Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Ron Wood

 
Quotes By:

Ron Wood

Home > Library > Literature & Language > Quotes By

Quotes:

"There's a basic rule which runs through all kinds of music, kind of an unwritten rule. I don't know what it is. But I've got it."

Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Gale Musician Profiles:

Wood, Ron

Top
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Musicians

Bass guitarist, guitarist, singer, songwriter

Ron Wood has, in his long and varied musical career, established himself as a mainstay of rock 'n' roll music as its de facto court jester. He has played bass, guitar, and slide guitar with a veritable who's who of rock, as a band member, session musician, and guest. His steady gig since 1975 has been as guitarist with the Rolling Stones.

Wood was born in London in 1947, the youngest of three brothers. His father, Arthur, was a harmonica player who led a big band, but he also had a day job as a tugboat skipper. His mother, Lizzie, had worked in a factory, as many women did during wartime. She quit working to become a housewife when her first child was born in 1937.

All the Wood boys were artistically and musically inclined. Art (born 1937) and Ted (1939-2003) enjoyed art and music, and their youngest brother joined them in whatever they happened to be doing. "If they were painting, I would paint, and if they played music, I would copy them and skip from instrument to instrument," said Wood in a 2003 interview with the London Independent. "We had everything from Chinese wood-blocks to old drumkits, tea-chest bass, banjos, guitars, trumpets, saxophone, harmonica, jew's harp. Ted would let me have a little bash around on his drums."

Ronnie Wood made his stage debut in Ted Wood's Original London Skiffle Group in 1957. In a 2003 obituary for his brother Ted in the Independent, he said, "We went on at the interval between two Tommy Steele films. I was about nine and I played the washboard....I even had stage butterflies. Ted had to push me on but then I wouldn't get off." Like his older brothers, Wood attended the Ealing School of Art. Other well-known performers who studied at the school included Pete Townshend and David Bowie.

One of the first bands that Wood performed with was The Birds. He joined the pioneering rock band as guitarist in 1964. The band was on the forefront of British rock 'n' roll, but their popularity was obscured by a confusion with names. There were two other rock bands enjoying popularity at this same time with similar names: The Yardbirds and the American group the Byrds. They had already changed their name to avoid confusion with a band called the Thunderbirds. The label to which they had signed was busier promoting other groups, and the band broke up in 1967 after marginal success.

In the Beginning, There Was The Creation
Wood joined the band Creation in 1968. This short-lived mod group released several notable singles but, as Greg Shaw noted in an article reprinted in the book The Sound and the Fury: A Rock's Backpages Reader—40 Years of Classic Rock Journalism, "None of them ... can be considered anything more than genre records."



After leaving the Creation, Wood contacted guitarist Jeff Beck about forming a new band. The Jeff Beck Group was formed with the addition of an unknown vocalist named Rod Stewart. Wood and Stewart would become friends as well as colleagues. The band was updating blues in a vein that made the sound a predecessor to what would be known as heavy metal. It was while performing with the group that Stewart and Wood began drinking to mask their performance anxieties. Stewart recalled that one of them would carry a bag containing a flask of brandy or rum from which they would nip.

The Jeff Beck Group made two albums—one each in 1968 and 1969. These are still considered classic recordings, but the group was plagued by infighting with Beck. The situation became worse while the group was on tour in the United States. "The tour was supposed to culminate in an appearance at Woodstock," wrote Tom Hibbert in the London Times, but "before the festival had got under way the guitarist's temperament had finally proved too much for Wood and Stewart—and the group was no more."

Making The Faces with Stewart
At the time in 1969 when Stewart and Wood were leaving Beck, Steve Marriott was leaving the Small Faces. The remaining members recruited Wood and Stewart, and later changed the group's name to the Faces. In its new formation the band recorded First Step, but still under the Faces name. The album was released in the United States under the Small Faces name. The hit from the recording was the now-classic "Flying."

