.

“Four days later Mick Taylor was introduced to the world at a photo session beside the bandstand in Hyde Park. With his tall, willowy good looks and clear blue eyes, he looked barely old enough to be out of school. He revealed to reporters hungry for an angle that he was a teetotal vegetarian. ‘I want to be as naturally healthy and aware as I can,’ he explained shyly.

‘Why did you choose him, Mick?’ someone asked Jagger. ‘‘Cos I fancy him, don’t I?’ he replied camply, and everybody laughed. ‘Did you really mean all that stuff about not drinking?’ Keith asked incredulously later. ‘Sure.’ Mick grinned. ‘But I wouldn’t say no if you were to offer me a bit of smoke.’”

THE ROLLING STONES photographed during rehearsal for the Hyde Park free concert, July 1969

“Mick Taylor remembers their first rehearsal as ‘really ragged. I thought, how do these guys make such great records when they’re so sloppy and spontaneous? But it was because they had this great chemistry.’”

Keith Richards (left) and Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones - Desert Trip; Coachella, CA (10-8-16). @officialKeef @ronniewood @RollingStones @DesertTripIndio