19 Facts About the Leading Singer of the Rolling Stones ‘Mick Jagger’

You must have a list of people who have inspired you once in your lifetime. For instance, Oprah Winfrey, a multi-billionaire, once lived in poverty and was abused on multiple occasions. Another such living legend is Mick Jagger was born to a middle-class family and wanted to follow his father’s career path. 

He became a rock legend and delighted fans for more than four decades. He left the London School of Economics to start a band. He took the band, the Rolling Stones, to the top with his excellent hits, like Miss You and Angie. 

Did you know he also auditioned for the role of Dr. Frank N. Furter for the film adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Unfortunately, the role went to Tim Curry, who played a part in the London production. Let us know more about Mick Jagger’s life and his early struggles. 

Early Life and Musical Influences

Source = Indianexpress

Born into a middle-class family, Mick Jagger left the school in 1961 after passing seven O-levels and two A-levels. Then, he moved into a flat with guitarist Brian Jones, Edith Grove, and Chelsea. They planned to start their rhythm and blues group and also continued to start finance and accounting. 

He was a good student and famous among his classmates. He bought his first guitar at 14 and started collecting blues records from the likes of Howlin Wolf. Mick Jagger and his friend Dick Taylor started a band together called Little Boy Blue. In 1960, he was accepted to the London School of Economics. Later, he also added other members to his band.

How Did he Form the Band ‘Rolling Stones’

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Richards, Taylor, and Mick joined Jones, who wanted to start his group. In the earlier days, the band Rolling Stones played for no money in the interval of the gigs at a basement club opposite the tube station. During that time, the band had less equipment. The group first appeared as Rollin stones and performed at the Marquee Club in London on July 12, 1962. 

Later, they changed their name to the Rolling Stones to make it seem more formal. In 1963, he left the London School of Economics and wished to make his career with the band. The band played songs by American rhythm and blues artists like Bo Diddley and also began to write their songs. The group’s amazing performances helped them sign a deal with Decca Records. Also, Mick Jagger was a popular member of the group due to his attractive sex appeal. 

The band first made the British charts in1964 with a version of Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now.” Then, they released their debut album and toured the United States. 

Personal Life and Tragedies

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In 1967, his personal life made headlines. Mick Jagger and his girlfriend were arrested during the police raid of Richard’s country home in England. The officers found drug paraphernalia and illegal substances. They were convicted for drug-related offenses. Two years later, Mick Jagger and his faithful were arrested for drug possession after they raided his London home. 

In 1969, the band went through several changes. Jones left the group in June after his drug arrests prevented him from leaving the country for the band tour. The band replaced him with guitarist Mick Taylor. Later, Jones was found drowned in his pool. The report found that Jones was addicted to drugs and alcohol at the time of his death. As a tribute, the band performed a free concert in Parkin 1969. Before the concert began, he read excerpts from Adonais, a poem about the death of a friend. 

Another tragedy struck after several months when the band launched their album Let it Bleed. They promoted the album by organizing a free concert in Northern California. When they were playing the songs, a man in the audience was killed by a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. The event was captured on film and was featured in the documentary Gimme Shelter. 

Mick Jagger is a father of 8 children. He has a daughter born with actress Marsha Hunt. He was also involved with Bianca Perez Moreno de Macias. They remained married from 1971 to 1980 and were parents to Sheena Jezebel on 21st October 1971. Later in 1990, he got married to his girlfriend to model Jerry Hall and became parents to 4 children. 

Unfortunately, their relationship ended in 1999 after Hall found that he had an affair with another model. He was also romantically involved with designer L’Wren Scott. In 2014, it was reported that Scott was dead and committed suicide. She hanged herself when Jagger was on his Australian tour. Another shocking news came when he became a father at the age of 73. He and his 29-year-old girlfriend welcomed a son in 2016. The couple started dating in 2014. 

