24 years gone...
RIP, Stu.

Another nice photo from Jeri Holloway.

Ginda wrote on Dec 13^th, 2009 at 12:05pm:


8 years ago I asked Andrew Loog Oldham why he fired him, this was his answer word-by-word

“Gerardo, I did not fire Stu, that was not within my power to do. I just told the Stones that I did not think the English public, because that's all we were dealing with at the time, were capable of being sold an image factor that contained six people. If the band had said, "Andrew, you can't do that" then Stu would have stayed in the band. This would have made a great difference as to what their future would have been and raises the question of whether you'd have been writing me a letter today on any issue on the Stones, had Stu stayed.

"I don't know but I was right at the time. How do I feel as a man in his mid-fifties with knowledge now about decisions that cause pain to others? Obviously different, but we were teenagers or in our early twenties, well, all except Bill, and at that age youth is invincible and does not know the meaning of hurt, except in matters of the teenage heart. It remains a good decision. If you saw a member of Supertramp or Los Lobos down on the corner I doubt you'd recognise more than one or two members. Life's got a short attention span when you work from nine to five and need to be entertained. Pop music is not a memory test, it's an escape and an entertainment. Over the years the Stones have got away with "Andrew fired Stu" - life is not as simple as they'd like that statement to be."



Later in an interview, I think the one by Lisa Robinson he told that he was happy that way, not being a member of the Rolling Stones but being with them full time

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Dec 13^th, 2009 at 9:51pm:


Thanks Voodoo.  What other questions did you ask him?  I think it's interesting he still thinks it was the right call.  No way of telling now whether it was or wasn't, but I can tell you as a fan from day one that having Stu as a Stone would not have put me off at all.  That the Stones like to credit/blame ALO for "firing" Stu isn't a total surprise.

Paranoid Android wrote on Dec 13^th, 2009 at 9:03pm:


Undercover album credits by nzentgraf.de

Line-up ‘Undercover’: MJ (voc)/KR (gtr)/RW (gtr)/BW (bass)/CW (dr)/
                               Chuck Leavell (keyb)/Sly Dunbar (perc)
                 Line-up ‘She Was Hot’: MJ (voc)/KR (gtr)/RW (gtr)/BW (bass)/CW (dr)/
                               STU (p)/Chuck Leavell (p)  
                Line-up ‘Tie You Up’: MJ (voc)/KR (gtr, bvoc)/RW (gtr, bass, bvoc)/CW
                               (dr)/Chuck Leavell (p)
                 Line-up ‘Wanna Hold You’: KR (voc, gtr)/RW (gtr, bass, bvoc)/CW (dr)
                 Line-up ‘Feel On Baby’: MJ (voc, harm)/KR (gtr, voc)/ RW (gtr)/CW (dr)/
                               Chuck Leavell (keyb)/Robbie Shakespeare (bass)/Sly Dunbar (perc)
                 Line-up ‘Too Much Blood’: MJ (voc)/KR (gtr)/RW (gtr)/BW (bass)/CW (dr)/
                                Chuck Leavell (keyb)/Jim Barber (gtr)/The Sugarhill Horn Section
                                CHOPS (horns)/Sly Dunbar (perc)
                 Line-up ‘Pretty Beat Up’: MJ (voc, gtr)/KR (bass, bvoc)/RW (gtr, bvoc)/BW
                               (p)/CW (dr)/STU (org)/David Sanborn (sax)/The Sugarhill Horn
                                Section CHOPS (horns)
                 Line-up ‘Too Tough’: MJ (voc, gtr)/KR (gtr)/RW (gtr)/BW (bass)/CW (dr)/
                               Chuck Leavell (p)
                 Line-up: ‘All The Way Down’: MJ (voc, gtr)/KR (gtr, bvoc)/ RW (gtr, bvoc)/
                                BW (bass)/CW (dr)/Chuck Leavell (el p)
                 Line-up ‘It Must Be Hell’: MJ (voc)/KR (gtr, bvoc)/RW (gtr, bvoc)/BW
                               (bass)/CW (dr)/Chuck Leavell (p)
                 Note: Lots of percussion was played on the album by BW, STU, Moustapha
                           Cisse, Brahms Coundoul, Martin Ditcham and Sly Dunbar.

Nicky Hopkins plays all of the piano parts on 'Beggars Banquet'. Why not Stu? Probably more to do with different styles than anything. Hopkins played most of the piano parts for the years he worked with the Stones as he was technically more versatile I suppose. Stu was more of a boogie-woogie type of player. He plays piano on tracks such as 'Jumpin Jack Flash', 'Let It Bleed' , 'Brown Sugar', 'Dead Flowers', 'Honky Tonk Women', 'Shake Your Hips', 'Stop Breaking Down', 'Silver Train' and 'Starfucker', 'IORR' and 'Dance Little Sister' from that 1968-74 era but thats about it as far as the studio releases go.

gone but never forgotten - you are much missed Mr Stewart.

Honky Tonk Man wrote on Dec 14^th, 2009 at 12:29pm:



And it didn’t: in hindsight, it may seem cruel, but teenage girls were not going to be drawn to a guy who looked old fashioned and out of place. He wore polo shirts and sported a quiff. He became their roadie and was appreciated greatly by all. Andrew made the right call.

RIP Stu.
[/quote]

I pretty much agree with everything you said.  He looked more like a someones dad then a member of a pop group and that's a shame it mattered but it did.  What's a quiff?

RIP

left shoe shuffle wrote on Dec 14^th, 2009 at 7:15pm:



And WHAT a hairstyle.  Thank you kindly.

Other header, as you can see Stu could have had a better look, even as an early punk




In memory of the second Rolling Stone!
© Stu's Family Archives from the book "Stu" with thanks to Hannalee!

In memory of the second Rolling Stone!
Musicland Studios, Munich - November 1973
© 1973,2009 Michael Putland