"The Faces were a rough, sloppy rock & roll band, able to pound out a rocker like 'Had Me a Real Good Time,' a blues ballad like 'Tell Everyone,' or a folk number like 'Richmond' all in one album," wrote Stephen Thomas Erlewine in All Music Guide. "Wood's rhythm guitar had a warm, fat tone that was as influential and driving as Keith Richards' style. Notorious for their hard-partying, boozy tours and ragged concerts, the Faces lived the rock & roll lifestyle to the extreme. ... Their reckless, loose, and joyous spirit stayed alive in much of the best rock & roll of the subsequent decades."

With Stewart, Wood co-wrote the Faces' signature hit "Stay With Me," which hit the charts in 1972. He also co-wrote songs that became classics in Stewart's solo canon, "Gasoline Alley" and "Every Picture Tells a Story." The ascendant star of Stewart caused confusion and problems as it continued to rise. Was the band The Faces or Rod Stewart and The Faces? Their follow up, 1973's Ooh La La, also rose to the top of the charts, but featured other members as vocalists. After recording Ooh La La, Ronnie Lane left the group. While still officially tied to The Faces, Wood also performed as a guest of Eric Clapton at the legendary Rainbow concert in 1973 alongside Townshend, Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and others. During the period in which the band was attempting to regroup, Wood decided to record a solo project. I've Got My Own Album to Do was released in 1974.

The Faces slowly disintegrated, calling it quits in 1975. In 2004 the band's music was rediscovered with the release of the four-disc set "Five Guys Walk Into a Bar..." The Richmond Times-Dispatch 's Hays Davis called it "the great Faces album that everyone figured was in there somewhere."

Like a Rolling Stone
The Rolling Stones were looking for a replacement for guitarist Mick Taylor at about the same time that members of The Faces were deliberating their future. Taylor quit in December of 1974, as The Rolling Stones were preparing to record. Numerous musicians were under consideration, among them Rory Gallagher, Wayne Perkins, and Harvey Mandel. Wood let it be known he was considering leaving The Faces, and the auditions ceased. Some of the studio work Wood and other auditioning guitarists contributed to the Rolling Stones during the group's search to replace Taylor appeared on the Stones' album Black and Blue, and the album would reach the number two spot on the British charts. Wood was officially declared a member of the super-group in April of 1975.



After Wood joined the Stones, critics seemed to take note of his on and off-stage demeanor rather than his playing. Philip Norman, writing in the book Sympathy for the Devil: The Rolling Stones Story, called Wood an "ideally complete and recognizable rock star parody, a cartoon trailer, as it were, to his friend and confederate, Keith Richards. ... He would be a sidekick for Keith. He fitted."

In 1977 Woods met Jo Howard. The two became intimately involved and had their first child in 1978 and their second in 1983. They were married in 1985. Woods and Howard both had children from previous marriages. Wood's first official album in the Stones' fold was 1977's Love You Live, followed immediately by the now classic Some Girls. In 1979 Wood's Gimme Some Neck was released. He and Richards formed the core of a one-off band called New Barbarians during a break from the Stones.

During the 1980s Wood and the Stones continued to record and tour, although some of the efforts met with mixed critical success. Emotional Rescue generated the single "She's So Cold," while the following year's Tattoo You found success with "Waiting on a Friend" and what would be the ubiquitous Stones anthem, "Start Me Up." As Richards and Mick Jagger continued to spar the band hit the doldrums, suffering from lackluster material, as evidenced by Undercover and Dirty Work. While waiting for Jagger and Richards to patch up their differences, Wood focused his energies on his own projects, including his ever-present interest in art.

Solo Career Continued with Slide
With the release of Slide on This in 1992, Wood said he was feeling more at ease in the role of a solo artist, and characterized his previous works as mere side projects. "I never took them seriously. I never intended them to be contenders. They were just kind of exercises, a chance to show off," he told the Los Angeles Times. "Only now do I feel comfortable fronting my own band. I think I've got enough confidence, and I've done my apprenticeship." Enlisting the help of erstwhile Stones' backing singer Bernard Fowler enabled Wood to complete the project. Fowler served as co-producer as well as songwriter. Stalwarts Ian McLagan (ex-Faces) and Chuck Leavell, (ex-Allman Brothers Band) were among the contributing musicians, as were Charlie Watts, The Edge (U2), and Hothouse Flowers. Perhaps the standout single from the project was "Always Wanted More." The Boston Globe called it "arguably the best solo album of his career."