Honors

Source = Newstatesman

Mick Jagger was honored with a knighthood for services to music in Queen’s 2002 Birthday Honors. In 2003, he received the accolade from the Prince of Wales. His knighthood received mixed reactions. His fans were disappointed when he accepted honor that contradicted his anti-establishment stance. In 2014, the Jaggermryx Naida, a 19-year old species of a long-legged pig, was named after Jagger. 

He described himself as an anarchist and took part in a demonstration against the Vietnam War outside the US Embassy in London. This event inspired him to write Street Fighting Man. On television, he was caricatured in the puppet show Spitting Image throughout its run in the 1990s. In 2012, Jagger was among the British cultural icons to appear in a new version of the popular artwork. 

Facts About Mick Jagger and His Band

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1. His younger brother is also a musician. They have performed together in several events. 

2. His mother was born in Australia. She was a hairdresser and an active member of the Conservative Party. 

3. Richards and Jagger lost contact when they went to different schools. They resumed their friendship and shared their love for rhythm and blues, which Jagger had started with Little Richard. 

4. Jagger has been described as one of the most influential and popular men in the history of rock and roll. 

5. In the late 1960s, he started acting in films like Performance and Ned Kelly. 

6. In 1985, he released his first solo album title- She’s the Boss. 

7. His grandfather and father were teachers and wished Mick Jagger to follow their career path. But he aspired to become a singer. He said, 

“I always sang as a child. I was one of those kids who just liked to sing. Some kids sing in choirs; others like to show off in front of the mirror. I was in the church choir and I also loved listening to singers on the radio—the BBC or Radio Luxembourg—or watching them on TV and in the movies.” 

Source = Billboard

8. He is an avid cricket fan and founded Jagged Internetworks to cover English cricket. 

9. Back in the 1960s and 70s, high earners in the UK had to pay a certain amount (93%) of money in taxes. The Stones turned to France and said, Gimme some tax shelter,’ and he moved there. There, they delivered one of their best-selling albums. 

10. The band made nearly $10 million per show in 2017. When the band went on the No filter, they earned $10 million per show. They sold over 60,000 tickets per night at the price of $159. 

11. You can’t spend time with Jagger, but you can rent out any of his mansions. He owns a multimillion-dollar property on the island of Mustique, situated in the West Indies. The house has six bedrooms and five bathrooms that can be rented out weekly. If you wish to live in his mansions, then you have to pay over $16,000 for a week. But it can be over $45000 around Christmas time. Only a maximum of 10 guests are allowed, so better you invite-only closed ones.

12. He is also a supporter of a national football team and attended FIFA World Cup games. He appeared in France 98, Germany 2006, and Brazil 2014. 

13. You won’t believe it, but nearly 14 hotels turned the band down when they were about to stay in New York. They stopped them because of the huge fan following they have. 

14. He had a relationship with L’Wren Scott from 2001. When she died in 2014, she left her properties worth around $9 million to him. 

Source = Trtworld

15. It is rumored that Mick Jagger has slept with over 4000 women (according to his biography). Currently, he is the father of eight children and might have more. 

16. He might have eight kids, but legally he got married twice. His divorce with Jerry Hall cost him $15-$25 million. Hall later got married to Richard Murdoch. 

17. Before the two divorced, they created a movie. But the film turned out very bad. 

18. Before anyone made a movie of the book, Jagger purchased the rights from Burgess for $500. He sold the rights to a movie producer and still wanted to be a part of the film. The Beatles and the friends sent a petition in protest to screenplay writer We, the undersigned, do hereby protest with extreme vehemence as well as shattered illusions (in you) the preference of David Hemmings above Mick Jagger in the role of Alex in The Clockwork Orange. 

19. In 1969, he wrote love letters to Marsha Hunt, who inspired the song Brown Sugar. He saved those letters and sold them in the auction in 2012. It is reported that the letters were sold at over $300,000. 

Final Words 

Indeed, he is one of the amazing personalities to be recognized as a singer. He continues to work after heart surgery and said, 

“I train five or six days a week, but I don't go crazy. I alternate between gym work and dancing, then I do sprints, things like that. I'm training for stamina." 

Do you know other things about Mick Jagger and his achievements? If so, then share them.