Bill Wyman
Encyclopedia
Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitar
ist for the English rock and roll
band the Rolling Stones
from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
. He has worked producing both records and film, and has scored music for film in movies and television.
Wyman has kept a journal since he was a child after World War II
. It has been useful to him as an author who has written seven books, selling two million copies. Wyman's love of art has additionally led to his proficiency in photography and his photographs have hung in galleries around the world. Wyman's lack of funds in his early years led him to create and build his own fretless bass guitar. He became an amateur archaeologist
and enjoys relic hunting; The Times
published a letter about his hobby (Friday 2 March 2007). He designed and markets a patented Bill Wyman signature metal detector
, which he has used to find relics dating back to era of the Roman Empire
in the English countryside. As a businessman, he owns several establishments including the famous Sticky Fingers Café, a rock & roll-themed bistro
serving American cuisine first opened in 1989 in the Kensington
area of London and later, two additional locations in Cambridge and Manchester
, England.
, South London
, the son of William Perks, a bricklayer
, and his wife, Molly. One of five children, Wyman spent most of his early life living in a terraced house
in one of the roughest streets in Sydenham
, southeast London. He describes his childhood as "scarred by poverty".
He attended Beckenham and Penge Grammar School
from 1947 to Easter 1953, leaving before the GCE
exams after his father found him a job working for a bookmaker
and insisted that he take it.
electric guitar for £52 on hire-purchase, but was not satisfied by his progress. After hearing a bass guitar at the Barron Knights' concert, he fell in love with the sound of it and decided this was his instrument. He created what may have been the first fretless electric bass by removing the frets from a bass guitar he was reworking and played this in a south London band, the Cliftons. He used the stage name Lee (later Bill) Wyman, taking the surname of a friend with whom he had done national service
in the Royal Air Force
from 1955 to 1957.
told him that a rhythm and blues
band called the Rolling Stones needed a bass player, he auditioned and was hired on 7 December 1962 as a successor to Dick Taylor
. The band were impressed by his instrument and amplifiers (one of which Wyman built himself), but because he was married, employed, and older, Wyman remained an outsider.
In addition to playing bass, Wyman frequently sang harmony
on early records, and through 1967 in concert as well. He sang lead vocals on the track "In Another Land
", on the Their Satanic Majesties Request
album and a single. The song is one of two Wyman compositions released by the Rolling Stones; the second is "Downtown Suzie" (sung by Mick Jagger
), on Metamorphosis
, a collection of Rolling Stones outtakes. The title "Downtown Suzie" was chosen by the Rolling Stones' erstwhile manager Allen Klein
without consulting Wyman or the band. The original title was "Sweet Lyle Lucy", named after Lyle Street, a street in the red light district
in Soho
, London.
Wyman kept a journal throughout his life, beginning when he was a child, and used it in writing his 1990 autobiography Stone Alone and his 2002 book Rolling with the Stones. In Stone Alone, Wyman claims to have composed the riff
of "Jumpin' Jack Flash
" with Brian Jones
and drummer Charlie Watts
. Wyman mentions that "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" was released as a single only after a 3-2 vote within the band: Wyman, Watts and Jones voted for, Jagger and Richards against, feeling it not sufficiently commercial. By the 1970s, Wyman, tired of the monopolisation of songwriting and production by Jagger and Richards, began solo projects. In the 1970s and early '80s he made three solo albums, none commercially very successful but all well received by critics. In July 1981 his "(Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star" became a top-20 hit in many countries.
Wyman also played on the London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
, released 1971, with Howlin' Wolf
, Eric Clapton
, Charlie Watts and Stevie Winwood, and on the album Jamming with Edward
, released in 1972, with Ry Cooder
, Nicky Hopkins
, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts.
Wyman composed the score of the 1981 Ryan O'Neal
-Omar Sharif
film Green Ice; and in the mid-'80s, he composed music for two films by Italian director Dario Argento
: Phenomena
(1985) and Terror at the Opera
(1987). He made a cameo appearance
in the 1987 film Eat the Rich. He produced and managed the group Tucky Buzzard
.
Wyman was close to Brian Jones; he and Watts were the only members at Jones' funeral in July 1969. Wyman was also friends with guitarist Mick Taylor
. Like the Rolling Stones, he has worked with Taylor since Taylor's departure from the band.
