitalized in New Zealand for cranial surgery after a fall from a tree on Fiji, where he had been on holiday. The incident led to a six-week delay in launching the European leg of the tour. In June 2006 it was reported that Ronnie Wood was continuing his programme of rehabilitation for alcohol abuse, but this did not affect the rearranged European tour schedule. Two out of the 21 shows scheduled for July-September 2006 were later cancelled due to Mick Jagger's throat problems.

The Stones returned to North America for concerts in September 2006, and returned to Europe on 5 June 2007. By November 2006, the Bigger Bang tour had been declared the highest-grossing tour of all time, earning $437 million. The North American leg brought in the third-highest receipts ever ($138.5 million), trailing their own 2005 tour ($162 million) and the U2 tour of that same year ($138.9 million).

On 29 October and 1 November 2006, director Martin Scorsese filmed the Rolling Stones performing at New York City's Beacon Theatre, in front of an audience that included Bill and Hillary Clinton, released as the 2008 film Shine a Light; the film also features guest appearances by Buddy Guy, Jack White and Christina Aguilera. An accompanying soundtrack, also titled Shine a Light (UK 2; US 11), was released in April 2008. The album's debut at number 2 in the UK charts was the highest position for a Rolling Stones concert album since Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! in 1970.

On 24 March 2007, the band announced a tour of Europe called the "Bigger Bang 2007" tour. 12 June 2007 saw the release of the band's second four-disc DVD set: The Biggest Bang, a seven-hour document featuring their shows in Austin, Rio de Janeiro, Saitama, Shanghai and Buenos Aires, along with extras. On 10 June 2007, the band performed their first gig at a festival in 30 years, at the Isle of Wight Festival, to a crowd of 65,000. On 26 August 2007, they played their last concert of the A Bigger Bang Tour at the O2 Arena in London, England. On 26 September 2007, it was announced The Rolling Stones had made $437 million on the A Bigger Bang Tour to list them in the latest edition of Guinness World Records.


Charlie Watts in Hannover, 2006Mick Jagger released a compilation of his solo work called The Very Best of Mick Jagger (UK 57; US 77), including three unreleased songs, on 2 October 2007. On 12 November 2007, ABKCO released Rolled Gold+: The Very Best of the Rolling Stones, a double-CD remake of the 1975 compilation Rolled Gold; the reissue went to number 26 in the UK charts.

In a 2007 interview with Mick Jagger after nearly two years of touring, Jagger refused to say when the band is going to retire: "I'm sure the Rolling Stones will do more things, more records and more tours, we've got no plans to stop any of that really. As far as I'm concerned, I'm sure we'll continue." In March 2008 Keith Richards sparked rumours that a new Rolling Stones studio album may be forthcoming, saying during an interview following the premiere of Shine a Light, "I think we might make another album. Once we get over doing promotion on this film". Drummer Charlie Watts remarked that he got ill whenever he stopped working. In July 2008 it was announced that the Rolling Stones were leaving EMI and signing with Vivendi's Universal Music, taking with them their catalogue stretching back to Sticky Fingers. New music released by the band while under this contract will be issued through Universal's Polydor label. Universal Records will hold the US rights to the pre-1994 material, while the post-1994 material will be handled by Interscope Records (once a subsidiary of Atlantic). Coincidentally, Universal Music is also the distributor for ABKCO, owners of the band's pre-Sticky Fingers releases.

In late November 2009 rumours circulated that the Rolling Stones are planning to tour in 2010.

==Musical evolution==
The Rolling Stones are notable in modern popular music for assimilating various musical genres into their recording and performance, ultimately making the styles their very own. The band's career is marked by a continual reference and reliance on musical styles like American blues, country, folk, reggae, dance; world music exemplified by the Master Musicians of Jajouka; as well as traditional English styles that use stringed instrumentation like harps. The band cut their musical teeth by covering early rock and roll and blues songs, and have never stopped playing live or recording cover songs.

==Infusion of American blues==
Jagger and Richards shared an admiration of Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters and Little Walter, and their interest influenced Brian Jones, of whom Richards says, "He was more into T-Bone Walker and jazz-blues stuff. We'd turn him onto Chuck Berry and say, 'Look, it's all the same shit, man, and you can do it.'" Charlie Watts, a traditional jazz drummer, was also turned onto the blues after his introduction to the Stones. "Keith and Brian turned me on to Jimmy Reed and people like that. I learned that Earl Phillips was playing on those records like a jazz drummer, playing swing, with a straight four..."

Jagger, recalling when he first heard the likes of Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Fats Domino and other major American R&B artists, said it "seemed the most real thing" he had heard up to that point. Similarly, Keith Richards, describing the first time he listened to Muddy Waters, said it was the "most powerful music ever heard...the most expressive."

== Early songwriting==
Despite the Rolling Stones' predilection for blues and R&B numbers on their early live setlists, the first original compositions by the band reflected a more wide-ranging interest. The first Jagger/Richards single, "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)," is called by critic Richie Unterberger a "pop/rock ballad... When began to write songs, they were usually not derived from the blues, but were often surprisingly fey, slow, Mersey-type pop numbers." "As Tears Go By," the ballad originally written for Marianne Faithfull, was one of the first songs written by Jagger and Richards and also one of many written by the duo for other artists. Jagger said of the song, "It's a relatively mature song considering the rest of the output at the time. And we didn't think of it, because the Rolling Stones were a butch blues group." The Stones did later record a version which became a top five hit in the US.