Wood clearly stated that he was not looking to venture forth as a solo act. The Stones "come first anyway," he told Billboard. "I'm speaking for myself on this record, but with the Stones, it's an institution. It's also great fun, it always has been." In the 1990s the caravan rolled on, as tours continued in support of Steel Wheels, Voodoo Lounge, and Bridges to Babylon.

Throughout his career, Wood continued to tinker with solo projects, including albums with his brothers and with Stewart. One such project was Not for Beginners, released in 2002. The recording and supporting concert, captured as Near East Man, included appearances from McLagan, Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, and Bob Dylan, while two of Wood's children appeared on stage in the video alongside Slash (ex-Guns and Roses). "Wood is an awkward frontman and band-leader. Only when his guitar does the talking for him," wrote Michael Gallucci of the CD in All Music Guide, "does 'Not for Beginners'" actually sound like a record made by a guy who makes tons of money playing in one of the world's most legendary bands."

By 2004 Wood had amassed an estimated 25 million pounds in his years with the Stones. "Wood's 18 years in the Stones give him more seniority than Brian Jones and Mick Taylor combined," noted Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times.

Years of Hard Living Caught Up with Wood
Wealth could not insulate Wood from personal and health issues. Substance abuse and addiction have continued to be problems for him. The first demon he fought was cocaine addiction, and at about the same time that he joined The Rolling Stones, he had a plastic septum surgically inserted in his nose. He also reportedly gave up cocaine around this time after being treated for addiction in New York. Drink has always been a companion. Columnist Sue Carroll sharply commented in the London Daily Mirror in March of 2004 that Wood was "56 and looks it. The rocker has downed eight pints of Guinness, two bottles of vodka, one of Sambuca and smoked 20 fags every day for years." Wood spoke of this himself in an interview with the London Sunday Mirror: "And that was every day. I never blacked out though, I just used to be a steady drinker." With an acknowledged family history of alcoholism, Wood has undergone treatment on various occasions. In July of 2000, it was reported that he was undergoing treatment in London, and two years later, he was in rehab in Arizona.

In 2004 the Sunday Mirror reported an announcement by Wood that he had been diagnosed as being in the early stages of emphysema. "The doctors said that if I give up smoking now I can nip it in the bud—I still have powerful lungs," Wood told the newspaper. "But they say if I smoke for another year, I could get emphysema and—boom—my lungs could collapse." Yet Wood has continued to perform and record, both with and without the Rolling Stones. In 2005 the group embarked on yet another world tour.



Selected discography

Solo albums
I've Got My Own Album to Do, Warner Brothers, 1974.
Now Look, Warner Brothers, 1975.
Gimme Some Neck, Columbia, 1979.
Slide on This, Continuum, 1992.
Always Wanted More, Universal International, 2003.
Slide on Live: Plugged in and Standing, Continuum, 1994.
Not for Beginners, SPV, 2002.
Live at Electric Ladyland, Universal International, 2002.

With The Faces
First Step, Warner Brothers, 1970.
Long Player, Warner Brothers, 1971.
A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse, Warner Brothers, 1971.
Ooh La La, Warner Brothers, 1973.
Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners [live], Mercury, 1974.
Best of The Faces, Warner Brothers, 1977.
Five Guys Walk Into a Bar..., Rhino, 2004.

With Jeff Beck Group
Truth, Epic, 1968.
Beck-Ola, Epic, 1969.

With Ronnie Lane
Mahoney's Last Stand, Atlantic, 1976.

With the Rolling Stones
Black and Blue, Virgin, 1976.
Some Girls, Virgin, 1978.
Emotional Rescue, Virgin, 1980.
Tattoo You, Virgin, 1981.
Undercover, Virgin, 1983.
Dirty Work, Virgin, 1986.
Steel Wheels, Virgin, 1989.
Flashpoint [live], Virgin, 1991.
Voodoo Lounge, Virgin, 1994.
Stripped [live], Virgin, 1995.
Bridges to Babylon, Virgin, 1997.
No Security [live], Virgin, 1998.

With the Wood Brothers
Money Due, Quiet Melon, 1998.

