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Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on Mick’s first performances
Mick: “I used to play Saturday night shows with all these different little groups. If I could get a show, I would do it. I used to do mad things – you know, I used to go and do these shows and go on my knees and roll on the ground – when I was 15, 16 years old. And my parents were extremely disapproving of it all. Because it was just not done. This was for very low-class people, remember. Rock and roll singers weren’t educated people…
…I didn’t have any inhibitions. I saw Elvis and Gene Vincent, and I thought, Well, I can do this. And I liked doing it. It’s a real buzz, even in front of 20 people, to make a complete fool of yourself. But people seemed to like it...
…And the thing is, if people started throwing tomatoes at me, I wouldn’t have gone on with it. But they all liked it, and it always seemed to be a success, and people were shocked. I could see it in their faces… They could see it was a bit wild for what was going on at the time in these little places in the suburbs.” Keith: “Mick was into singing in the bath, he had been singing with a rock group a few years previous, couple of years. Buddy Holly stuff and Sweet Little Sixteen, Eddie Cochran stuff, at youth clubs and things in Dartford.”
Mick’s first-ever performances were humble beginnings for a future rock icon. Before the Rolling Stones, Mick showcased his love for blues and rock ‘n’ roll with covers of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. Early gigs included performing with childhood friend Dick Taylor in amateur bands like Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys. These small shows were raw but full of energy, with Jagger already flaunting his signature charisma. Once he met Keith Richards and formed the Rolling Stones, things clicked. Their debut gig at London’s Marquee Club in July 1962 marked the start of his legendary journey to stardom.
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