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April 25 tells a surprisingly rich story in Rolling Stones history, linking stage chaos, television moments, side projects, and late-career honors across five decades. From packed 1960s concerts in Luton and Toronto to Mick Jagger’s sharp 1972 appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test, the date captures the band in constant motion. It also includes Bill Wyman’s charity-driven Willie and the Poor Boys release in 1985, a headline-making Jagger hotel booking in Vienna during the 2006 tour, and award recognition for Blue & Lonesome in 2017.
April 25, 1964: Odeon Theatre, Luton, England (2 shows)
April 25, 1965: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON, Canada
Often shortened to OGWT, The Old Grey Whistle Test was a highly influential British music television program broadcast on BBC Two from 1971 until 1988. In contrast to mainstream shows such as Top of the Pops it highlighted “non-chart” music, with a strong focus on album-based rock, blues, and progressive artists. The series became known for its live performances and interviews presented in a simple, stripped-back studio environment.
April 25, 1985: Release of Willie and the Poor Boys‘ LP Willie And The Poor Boys SIDE A: 1. Baby Please Don’t Go/ 2. Can You Hear Me/ 3. These Arms Of Mine/ 4. Revenue Man/ 5. You Never Can Tell/ 6. Slippin’ And Slidin’ SIDE B: 1. Saturday Night/ 2. Let’s Talk It Over/ 3. All Night Long/ 4. Chicken Shack Boogie/ 5. Sugar Bee/ 6. Poor Boy Boogie
Willie and the Poor Boys was a charity-driven 1980s studio project and supergroup organized by Bill Wyman (“Willie” as in Bill’s original name, William Perks) Created in 1984 to support ARMS campaign for multiple sclerosis research, the group focused on performing rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and R&B covers. Its lineup included Charlie Watts, Jimmy Page, Andy Fairweather-Low and several other notable musicians. The project went on to release this studio album (not to be confused with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Willy and The Poor Boys) as well as a live record (Willie and the Poor Boys Live)
April 25, 2006: During Stones world tour, aides to George Bush were told they couldn’t book a luxury five star hotel suite because Mick Jagger had already booked it. In fact Mick had splashed out £3,600 a night for the suite at the five-star Imperial Hotel in Vienna, Austria, in advance of the band’s appearance there. Prior to the attempted booking, US Secret Service agents had already vetted the hotel, but to no avail.
April 25, 2017: Mick, Charlie and Ronnie are at the 2017 Jazz FM Awards at the Shoreditch Town Hall, London, to accept the Blues Act and Album of the Year awards for the Blue & Lonesome album, while Charlie Watts receives a Gold Award for his lifetime contribution to jazz and blues. Mick on the award: “It’s really kind of weird that we started off, a long time ago, in London trying to play clubs and those clubs were jazz clubs… And they used to kick us out ’cause we played blues! And this all feels full circle.”
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