Sources
Books
Debrett's People of Today, Debrett's Peerage Ltd., 2004.
Encyclopedia of World Biography, second ed., Gale Research, 1998.
Hoskyns, Barney, ed., The Sound and the Fury: A Rock's Backpages Reader – 40 Years of Classic Rock Journalism, Bloomsbury, 2003.
Sympathy for the Devil: The Rolling Stones Story, Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1984.
White, Timothy, Rock Lives: Profiles and Interviews, Henry Holt and Company, 1990.

Periodicals
Belfast News Letter, July 1, 2000.
Billboard, October 3, 1992.
Boston Globe, December 15, 1992.
Daily Mirror (London, England), March 17, 2004.
Guitar Player, May 2003.
Independent (London, England), October 4, 2003.
Sunday Mirror (London, England), March 14, 2004.
Times (London, England), October 27, 2000.
Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 12, 2004.
Vanity Fair, September 1989.

Online
The Faces Official Website, http://www.the-faces.com/ (June 13, 2005).
"Ron Wood," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (June 7, 2005).
Ronnie Wood Official Website, http://www.ronnie-wood.com (June 13, 2005).
"Wood: Out From Under Stones," Los Angeles Times, http://www.the-faces.com/wood/articles/19921119LATimes.htm, (June 13, 2005).
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Ron Wood

Top
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists
  • Genres: Rock

Biography

Guitarist Ron Wood has been a member of several "classic" British rock outfits, but the one that he's undoubtedly most associated with is the Rolling Stones, with whom he's been a member since 1976. Born on June 1, 1947, in Hillingdon, London, Wood made his first appearances on record during the mid-'60s, first as guitarist for the Birds and then as a member of the oft-overlooked mod outfit the Creation (Wood only appeared on a smattering of singles, collected years later on the compilation Complete Collection, Vol. 1: Making Time). Immediately after his split from the Creation, Wood was invited to play bass in the Jeff Beck Group, a band that also included a then-unknown Rod Stewart on vocals. Despite high hopes for the group (often credited as one of the founders of hard rock/heavy metal), the band only managed to issue a pair of classic recordings, 1968's Truth and 1969's Beck-Ola, before splitting up just prior to an appearance at the legendary Woodstock festival. Wood and Stewart opted to stick together, as they joined the Small Faces the same year (with Wood returning to the six-string).

Releasing one album under the Small Faces' name, 1970's First Step, the group then shortened its name simply to the Faces and soon after became one of rock's most notoriously party-hearty outfits of the era (influencing such future punk outfits as the Sex Pistols and the Replacements, among others). Further albums followed (1971's Long Player and A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse, plus 1973's Ooh La La), before the group split up in 1975. Wood also found the time to issue a string of solo releases during the mid-'70s: 1974's I've Got My Own Album to Do, 1975's Now Look, and a collaboration with ex-Faces bandmate Ronnie Lane, 1976's Mahoney's Last Stand, but this era of Wood's career is best remembered for his enlistment into the Rolling Stones.

With the exit of Mick Taylor in 1974, the Stones began auditioning replacement guitarists, but all along, founding Stones guitarist Keith Richards knew that Wood (a longtime friend) was the man for the job. Wood contributed to half of the Stones' 1976 album, Black and Blue, before becoming a full-time member and appearing on 1977's Love You Live and 1978's Some Girls. Although the Stones didn't issue any albums during 1979, the year was a busy one for Wood, as he issued his fourth solo release, Gimme Some Neck, and toured alongside Richards in a one-off side band, the New Barbarians. Wood and the Stones conquered the charts once more in the early '80s, with such hits as 1980's Emotional Rescue and 1981's Tattoo You, but tensions between Richards and Mick Jagger caused the group to not tour the U.S. between 1982-1988, while only managing to issue a pair of spotty studio albums (1983's Undercover and 1986's Dirty Work).

