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The Rolling Stones and Jim Price: Brass Arrangements Explained
Sometimes a band doesn’t just use instruments—they recruit them. The Rolling Stones’ collaboration with Jim Price feels like one of those moments where brass sections stop behaving like background decoration and start acting like they own the room. That’s when the sound doesn’t politely sit behind the guitars; it pushes, shoves, and occasionally steals the spotlight like it’s paid rent. There’s something almost mischievous about how horns reshape the Stones’ groove here, turning swagger into something louder, brassier, and slightly ungovernable. It’s rock meeting brass and agreeing—reluctantly—that subtlety is overrated anyway, and volume has its own kind of intelligence.
American horn player who caught the attention of the Stones when he and Bobby Keys came to England to join Eric Clapton in a band which never materialized. Price toured with the Stones in the USA in 1972 and in Europe in 1973, also recording with them on several occasions, including Sticky Fingers(trumpet and piano), Exile On Main St. (trumpet, trombone and organ), and Goats Head Soup(horns) He also toured and recorded with Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen and, once again, Clapton.
More about Jim Price and The Rolling Stones: Horn Power
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
Jim Price played a key role in shaping the Rolling Stones’ sound in the early ’70s, bringing his signature trumpet and trombone work to some of their most iconic tracks. A talented session musician, Price was part of the Stones’ extended musical family, contributing to albums like Sticky Fingers (1971) and Exile on Main St. (1972), adding that extra layer of brass that gave many songs their distinctive punch.
He first teamed up with the Stones as part of their legendary 1970 European tour, alongside saxophonist Bobby Keys. The two became an inseparable duo, adding a powerful horn section that gave the band a rawer, more soulful feel. Among other songs, you can hear Price’s work on classics likeBitchandCan’t You Hear Me Knocking, where his brass arrangements add fire to the band’s gritty rock and blues.
Still more on Jim Price: The Unsung Hero of the Stones’ Live Sound
Beyond the studio Price was a key part of the Stones’ live shows during the early ’70s, helping to shape their explosive sound onstage. His chemistry with the band, especially Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, made him more than just a session player—he was part of the Stones’ inner circle for a while.
Eventually, Price moved on to work on other projects, but his contributions to the Rolling Stones’ golden era remain unforgettable. His brass work helped define an era where the Stones weren’t just a rock band—they were a full-blown powerhouse, blending rock, blues, and soul like no one else.
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