20 Years Ago: Darryl Jones Joins the Rolling Stones
by Bryan WawzenekMarch 18, 2014 11:45 AM



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After almost 30 years as a Rolling Stone, Bill Wyman was done. In December of 1992, the band’s founding bassist publicly announced he was parting ways with the group. No more tours. No more records. The search was on to replace this key Stone.

Immediately, Chicago-born bass player Darryl Jones put out the word that he was interested in auditioning for Mick Jagger and company. Although Jones wasn’t a high-profile musician, he had spent the last decade backing some of the most respected artists in music. Jones, born in 1961, cut his teeth as part of Miles Davis’s band in the early ’80s. He played in Sting’s “blue turtles” band. And he had done session work with an A-list roster of talent, from Herbie Hancock to Madonna to Peter Gabriel. It also didn’t hurt that he had met Jagger while touring with Sting and became acquainted with Keith Richards because two of his pals were in Keef’s solo band, the X-pensive Winos.

So Jones got an audition in June, where he played some of the Stones’ greatest hits with the band in New York. He felt good about the session and, reportedly so did drummer Charlie Watts who favored playing with Jones again. A few weeks later, he was invited to Ireland to record some of the new material Mick and Keith had started to assemble for the band’s next record. Although Jones’s basslines would become part of 1994’s ‘Voodoo Lounge,’ his future in the band was not set in, ahem, stone.

One night, as the Stones were putting the finishing touches on the new album in Los Angeles, Jones was called down to the studio. There he met Richards, who said, “Charlie asked me if we were going to play with you? We’ve auditioned all those guys, chose you to play on the record – I don’t think we’re now gonna go choose someone else.” Keith went on to tell Jones about the conversation he’d just had with Watts: “Charlie said, ‘Maybe someone should tell him!’ So I’m telling you, you’re gonna go with us.” The bassist was overjoyed and an announcement was made on March 18, 1994 that Darryl Jones would play on the Stones’ new album and world tour, set to begin that summer. Jones has played on every Stones album and tour ever since.

Of course, there’s a bit of fine print to the arrangement. Jones is not a full-fledged member of the group (like Jagger, Richards, Watts and Ron Wood). He is reportedly a salaried member on tours, akin to saxophonist Bobby Keys and keyboardist Chuck Leavell – a fact that many Stones fans remain unhappy about.

Jones has never complained about this in public – instead focusing on his love of playing with the Stones, particularly with Watts, who shares a love of jazz with the bassist.

That tour with Hakim - was that the Sting tour?

I was at the last show of that tour, in Belfast in 1986. I met Darryl almost a decade later backstage at a Stones show in Paris and he told me he remembered that gig really well. Have met him again a few times since and he really is one of the most likeable, approachable guys in the business you could ever wish to encounter.

Maybe He'll become a member of The band? it took Ronnie a long time.

munichhilton wrote on Mar 19^th, 2014 at 12:50pm:



One day when you weren't looking. 

munichhilton wrote on Mar 19^th, 2014 at 12:07pm:



Great album. Great tour. Great band. Best thing he ever did, either with The Police or solo.