Mick Jagger

The most iconic of rock & roll frontmen, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger was synonymous with sex appeal and swagger. Despite a solo career that never quite took off, he remained one of the world's most recognizable rock stars. Raised outside London, Jagger grew up in a middle-class family and ultimately attended the London School of Economics. More significant however was his meeting a young Keith Richards at Dartford Grammar School in September 1950. Though the two lost touch for a time, they reconnected ten years later and began bonding over blues records. A 16-year-old Jagger already had his sights set on pop stardom, and in 1961 the pair formed an early version of the Rolling Stones with a new acquaintance, blues-club employee Brian Jones. By 1963 the classic lineup was in place and Jagger left economics school; the group had its first UK success with a Chuck Berry song, "Come On" in that summer. From the start the group's chemistry came from the often-volatile relationship between Richards, the grizzled outlaw, and Jagger, the jet-setter and libertine. They also became a songwriting team after manager Andrew Oldham insisted they move away from R&B covers; the classic "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was one of their early attempts. By the dawn of the '70s Jagger was well established as an international celebrity, marrying the Nicaraguan activist and aristocrat Bianca Macias in 1971 (His infidelity ended the marriage in 1978). Around this time a cartoon rendering of Jagger's lips became the official trademark for the Stones and their record label. The Stones continued to flourish, hitting a peak of popularity in 1978 with the Some Girls album and tour. Despite his playboy image Jagger handled a good deal of the band's business, keeping finances in order while Richards was derailed by drug addiction. For the first two decades, Jagger's main work outside the Stones was as an actor. His debut was in Nicolas Roeg's cult movie "Performance" (1969) followed by the lead in a Western, "Ned Kelly" (1970). The former included "Memo From Turner" which sounded enough like a Stones record to get airplay. (He was also turned down for the Tim Curry role in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1974), partly based on himself). However Jagger didn't make a solo album until 1986's She's the Boss which was largely greeted as a lesser Stones album; and accompanied by an underwhelming appearance at Live Aid. Three further solo albums also failed to break through though the final one, 2001's Goddess in the Doorway, stirred up some controversy when Rolling Stone gave it a five-star review. In 2011 Jagger teamed with Joss Stone, Eurythmics' Dave Stewart and others in a supergroup project, Super Heavy, which was barely noticed. None of the above detracted from Jagger's lofty status with the Rolling Stones. During 2019 he had his first major health setback as a U.S. tour was postponed so he could have heart-valve replacement surgery. They were back on the road just six weeks later, confirming their status as rock's most indestructible band.