After the Rolling Stones' 1989-90 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours
, Wyman left the group; his decision was announced in December 1992. The Rolling Stones have continued to record and tour with Darryl Jones
on bass.
, Albert Lee
, Gary Brooker
, Terry Taylor (formerly with Tucky Buzzard
), Mike Sanchez
and Georgie Fame
. Following his 70th birthday in October 2006, Wyman undertook another British tour.
On 10 December 2007, Wyman and his band appeared alongside a reunited Led Zeppelin
at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert
at the O2
in London.
Wyman was a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards
to support independent artists' careers.
In 2009, ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor
was invited as a guest performer with Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
On 25 October 2009, Wyman performed a reunion show with Faces
, filling in for the late Ronnie Lane
as he had previously done in 1986 and 1993.
On 19 April 2011, pianist Ben Waters released an Ian Stewart tribute album titled Boogie 4 Stu. Wyman played on two tracks: "Rooming House Boogie" and "Watchin' the River Flow", the latter recorded with the Rolling Stones.
and Ricky Fenson
. His tight work with Watts anchored the Rolling Stones, exemplifying the "heartbeat and pulse" idea behind ideal rhythm sections. Wyman has played a number of basses, including a Framus Star bass, a Vox Teardrop bass (issued as a Bill Wyman signature model), a Fender Mustang Bass
, two Ampeg
Dan Armstrong
basses, a Gibson SG Bass, a Rickenbacker
4005 copy, and a Travis Bean
bass. His current favourite is a Steinberger bass. Wyman's amplifers over the years have included a Vox T-60, a piggyback Fender Bassman
, a Hiwatt
bass stack, and an Ampeg SVT
. Wyman, especially in the early Stones' years, had a distinctive way of holding his bass - almost vertical. He stated that the reason he held a bass in this position is simply because his hands were small.
magazine ranked Wyman at number 10 on its "Living Sex Legends" list, as he is reputed to have had sex with over 1,000 women.
Wyman married his first wife, Dianne, in 1959, and shared a son, Stephen Paul Wyman (29 March 1962). They separated in 1967 and divorced in 1969.
From 1967 to 1983, Wyman was romantically linked to Astrid Lundström.
On 2 June 1989 Wyman married 18-year-old Mandy Smith
, whom he had been dating since she was 13. Their relationship was the subject of considerable media attention. The marriage ended in spring 1991, although the divorce was not finalised until 1993. In 1993, while Wyman was still married to Smith, Stephen, his son from his first marriage, became engaged to Smith's mother.
In April 1993 he married Suzanne Accosta. They are still married and have three daughters, Katherine Noelle (September 1994), Jessica Rose (November 1995) and Matilda Mae (May 1998).
Wyman lives in a country house in Suffolk
and in St. Paul de Vence
in the South of France; in St. Paul de Vence his friends include numerous artists. He is a cricket
supporter (as is Mick Jagger), and played in a celebrity match at the Oval
against a former England XI, taking a hat-trick.
Wyman started selling metal detectors in 2007. Treasure detecting adventures in the British Isles
are detailed in his 2005 illustrated book Treasure Islands co-written with Richard Havers.
Wyman is a keen photographer. He has taken photographs throughout his career and in June 2010 launched a retrospective of his work in an exhibition in St. Paul de Vence. The exhibition included images of his music acquaintances, as well as famous artists from the South of France, including Marc Chagall
.
Wyman is also a supporter of his local football
team, Crystal Palace
.
Wyman has supported Britain's Conservative Party.
The last three books and Bill Wyman's Treasure Islands were all written in collaboration with Richard Havers.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist for the English rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
band the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings are a blues-rock band founded and led by former Rolling Stones bass guitarist Bill Wyman. Together with his lifelong musical partner Terry Taylor, The "Dirty Boys" duo produce, arrange and compose original material for the award winning band.The Rhythm Kings are known for...
. He has worked producing both records and film, and has scored music for film in movies and television.
Wyman has kept a journal since he was a child after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It has been useful to him as an author who has written seven books, selling two million copies. Wyman's love of art has additionally led to his proficiency in photography and his photographs have hung in galleries around the world. Wyman's lack of funds in his early years led him to create and build his own fretless bass guitar. He became an amateur archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and enjoys relic hunting; The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
published a letter about his hobby (Friday 2 March 2007). He designed and markets a patented Bill Wyman signature metal detector
Metal detector
A metal detector is a device which responds to metal that may not be readily apparent.The simplest form of a metal detector consists of an oscillator producing an alternating current that passes through a coil producing an alternating magnetic field...
