Born on October 24: Bill Wyman, the quiet Rolling Stone for three decades
Bill Wyman celebrates his 88th birthday on October 24 and is now, in part, at home in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the south of France
It's not easy to exist alongside Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Each in their own way grab people’s attention and embody the sulphurous aura of the Rolling Stones. Just behind them were drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021, and bassist Bill Wyman with his typically British dry humor. They represented the rhythmic backbone of the turbulent performers of "It's Only Rock'n Roll" but also a certain form of stability. Watts/Wyman against Jagger/Richards; it's a bit like a marriage of water and fire.
After thirty years of loyal service, Bill Wyman nonetheless distanced himself from the Stones in 1993 to return only occasionally for one or the other major occasion. "With the Stones, we always tried to play in clubs whenever possible. And precisely, on a personal level, I like nothing less than playing in clubs in front of a small audience,” he often says. That's exactly what he's doing now...
With only five solo albums (the latest "Drive My Car" was released this year), Bill Wyman has always favored laid-back rock tinged with blues and swing. He has also participated in an incalculable number of projects and one-off associations with delicious second-degree names: The Rhythm Kings, The All-Star Band and even The Greatest Band on Earth. No less, but with a smirk of course! In 1981, he even went so far as to record the cheeky (if not excellent) "(Yes, yes) I'm a Rock Star". Bill Wyman is always ready to make fun of his own (almost) legendary status. This song was his only, albeit a modest, solo hit...
Georges William Perks (his real name for the civil registry) is also an astute observer of the great rock circus of which he was a major player almost despite himself. As early as 1997, Wyman collected his memories in the book "Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock'n Roll Band". As he enjoyed the exercise, he then repeated the experience with Richard Ayer for a biography with exhaustive ambitions entitled "Rolling With The Stones". Supported by the same author, he has also published a book more specifically about his own career ("Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey").
By illustrating it himself, he also unexpectedly revealed his passion for the painter Marc Chagall. On another occasion, he also invited us to follow him through the pages of "Treasure Island", a directory of the most important archaeological sites in the United Kingdom in his eyes. Because, as surprising as it may seem, Bill Wyman is fond of old stones even when they are not rolling! He is even very proud to have discovered some remains of the Roman era not far from his house in the south of France...
(AK/ML - Photo: Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: Bill Wyman with the Rolling Stones at the Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam (Netherlands) on May 19, 1990 (© Etienne Tordoir)