During this time, Wood issued such further solo albums as 1981's 1234 and 1988's Live at the Ritz (the latter a collaboration with Bo Diddley), and became an avid painter. Jagger and Richards eventually buried the hatchet by the late '80s, and the Stones sporadically issued new studio albums and toured from 1989 onward (1989's Steel Wheels, 1994's Voodoo Lounge, 1997's Bridges to Babylon, etc.). Wood has continued to issue solo recordings throughout the '90s and beyond (1992's Slide on This, 1994's Slide on Live: Plugged in and Standing, plus a pair in 2002, Not for Beginners and Live & Eclectic). Additionally, Wood has guested on countless recordings by other artists over the years, including albums by the Band, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Donovan, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, and his old pal Rod Stewart, with whom he taped a popular edition of MTV's Unplugged in 1993, resulting in the hit album Unplugged...and Seated. Wood's seventh solo album, I Feel Like Playing, appeared in 2010 from Eagle Records and featured guest spots from Slash, Flea, Billy Gibbons, Bobby Womack, Jim Keltner, and ex-Faces bandmate Ian McLagan, among others. ~ Greg Prato, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Ronnie Wood

Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
This article is about the English rock guitarist and bassist. For the British ice hockey player, see Ronnie Wood (ice hockey).
Ronnie Wood
Background information
Birth name Ronald David Wood
Born 1 June 1947 (1947-06-01) (age 64)
Hillingdon, Middlesex, England
Genres Rock, blues, blues rock, rock and roll, psychedelic rock, hard rock
Occupations Musician, songwriter, record producer, painter
Instruments Guitar, bass, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar, harmonica, saxophone, drums, vocals, nose flute
Years active 1964–present
Labels Warner Bros.
Associated acts The Birds, The Creation, The Jeff Beck Group, Faces, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, The Insects, The New Barbarians
Website www.ronniewood.com
Notable instruments
Various Zemaitis models
ESP Ron Wood signature model
Duesenberg signature model
Versoul guitars
Fender Stratocaster

Ronald David "Ronnie" Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of The Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and a member of The Rolling Stones since 1975. He also plays lap and pedal steel guitar.

Wood began his career in 1964, when he joined The Birds on guitar.[1] He then joined the mod group The Creation, but only remained with the group for a short time, and appeared on a small number of singles. Wood joined The Jeff Beck Group in 1967. They released two albums, Truth and Beck-Ola, which became moderate successes. The group split in 1969, and Wood departed along with lead vocalist Rod Stewart to join former Small Faces members Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones in a new group, dubbed the Faces. The group, although relegated to "cult" status in the US, found great success in the UK and mainland Europe. The Faces released their debut album, First Step, in 1970. The group went on to release Long Player and A Nod Is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse in 1971. Their last LP, entitled Ooh La La, was released in 1973. After the group split, Wood began several solo projects, eventually recording his first solo LP, I've Got My Own Album to Do, in 1974. The album featured former bandmate McLagan as well as Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones, a longtime friend of Wood's. Richards soon invited Wood to join The Rolling Stones, after the departure of Mick Taylor. Wood joined in 1975, and has remained a member ever since.[1]

Besides I've Got My Own Album to Do, Wood has recorded several other solo efforts. Now Look was released in 1975, and peaked at number 118 on Billboard, and Wood collaborated with Ronnie Lane for the soundtrack album Mahoney's Last Stand. He released Gimme Some Neck in 1979, which hit number 45 in the US. 1234 was released in 1981, peaking at number 164. He released Slide on This in 1992, Not for Beginners came out in 2002.[1] and I Feel Like Playing in 2010. As a member of the Rolling Stones, Wood was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and will be inducted a second time, as a member of Faces, in April 2012.[2][3]

Contents

Music career

1960s

Wood began his career as a professional musician in 1964 as a guitarist with The Birds, an R&B band based in Yiewsley, West London. A popular live act with a considerable fan base, The Birds released several singles in the mid-60s;[4] Wood wrote or co-wrote nearly half the songs the group recorded.[5]

By 1967 the Birds had disbanded, and Wood briefly took part in a project called Santa Barbara Machine Head before joining the Jeff Beck Group as a bassist. Along with vocalist Rod Stewart, Wood did several tours with Beck, and recorded two albums: Truth in 1968 and Beck-Ola in 1969. In between Jeff Beck Group projects Wood also worked with The Creation.[6]