, which he has used to find relics dating back to era of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
in the English countryside. As a businessman, he owns several establishments including the famous Sticky Fingers Café, a rock & roll-themed bistro
Bistro
A bistro, sometimes spelled bistrot, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. Home cooking with robust earthy dishes, and slow-cooked foods like cassoulet are typical...
serving American cuisine first opened in 1989 in the Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
area of London and later, two additional locations in Cambridge and Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England.
Early life
Bill Wyman was born in Lewisham Hospital in LewishamLewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, the son of William Perks, a bricklayer
Bricklayer
A bricklayer or mason is a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The term also refers to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. In British and Australian English, a bricklayer is colloquially known as a "brickie".The training of a trade in...
, and his wife, Molly. One of five children, Wyman spent most of his early life living in a terraced house
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
in one of the roughest streets in Sydenham
Sydenham
Sydenham is an area and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham; although some streets towards Crystal Palace Park, Forest Hill and Penge are outside the ward and in the London Borough of Bromley, and some streets off Sydenham Hill are in the London Borough of Southwark. Sydenham was in...
, southeast London. He describes his childhood as "scarred by poverty".
He attended Beckenham and Penge Grammar School
Langley Park School for Boys
Langley Park School for Boys is a boys' comprehensive secondary school in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley, with a mixed-gender sixth form...
from 1947 to Easter 1953, leaving before the GCE
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
exams after his father found him a job working for a bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
and insisted that he take it.
Music career
Wyman took piano lessons from age 10 to 13. A year after his marriage on 24 October 1959 to Diane Cory, an 18-year-old bank clerk, he bought a BurnsBurns London
Burns London is a guitar-making company originally formed in 1960 as Ormston Burns Ltd. It was founded by James Ormston Burns , who has been described as the British Leo Fender...
electric guitar for £52 on hire-purchase, but was not satisfied by his progress. After hearing a bass guitar at the Barron Knights' concert, he fell in love with the sound of it and decided this was his instrument. He created what may have been the first fretless electric bass by removing the frets from a bass guitar he was reworking and played this in a south London band, the Cliftons. He used the stage name Lee (later Bill) Wyman, taking the surname of a friend with whom he had done national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
from 1955 to 1957.
The Rolling Stones
When drummer Tony ChapmanTony Chapman
Anthony 'Tony' Chapman was a British drummer, especially active during the 1960s. He played with an early line-up of The Rolling Stones before they settled on their permanent band members...
told him that a rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
band called the Rolling Stones needed a bass player, he auditioned and was hired on 7 December 1962 as a successor to Dick Taylor
Dick Taylor
Richard Clifford 'Dick' Taylor is an English musician who was an early bass guitarist for The Rolling Stones. He left to become an art student at Sidcup Art College and while there formed The Pretty Things in September 1963...
. The band were impressed by his instrument and amplifiers (one of which Wyman built himself), but because he was married, employed, and older, Wyman remained an outsider.
In addition to playing bass, Wyman frequently sang harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
on early records, and through 1967 in concert as well. He sang lead vocals on the track "In Another Land
In Another Land
"In Another Land" is a song by Bill Wyman, and the third track on The Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request. It was released as a single a week before the album....
", on the Their Satanic Majesties Request
Their Satanic Majesties Request
Their Satanic Majesties Request is the sixth British and eighth American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released on 8 December 1967 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States by London Records...
album and a single. The song is one of two Wyman compositions released by the Rolling Stones; the second is "Downtown Suzie" (sung by Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
), on Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis (Rolling Stones album)
Metamorphosis is the third compilation album of The Rolling Stones music released by former manager Allen Klein's ABKCO Records after the band's departure from Decca and Klein...
, a collection of Rolling Stones outtakes. The title "Downtown Suzie" was chosen by the Rolling Stones' erstwhile manager Allen Klein
Allen Klein
Allen Klein was an American businessman, talent agent and record label executive. His clients included The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.- The accountant :...
without consulting Wyman or the band. The original title was "Sweet Lyle Lucy", named after Lyle Street, a street in the red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, London.