On the early experience, Richards said, "The amazing thing is that although Mick and I thought these songs were really puerile and kindergarten-time, every one that got put out made a decent showing in the charts. That gave us extraordinary confidence to carry on, because at the beginning songwriting was something we were going to do in order to say to Andrew , 'Well, at least we gave it a try...'" Jagger said, "We were very pop-orientated. We didn't sit around listening to Muddy Waters; we listened to everything. In some ways it's easy to write to order... Keith and I got into the groove of writing those kind of tunes; they were done in ten minutes. I think we thought it was a bit of a laugh, and it turned out to be something of an apprenticeship for us."

The writing of the single "The Last Time," The Rolling Stones' first major single, proved a turning point. Richards called it "a bridge into thinking about writing for the Stones. It gave us a level of confidence; a pathway of how to do it." The song was based on a traditional gospel song popularised by The Staples Singers, but the Rolling Stones' number features a distinctive guitar riff (played on stage by Brian Jones).

==Band members==


== Line-ups==
1962 Mick Jagger  lead vocals, harmonica, percussion
Brian Jones  guitars, backing vocals, harmonica, percussion
Keith Richards  guitars, backing vocals
Ian Stewart  piano, percussion
with

Mick Avory  drums
Tony Chapman  drums
Ricky Fenson  bass
Carlo Little  drums
Dick Taylor  bass
Bill Wyman  bass

January April 1963 Mick Jagger  lead vocals, harmonica, percussion
Brian Jones  guitars, backing vocals, harmonica, percussion
Keith Richards  guitars, backing vocals
Ian Stewart  piano, percussion
Charlie Watts  drums
Bill Wyman  bass, backing vocals

May 1963  May 1969 Mick Jagger  lead vocals, harmonica, percussion
Brian Jones  guitars, backing vocals, harmonica, percussion, tamboura, sitar, dulcimer, keyboards, autoharp, brass, woodwinds, theremin
Keith Richards  guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards, percussion
Charlie Watts  drums, percussion
Bill Wyman  bass, vocals, percussion, keyboards

May 1969  December 1974 Mick Jagger  lead vocals, harmonica, keyboards, percussion, guitar
Keith Richards  guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards
Mick Taylor  guitars, bass, synthesizer, percussion, backing vocals
Charlie Watts  drums, percussion
Bill Wyman  bass, synthesizer

December 1974  May 1975 Mick Jagger - lead vocals, harmonica, keyboards, percussion, guitar
Keith Richards  guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards
Charlie Watts  drums, percussion
Bill Wyman  bass, synthesizer

May 1975  December 1992 Mick Jagger  lead vocals, harmonica, keyboards, guitar
Keith Richards  guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards, percussion
Charlie Watts  drums, percussion
Ronnie Wood  guitars, backing vocals, bass, drums, percussion
Bill Wyman  bass, synthesizer

1993–present Mick Jagger  lead vocals, harmonica, percussion, guitar, bass, keyboards
Keith Richards  guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards
Charlie Watts  drums, percussion
Ronnie Wood  guitars, backing vocals, bass
with

Darryl Jones  bass


==Discography==
Further information: The Rolling Stones discography
In a career that has spanned nearly half a century, the band has released over 90 singles, more than two dozen studio albums, and numerous compilation and live albums. Ten of their studio albums are among Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, with their 1972 double album Exile on Main St. placing seventh.

==Concert tours==
Further information: Rolling Stones concerts
== Official videography==
Officially released films featuring the Rolling Stones are listed with their original release dates. (The formats mentioned are the most recent versions officially available, not necessarily the original release formats.)

1966: Charlie Is My Darling, directed by Peter Whitehead) (released on DVD in 2009 without the Rolling Stones' music)
1968: One Plus One (also titled Sympathy for the Devil), directed by Jean-Luc Godard (DVD)
1969: Stones in the Park (DVD)
1970: Gimme Shelter, directed by Albert and David Maysles (DVD/Blu-ray Disc)
1974: Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, directed by Rolin Binzer
1982: Rocks Off and Let's Spend the Night Together, both directed by Hal Ashby (DVD)
1984: Video Rewind (VHS)
1989: 25x5 - The Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones (VHS)
1992: Stones at the Max, directed by Julien Temple (DVD)
1995: The Rolling Stones: Voodoo Lounge Live (DVD)
1996: The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg (filmed in 1968) (DVD)
1998: Bridges to Babylon Tour '97-98 (DVD)
2003: Four Flicks (DVD)
2007: The Biggest Bang (DVD/Blu-ray Disc)
2008: Shine a Light, directed by Martin Scorsese, released to theaters in standard and IMAX presentations (DVD/Blu-ray Disc)
2009: Stones at the Max Remastered Edition, directed by Julien Temple (DVD/Blu-ray Disc)