In 1969, after Steve Marriott left the Small Faces, Wood began working with the remaining members of that group, returning to his instrument of choice: the guitar. This line-up, plus Rod Stewart and ex-Bird Kim Gardner, teamed up with Wood's brother Art Wood in a formation called Quiet Melon, making a handful of recordings in May 1969.[6] After the Jeff Beck Group's fifth US tour in July, Wood and Stewart joined the former Small Faces full-time, and the band's name was changed to Faces.[7]

1970s

Wood (left) whilst in Faces, with Rod Stewart (right)

In the first half of the 1970s, Faces released four studio albums and were among the top-grossing live acts of the period.[8] Besides his distinctive guitar work, Wood contributed harmonica, vocals and bass to the band's recordings, and co-wrote many of their songs, including "Stay With Me" and "Ooh La La". He also played on bandmate Stewart's first few solo albums, and is co-writer of the Rod Stewart songs "Gasoline Alley" and "Every Picture Tells a Story",[6] as well as several songs on Never a Dull Moment.

In 1972, Wood and Faces bassist Ronnie Lane composed the soundtrack to the film Mahoney's Last Stand;[6] the soundtrack, which was released as an LP in 1976, also features Faces bandmates Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones, along with contributions from Pete Townshend and Ric Grech. Wood also performed with Townshend, Grech, Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Eric Clapton at Clapton's Rainbow Concert in 1973.

In December 1973, Wood collaborated with Mick Jagger on the song "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)".[9] Both Jagger and Keith Richards contributed to Wood's first solo album, I've Got My Own Album to Do, released in 1974[6] and recorded at Wood's private studio in the basement of his home in London, The Wick.

Wood in Candlestick Park on tour with The Rolling Stones

Following Mick Taylor's departure from the Rolling Stones in December 1974, Wood participated in the band's March 1975 recording sessions for their forthcoming album Black and Blue.[10][11] Although still a member of the Faces, he toured North America with the Rolling Stones in 1975; the Faces announced their break-up in December of that year, and Wood was officially declared a member of the Rolling Stones in February 1976.[12]

“ I mean, I suppose most of the time I'm honest. That's not too bad really is it? 'Cause basically it's too easy to be a bastard in this business. ”

NME – August 1976[13]

In the Rolling Stones, Wood plays the slide guitar as Taylor had done before him, adding both lap steel and pedal steel guitar. In addition, Wood, as his predecessors did, exchanges roles on the guitar with Richards, often blurring the boundaries between rhythm and lead, even within a particular song.[14] He also occasionally plays bass guitar, as seen during 1975 concert performances of "Fingerprint File", when Mick Jagger played rhythm guitar and bassist Bill Wyman moved to synthesizer. The Rolling Stones single "Emotional Rescue" also features Wood on bass. He has been given credit as a co-writer for a dozen songs, including "Dance", "Black Limousine", "One Hit (to the Body)" and "Had It With You".

In 1975, Wood released his second solo album, Now Look; his third, Gimme Some Neck, came out in 1979. To promote it, Wood formed and toured with The New Barbarians, playing 20 concerts in Canada and the US in April/May and the Knebworth Festival in the UK in August.[15][16]

1980s

Throughout the 1980s, Wood played as a member of the Rolling Stones; continued his solo career, releasing the album 1234 in 1981; painted; and collaborated with a number of other artists, including Prince, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Ringo Starr and Aretha Franklin.

At the 1985 Live Aid Concert in Philadelphia, Wood along with Keith Richards performed in the penultimate set with Bob Dylan. During the performance of "Blowin' in the Wind", one of Dylan's guitar strings broke. Wood gave Dylan his guitar in order to keep the performance seamless, and played air guitar until a stagehand brought him a replacement.[17]

In 1988 Wood opened "Woody's on the Beach" in Miami, a club featuring a house band headed by Bobby Keys, hosting performances by local acts, friends of Wood's and occasionally Wood himself. The defunct hotel which housed the club allowed Wood to set up a VIP area upstairs, displaying Wood's artwork and providing private party areas. The club was popular, but was closed due to complaints from neighbours who found it too loud.[18]

