Bill Wyman

William George Wyman (né Perks; born 24 October 1936) is an English musician who achieved international fame as the bassist for the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1993. Born William Perks, he legally changed his surname to Wyman in August of 1964, the phonetic surname of a friend, Lee Whyman, with whom he had done national service in the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1957.

Bill Wyman
Wyman in 1965
Background information
Born	(1936-10-24) 24 October 1936 London, England
Genres	Rock Blues
Instruments	Bass
Years active	1962 - present

The Rolling Stones

Wyman joined the Rolling Stones in 1962 and played on all their hit records in the 1960s and 70s, such as, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Ruby Tuesday, Jumping Jack Flash, and Brown Sugar. He left in 1993 and briefly returned for a 50 year anniversary tour in 2012.

Other Works

In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Rolling Stones. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. He has worked producing records and films, and has scored music for films and television.

Wyman has kept a journal since he was a child during World War II, and has published seven books. He is also a photographer, and his works have been displayed in galleries around the world.

Personal Life

Wyman is thrice married. In 1989, he controversially married then-18-year old Mandy Smith, when Bill was 53 years old.

Discography

With The Rolling Stones

• The Rolling Stones / England's Newest Hit Makers (1964)
• 12 X 5 (1964)
• The Rolling Stones No. 2 / The Rolling Stones, Now! (1965)
• Out of Our Heads (1965)
• December's Children (And Everybody's) (1965)
• Aftermath (1966)
• Between the Buttons (1967)
• Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)
• Beggars Banquet (1968)
• Let It Bleed (1969)
• Sticky Fingers (1971)
• Exile on Main St. (1972)
• Goats Head Soup (1973)
• It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974)
• Black and Blue (1976)
• Some Girls (1978)
• Emotional Rescue (1980)
• Tattoo You (1981)
• Undercover (1983)
• Dirty Work (1986)
• Steel Wheels (1989)

Solo albums

• Monkey Grip (June 1974) UK No. 39, AUS No. 36, US No. 99
• Stone Alone (March 1976) US No. 166
• Green Ice (soundtrack) (1981)
• Bill Wyman (April 1982) UK No. 55, AUS No. 59
• Stuff (October 1992 in Japan and Argentina only, 2000 UK)
• Back to Basics (22 June 2015)

Collaborative album

• Willie & The Poor Boys (May 1985) US No. 96 [12 wks] (with Mickey Gee, Andy Fairweather-Low, Geraint Watkins, and Charlie Watts)

Compilation albums

• Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey (2002) - US Blues Albums No. 11
• A Stone Alone: The Solo Anthology 1974–2002 (2002, UK)

Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings

Main article: Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings

• Struttin' Our Stuff (October 1997)
• Anyway the Wind Blows (October 1998)
• Groovin' (May 2000) UK No. 52 [3 wks]
• Double Bill (May 2001) UK No. 88 [2 wks]
• Just for a Thrill (May 2004) UK No. 149 [1 wk]
• Studio Time (April 2018)

Also plays on

• I Can Tell, John Hammond, Jr., 1967
• The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, 1971
• Manassas, 1972
• Jamming with Edward!, 1972
• Goodnight Vienna, Ringo Starr, 1974
• Drinkin' TNT 'n' Smokin' Dynamite, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, 1982 (recorded live at Montreux 1974; also the 1991 film Messin' with the Blues from the same festival, which features eight songs with this line-up, including four fronted by Muddy Waters)

Solo singles

• "In Another Land" (December 1967) - US No. 87, Canada No. 21
• "Monkey Grip Glue" (June 1974)
• "White Lightnin'" (September 1974) - AUS No. 99
• "A Quarter to Three" (April 1976)
• "If You Wanna Be Happy" (1976)
• "Apache Woman" (1976)
• "(Si Si) Je Suis un Rock Star" (July 1981) - UK No. 14, AUS No. 5
• "Visions" (1982)
• "Come Back Suzanne" (March 1982) - AUS No. 12
• "A New Fashion" (March 1982) - UK No. 37
• "Baby Please Don't Go" (June 1985) - US Mainstream Rock No. 35
• "What & How & If & When & Why" (June 2015)

Bibliography

Bill Wyman has authored or co-authored the following titles:

Archaeology

• Bill Wyman's Treasure Islands ISBN 0-7509-3967-2

The 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.^{[citation needed]}

A Journey through America with the Rolling Stones. Robert Greenfield. Helter Skelter Publication. ISBN 1-900924-24-2

Art

• Wyman Shoots Chagall ISBN 0904351629