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More about Little Red Rooster by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
How The Rolling Stones Made the Rooster Crow Loudest in the UK
Before The Rolling Stones made it their own, Little Red Rooster was already walking proud in the blues world. Originally titled The Red Rooster, this gritty, crawling blues tune was penned by the legendary Willie Dixon and first recorded by Howlin’ Wolf in 1961. The raw power of Wolf’s version, along with Sam Cooke’s smoother take, left a strong impression on the young Stones, who were deep into their blues obsession during their early years.
In 1964, they took a bold step: recording their own version of the classic and releasing it as a single in the UK. It paid off big time. Riding the wave of their growing fame, Little Red Rooster soared to the top of the charts, becoming the band’s second #1 hit after It’s All Over Now. Gutsy, moody, and unmistakably bluesy, the track showed just how far the Stones could stretch the genre—and still make it their own.
The Blues Rooster That Ruled the Charts
You wouldn’t expect a gritty American blues tune about a randy rooster to become a chart-topping sensation in the UK—but that’s exactly what happened. Against all odds (and perhaps logic), Little Red Rooster hit #1 in 1964, thanks to the unstoppable momentum of The Rolling Stones. The band was so hot in Britain at the time that, as Mick Jagger later joked, “We could’ve done anything at that time and it would’ve been #1… that was the point.”
But this wasn’t just about the music—it was a calculated move. Manager Andrew Loog Oldham saw the cover as a way to reinforce the Stones’ rebellious, blues-soaked image, a stark contrast to the clean-cut Beatles. Their previous singles had leaned more pop, drifting from their roots. Little Red Rooster yanked them back into raw territory. While the band might’ve made any song a hit, this one growled with intention—and swagger.
Brian Jones, the Blues, and the Rooster That Never Crossed the Atlantic
Brian Jones didn’t just play slide guitar on Little Red Rooster—he owned it. With his haunting, slithering style, Jones brought the blues standard to life in a way few British musicians had before. As Danny Garcia, director of Rolling Stone: Life and Death of Brian Jones, put it, “Brian was a pioneer of the slide guitar in the UK.” His vision was clear: bring the blues to Britain—and then the rest of the world. Mission accomplished.
Jones’ contribution to the track remains one of his most iconic moments, even as his time with the Stones was tragically short. By 1969, personal struggles and internal tensions pushed him out of the band. Just weeks later, he was gone. Interestingly, despite its massive UK success, Little Red Rooster was never released as a single in the US. Instead, the Stones opted for the more radio-friendly Heart of Stone—a safer bet for a new audience just discovering them.
Keith Richards and Mick Jagger on Staying True to the Blues with Little Red Rooster
Keith Richards shared in the BBC 4 documentary Blues Britannia: Can Blue Men Sing the Whites? that the Stones chose to release the song as a single because they felt strongly about staying true to their blues roots and wanted to bring that sound into the mainstream. “We must have been wearing brass balls that day, when we decided to put that out as a single. I think we just thought it was our job to pay back, to give them what they’ve given us. They’ve given us the music and the friendship, and let’s stand up, be men, and give them a blues, and it went to number 1…Mr. Howlin’ Wolf, he didn’t mind at all. It was maybe a moment of bravado, in retrospect, but it worked. We have been blessed by the music that we listened to, and let’s see if we can actually spin it back around and make American white kids listen to ‘Little Red Rooster.’ You had it all the time, pal, you know. You just didn’t listen.”
Mick Jagger (1964): “I don’t see why we should have to conform to any pattern. After all, wasn’t ‘Not Fade Away’ different from ‘It’s All Over Now’? We try to make all our singles different, and so far every one has been in a different tempo. This time, I didn’t want to do a fast beat number. If the fans don’t like it, then they don’t like it. I like it. It’s a straight blues and nobody’s ever done that. Except on albums. We thought just for a change we’d do a nice, straight blues on a single. What’s wrong with that?… Of course it’s suitable for dancing. Charlie’s drumming makes it good for dancing – you can double up the beat for dancing, I reckon.”
Howlin’ Wolf, Bill Farley, and the Blues DNA Behind Little Red Rooster
The Rolling Stones weren’t just covering blues—they were on a mission to honor it. When they performed on Shindig! in 1965, unveiling (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction to American television audiences for the first time, they insisted on sharing the spotlight. They brought along blues legend Howlin’ Wolf, who performed his own How Many More Years. Before he took the stage, the Stones spoke directly to the audience, making it clear that Wolf was the original voice behind Little Red Rooster and a massive influence on their sound.
Behind the scenes, another important figure helped shape that signature blues-rock blend: engineer Bill Farley. He worked on the Stones’ 1964 debut album and was back behind the board for London sessions later that year, including tracks like Congratulations, Grown Up WrongandUnder the Boardwalk. Farley also handled sessions for the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, quietly shaping the sound of a band redefining rock.
When Blues Royalty Met Rock Legends: The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions
In 1970, an extraordinary gathering of musical giants took place in a London studio—a collaboration that blurred the lines between British rock and deep-rooted American blues. The Rolling Stones’ rhythm section, bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts, joined forces with blues icon Howlin’ Wolf for a series of electrifying sessions that would become The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions, released in 1971.
They weren’t alone. Eric Clapton brought his fiery blues guitar, and a young Steve Winwood added his soulful organ and piano work to the mix. It was more than a recording—it was a celebration of musical lineage. The session captured not just the raw magic of Howlin’ Wolf’s voice and style, but the reverence the British musicians held for the blues that had shaped their sound. Some of the magic didn’t make the final album, but thankfully surfaced two decades later on Howlin’ Wolf: The Chess Box (1991), preserving these historic outtakes for blues lovers and rock historians alike.
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