1990s-2010s

Wood (left) with Keith Richards (right) as an official Rolling Stone

In 1990 Wood was made a fully-fledged partner in the Rolling Stones' financial organization.[19] During the '90s the Rolling Stones released two studio albums and three concert albums, as well as touring in 1990, 1994–95 and 1997–99.[10]

In addition, Wood released his seventh solo album, Slide On This, in 1992; he toured to promote this album in North America and Japan. His appearance in 1993 with former bandmate Rod Stewart on MTV Unplugged resulted in a hit album entitled Unplugged...and Seated; the concert album that Wood released in 1993 from his own tour was called Slide On Live: Plugged In and Standing.[10]

Wood also contributed to Bo Diddley's 1996 album A Man Amongst Men, playing slide guitar on the tracks "Hey Baby", "A Man Amongst Men" and "Oops! Bo Diddley" and guitar on "I Can't Stand It".

Since 2000 Wood has continued to combine solo work with his Rolling Stones schedule. Following the 2001 release of his album Not For Beginners, Wood toured England and Ireland in 2001 and 2002 with his own group, The Ronnie Wood Band. The band included members of his own family, Slash and Andrea Corr. After the tour a DVD called Far East Man was released.

Wood toured with the Rolling Stones in 2002 and 2003; in 2004 he performed several one-off concerts and guest appearances, including a number of appearances with Rod Stewart. Later in the year the two expressed intentions of finishing the studio work on a collaborative album to be entitled You Strum and I'll Sing. In 2005, however, Wood was again busy with the Rolling Stones as they recorded their A Bigger Bang album. Although only playing on ten of the album's sixteen tracks, Wood embarked on the tour which ran through till August 2007.[10]

In 2005 Wood launched his own record company, Wooden Records, which has released recordings by his daughter Leah, The New Barbarians and others.

Wood with the Rolling Stones at Virginia Tech. (2005)

In November 2006, during a break in the Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang tour, Wood played guitar on three tracks for British soul artist Beverley Knight's album Music City Soul, released in 2007.[10]

On 9 May 2009, Wood along with Red Hot Chili Peppers members Anthony Kiedis, Michael "Flea" Balzary, Chad Smith and musician Ivan Neville performed under the name, The Insects at the fifth annual MusiCares event honoring Kiedis.[20]

On 11 August 2009 Wood joined Pearl Jam on the stage of Shepherd's Bush Empire in London for a performance of "All Along the Watchtower".[citation needed]

Ronnie Wood, Bill Wyman and Mick Hucknall at Faces reunion performance, 25 October 2009

On 25 October 2009, Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenny Jones joined forces for a Faces performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on behalf of the Performing Rights Society's Music Members' Benevolent Fund. Bill Wyman played bass and lead vocals were shared by several performers, notably Mick Hucknall.[21] Rod Stewart, who had earlier denied rumours of plans for a Faces reunion in 2009,[22] was not present.

On 2 November 2009 Wood was given an "Outstanding Contribution" award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour ceremony in London. Pete Townshend presented the award.[23][24]

Since 9 April 2010, Wood has presented his own radio show on Absolute Radio. Airing on Saturday night from 10pm, the show lasts one hour and consists of Wood playing tracks by artists he has worked with and other personal favourites.[25]

In May 2011 Ronnie Wood won the Sony Radio Personality of the Year award for The Ronnie Wood Show.[26]

Personal life

Wood with promoter Joseph Donofrio, 2006.

Wood was born in Hillingdon, London, into a family of English "water gypsies" (river/canal barge operators, sometimes also called "bargees"), a he has said that his generation was the first in the family to be born on dry land.[27] He grew up in Yiewsley and attended St Stephen's Primary School and St Matthew's Church of England Secondary School, Yiewsley.[28]

Both of his older brothers, Art and Ted, were graphic artists as well as musicians. Ted Wood died in 2004, and Art Wood in 2006.[29]

Wood has four children. Jesse is his son with his first wife, Krissy (née Findlay), a former model to whom he was married from 1971 to 1978; (during this time he had an affair with George Harrison's former wife, Pattie Boyd). Krissy died in 2005. In 1985 Wood married his second wife, Jo Wood (née Karslake), mother of his daughter Leah and son Tyrone; her son Jamie from a previous relationship completes the family. Also a former model, Jo Wood has developed a successful line of organic beauty products.[30] The Woods own homes in Kingston Vale in Greater London and County Kildare, Ireland.[31]