Wyman kept a journal throughout his life, beginning when he was a child, and used it in writing his 1990 autobiography Stone Alone and his 2002 book Rolling with the Stones. In Stone Alone, Wyman claims to have composed the riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
of "Jumpin' Jack Flash
Jumpin' Jack Flash
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone, the song was perceived by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding...
" with Brian Jones
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones , known as Brian Jones, was an English musician and a founding member of the Rolling Stones....
and drummer Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
. Wyman mentions that "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
" was released as a single only after a 3-2 vote within the band: Wyman, Watts and Jones voted for, Jagger and Richards against, feeling it not sufficiently commercial. By the 1970s, Wyman, tired of the monopolisation of songwriting and production by Jagger and Richards, began solo projects. In the 1970s and early '80s he made three solo albums, none commercially very successful but all well received by critics. In July 1981 his "(Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star" became a top-20 hit in many countries.
Wyman also played on the London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions is an album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf, released in the summer of 1971 on Chess Records, catalogue CH 60008...
, released 1971, with Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Charlie Watts and Stevie Winwood, and on the album Jamming with Edward
Jamming with Edward
Jamming with the Edward! is an album recorded by three members of The Rolling Stones with Nicky Hopkins and Ry Cooder at London's Olympic Studio during the Let It Bleed sessions of 1969, and released on Rolling Stones Records in 1972...
, released in 1972, with Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
, Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts.
Wyman composed the score of the 1981 Ryan O'Neal
Ryan O'Neal
Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal , better known as Ryan O'Neal, is an American actor best known for his appearances in the ABC nighttime soap opera Peyton Place and for his roles in such films as Paper Moon , Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon , A Bridge Too Far , and Love Story , for which he received...
-Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...
film Green Ice; and in the mid-'80s, he composed music for two films by Italian director Dario Argento
Dario Argento
Dario Argento is an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, particularly in the subgenre known as giallo, and for his influence on modern horror and slasher movies....
: Phenomena
Phenomena (film)
Phenomena is a 1985 Italian horror film directed by Dario Argento. An edited version of the film was released in the United States under the title Creepers , the game called Clock_Tower_ that was released in 1995 for snes , was loosely based on Phenomena.Jennifer Connelly stars as a young girl who...
(1985) and Terror at the Opera
Opera (film)
Opera is a 1987 Italian giallo film written and directed by Dario Argento. The film stars Cristina Marsillach, Urbano Barberini, and Ian Charleson. Cinematography is done by Ronnie Taylor while Brian Eno and Claudio Simonetti composed the film's score. The film was released in the United States...
(1987). He made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the 1987 film Eat the Rich. He produced and managed the group Tucky Buzzard
Tucky Buzzard
Tucky Buzzard were a British hard rock band formed in 1969 by three former members of The End. Band members were David Brown , Paul Francis , Nick Graham , Jimmy Henderson , Chris Johnson , Terry Taylor , Paul Kendrick . Tucky Buzzard produced a total of five albums between 1969 and 1973...
.
Wyman was close to Brian Jones; he and Watts were the only members at Jones' funeral in July 1969. Wyman was also friends with guitarist Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
. Like the Rolling Stones, he has worked with Taylor since Taylor's departure from the band.
After the Rolling Stones' 1989-90 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours
Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour
The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels Tour was a concert tour which was launched in North America in August 1989 to promote the band's album Steel Wheels; it continued to Japan in February 1990, with ten shows at the Tokyo Dome. The European leg of the tour, which featured a different stage and logo,...
, Wyman left the group; his decision was announced in December 1992. The Rolling Stones have continued to record and tour with Darryl Jones
Darryl Jones
Darryl Jones , also known as "The Munch", is an American bass guitarist. Jones began his notable career as a session musician, where he gained the experience and confidence to play with some of the most highly regarded recording artists, in jazz, blues, and rock music...
on bass.
Recent activity
Wyman continues to tour with the Rhythm Kings, which has featured such musicians as Martin TaylorMartin Taylor
Martin Taylor, MBE is a British jazz guitarist who has performed in groups, guitar ensembles and as an accompanist to many of the world’s most famous musicians...
, Albert Lee
Albert Lee
Albert William Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked both in the studio and on tour with some of the most famous musicians which stretch through a very wide of genres...
, Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker
Gary Brooker, MBE, is an English singer, songwriter, pianist and founder of the rock band Procol Harum. Brooker was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his charitable services.-Early life:Brooker was born in...
, Terry Taylor (formerly with Tucky Buzzard
Tucky Buzzard
Tucky Buzzard were a British hard rock band formed in 1969 by three former members of The End. Band members were David Brown , Paul Francis , Nick Graham , Jimmy Henderson , Chris Johnson , Terry Taylor , Paul Kendrick . Tucky Buzzard produced a total of five albums between 1969 and 1973...
), Mike Sanchez
Mike Sanchez
Jesus Miguel "Mike" Sanchez is a rhythm and blues singer, pianist and songwriter of Spanish-English heritage. Sanchez is known for his work with the Big Town Playboys and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, and also for his solo career...
and Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
. Following his 70th birthday in October 2006, Wyman undertook another British tour.
On 10 December 2007, Wyman and his band appeared alongside a reunited Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert
Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert
The Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert was a benefit concert held in memory of music executive Ahmet Ertegün at The O2 in London on December 10, 2007. The headline act was the English rock band, Led Zeppelin, who performed their first full-length concert since the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980,...
at the O2
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
in London.
Wyman was a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
to support independent artists' careers.
In 2009, ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
was invited as a guest performer with Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
On 25 October 2009, Wyman performed a reunion show with Faces
Faces (band)
Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...
, filling in for the late Ronnie Lane
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
as he had previously done in 1986 and 1993.
On 19 April 2011, pianist Ben Waters released an Ian Stewart tribute album titled Boogie 4 Stu. Wyman played on two tracks: "Rooming House Boogie" and "Watchin' the River Flow", the latter recorded with the Rolling Stones.
Musical instruments
Wyman's bass sound came not only from his home-made fretless bass, but the "walking bass" style he adopted, inspired by Willie DixonWillie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
and Ricky Fenson
Ricky Fenson
Ricky Fenson played with an early version of The Rolling Stones before they had a permanent lineup. He appeared with the band in 1962, including a gig at Sidcup Art College, Bexley, which Keith Richards had attended.- References :* *...
. His tight work with Watts anchored the Rolling Stones, exemplifying the "heartbeat and pulse" idea behind ideal rhythm sections. Wyman has played a number of basses, including a Framus Star bass, a Vox Teardrop bass (issued as a Bill Wyman signature model), a Fender Mustang Bass
Fender Mustang Bass
The Fender Mustang Bass is an electric bass guitar model produced by Fender. Two variants, the Musicmaster Bass and the Bronco Bass, have also been produced from time to time using the same body and neck shape.-History:...
, two Ampeg
Ampeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...
Dan Armstrong
Dan Armstrong
Dan Armstrong was a guitarist, luthier, and session musician.-Biography:Dan Kent Armstrong was born on October 7, 1934 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started playing the guitar at age 11, and moved to New York in the early 1960s in order to work as a studio musician and guitar repairman...
basses, a Gibson SG Bass, a Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
4005 copy, and a Travis Bean
Travis Bean
Clifford Travis Bean was an American luthier and machinist from California.In 1974, he partnered with Marc McElwee and Gary Kramer to start Travis Bean Guitars, which made high-end electric guitars and basses featuring machined aluminum necks. This was an unusual design, departing from more...
bass. His current favourite is a Steinberger bass. Wyman's amplifers over the years have included a Vox T-60, a piggyback Fender Bassman
Fender Bassman
The Fender Bassman was a bass amplifier introduced by Fender in 1952. Although it was originally designed for bass guitars, it was frequently used for normal electric guitar in rock and roll, blues, and country bands.-History:...
, a Hiwatt
Hiwatt
Hiwatt was a British company that manufactured amplifiers for electric guitars and electric basses. Starting in the late 1960s, together with Marshall and Vox, the company contributed to the sonic image popularly termed "British sound"....
bass stack, and an Ampeg SVT
Ampeg SVT
The Ampeg SVT is a bass amplifier made by Ampeg. The SVT, which stands for "Super Valve Technology", was designed by Bill Hughes and introduced in 1969. The SVT bass head produced 300 watts at a time when most amplifiers made less than 100. The SVT has been through many design changes over the...
. Wyman, especially in the early Stones' years, had a distinctive way of holding his bass - almost vertical. He stated that the reason he held a bass in this position is simply because his hands were small.
