The Rolling Stones are gearing up to release their first album of new original material in nearly twenty years, and the promotion machine is getting started. Soon, we will be inundated with photos and videos of the band members to drum up excitement. Fans like me will be eating it up, of course.
It's bittersweet, as The Rolling Stones are now down to three official members: octogenarian singer Mick Jagger, elegantly wasted guitarist Keith Richards, and goofy but reliable six-stringer Ron Wood. Only two out of those three are original members. Beloved drummer Charlie Watts passed away two years ago. So now is the perfect time to make Darryl Jones, their long-time bassist, an official partner in the band.
It famously took Ron Wood nearly twenty years to reach that status: he joined the band in replacement of Mick Taylor in 1975, became an official member the following year, and was only welcomed into the partnership at the instance of Charlie in 1993. It is time to extend that same courtesy to Darryl Jones, who has been an invaluable asset and a faithful road and studio companion. The dude deserves a cut of the cake.
No one thinks that he should be on equal footing with Brenda Mick or Keef or even Woody. But cutting him seems like the decent thing to do since the guy has been there for thirty years. More importantly, that also means including him in the promo shots, letting him appear in official interviews, and giving him a vote in band decisions. What a great signal that would send, especially for Mick who is so worried about appearing out of touch with the current "woke" climate that he insisted on not performing the seemingly problematic "Brown Sugar"!
But that's not what this is about. It's about doing the right thing for a guy who, musically at least, has more than earned his place as a true Stone. And while you're at it, include Steve Jordan, too. What a great photo that would be. A real band. Five guys together. The Rolling Stones in 2023.
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