Personal life
Wyman, although moderate in his use of alcohol and drugs, has stated that he became "girl mad" as a psychological crutch. MaximMaxim (magazine)
Maxim is an international men's magazine based in the United Kingdom and known for its pictorials featuring popular actresses, singers, and female models, sometimes pictured dressed, often pictured scantily dressed but not fully nude....
magazine ranked Wyman at number 10 on its "Living Sex Legends" list, as he is reputed to have had sex with over 1,000 women.
Wyman married his first wife, Dianne, in 1959, and shared a son, Stephen Paul Wyman (29 March 1962). They separated in 1967 and divorced in 1969.
From 1967 to 1983, Wyman was romantically linked to Astrid Lundström.
On 2 June 1989 Wyman married 18-year-old Mandy Smith
Mandy Smith
Mandy Smith is an English dance-pop singer, former model and aspiring counsellor.-Early life:In 1983, at age 13 she started dating 47-year-old The Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, with the consent of her mother...
, whom he had been dating since she was 13. Their relationship was the subject of considerable media attention. The marriage ended in spring 1991, although the divorce was not finalised until 1993. In 1993, while Wyman was still married to Smith, Stephen, his son from his first marriage, became engaged to Smith's mother.
In April 1993 he married Suzanne Accosta. They are still married and have three daughters, Katherine Noelle (September 1994), Jessica Rose (November 1995) and Matilda Mae (May 1998).
Wyman lives in a country house in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and in St. Paul de Vence
Saint-Paul, Alpes-Maritimes
Saint-Paul or Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, it is well-known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries such as Fondation Maeght which is located nearby.The property...
in the South of France; in St. Paul de Vence his friends include numerous artists. He is a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
supporter (as is Mick Jagger), and played in a celebrity match at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
against a former England XI, taking a hat-trick.
Wyman started selling metal detectors in 2007. Treasure detecting adventures in the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
are detailed in his 2005 illustrated book Treasure Islands co-written with Richard Havers.
Wyman is a keen photographer. He has taken photographs throughout his career and in June 2010 launched a retrospective of his work in an exhibition in St. Paul de Vence. The exhibition included images of his music acquaintances, as well as famous artists from the South of France, including Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
.
Wyman is also a supporter of his local football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
.
Wyman has supported Britain's Conservative Party.
Solo albums
- Monkey GripMonkey Grip (Bill Wyman album)The album Monkey Grip by Bill Wyman was released in 1974 on Rolling Stones Records.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Bill Wyman, except where noted....
(June 1974) UK #39 [1 wk], US #99 [11 wks] - Stone Alone (March 1976) US #166 [5 wks]
- Bill Wyman (April 1982) UK #55 [6 wks]
- Willie & The Poor Boys (May 1985) US #96 [12 wks]
- Stuff (October 1992 in Japan and Argentina only, 2000 UK)
- A Stone Alone: The Solo Anthology 1974-2002 (2002, UK)
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
- Struttin' Our Stuff (October 1997)
- Anyway The Wind Blows (February 1999)
- Groovin (May 2000) UK #52 [3 wks]
- Double Bill (May 2001) UK #88 [2 wks]
- Just For A Thrill (May 2004) UK #149 [1 wk]
Also plays on
- The London Howlin' Wolf SessionsThe London Howlin' Wolf SessionsThe London Howlin' Wolf Sessions is an album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf, released in the summer of 1971 on Chess Records, catalogue CH 60008...
, 1971 - Jamming with Edward!, 1972
Solo singles
- "In Another LandIn Another Land"In Another Land" is a song by Bill Wyman, and the third track on The Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Request. It was released as a single a week before the album....
" (December 1967) Peaked US #87 - "(Si, Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star" (July 1981) UK #14 [9 wks]
- " A New Fashion" (March 1982) UK #37 [4 wks]
- "Baby Please Don't Go" (June 1985) US Mainstream Rock #35 [7 wks]
Rolling Stones
- Stone Alone ISBN 0-306-80783-1
- Rolling with the Stones ISBN 0-7513-4646-2.
- Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey ISBN 0-7513-3442-1
- The Stones - A History in Cartoons ISBN 0-7509-4248-7
The last three books and Bill Wyman's Treasure Islands were all written in collaboration with Richard Havers.