Wood has been frank about his struggle with alcoholism; although reports between 2003 and 2006 had indicated that he had been sober since the Rolling Stones' 2002-03 tour, in June 2006 it was reported that Wood was entering rehab for a couple of weeks following a spell of increased alcohol abuse.[32][33] By July 2008, ITN news reported that Wood had checked himself into rehab a total of six times; the last time being before the wedding of his daughter Leah. He had plans once again for a seventh admission.[34]

In July 2008 he left his wife for Ekaterina Ivanova (variously reported to be between 18 and 21 years old at the time), whom he had met in a London club.[35] Wood checked into rehab again on 16 July 2008.[36][37] Jo Wood filed for divorce and was granted a decree nisi in November 2009.[38]

On 3 December 2009, Wood was arrested over assault "in connection with a domestic incident".[39] He was officially cautioned for this offence on 22 December 2009.[40] Following this incident, Wood and Ivanova parted ways, and Ivanova later asserted that at his worst Wood drank up to a litre of spirits a day, took cocaine and chain smoked up to 50 cigarettes.[41]

He is currently dating model Ana Paula Araújo.[1]

Artwork

Wood is a renowned visual artist. When he was a child his drawings were featured on the BBC television programme Sketch Club; he won one of that programme's competitions, an achievement he refers to as his "awakening to art".[42] He went on to train at the Ealing Art College, as both his brothers had, which other notable musicians, Freddie Mercury of Queen, and Pete Townshend of The Who, also attended in the 1960s.[43]

Wood's paintings, drawings and prints frequently feature icons of popular culture and have been exhibited all over the world. Several of his paintings, including a work commissioned by Andrew Lloyd-Webber, are displayed at London's Drury Lane Theatre.[44] Art critic Brian Sewell has called Wood "an accomplished and respectable artist";[45] and the South Bank Show has devoted an entire programme to his artwork.[46] Liberty & Co. has produced a clothing line using fabrics printed with Wood's art.[47] Wood has maintained a long-standing relationship with the San Francisco Art Exchange who first exhibited his work in 1987.[48] Wood is also the co-owner (along with sons Jamie and Tyrone) of a London art gallery called Scream.[49]

Books, films and television appearances

To date, Wood has three books to his credit: a short collection of autobiographical anecdotes entitled The Works, illustrated with Wood's artwork, co-authored by Bill German and published in 1988; a limited-edition art book entitled Wood on Canvas: Every Picture Tells a Story, published in 1998; and his 2007 autobiography Ronnie, written in collaboration with his son in law Jack MacDonald and Jeffrey Robinson.

In addition to numerous Faces and Rolling Stones concert films, broadcasts and documentaries, Wood performed alongside The Band, Bob Dylan and many others in the finale of the documentary The Last Waltz, filmed in 1976.[50] He has made cameo appearances in feature films including The Deadly Bees (1967), The Wild Life (1984) and 9½ Weeks (1986), as well as on television programmes including The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978).[51][52] In October 2007 Wood appeared on the television motor show Top Gear, achieving a celebrity lap time of 1:49.4.[53]

Solo discography

See also

Portal icon The Rolling Stones portal

References

  1. ^ a b c Prato, Greg. "Ron Wood". http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p5869/biography. Retrieved 2009-12-22. 
  2. ^ The Rolling Stones: Inducted in 1989 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Retrieved 9 December 2011
  3. ^ Rod Stewart: 'I'll Definitely Make Myself Available' for a Faces Reunion Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 December 2011
  4. ^ Wells, David (March 2007). "Bird Song". Record Collector: pp. 60–66 
  5. ^ liner notes to The Collector's Guide to Rare British Birds. Deram Records. June 2005 
  6. ^ a b c d e Zentgraf, Nico. "Woodworks 1957-1975". http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  7. ^ McLagan, Ian (2000). All the Rage (revised edition). Pan Books. pp. 151–153. ISBN 0-330-37637-X. 
  8. ^ Wall, Mick (May 2007). "A Walk Through the Wood". Classic Rock (Future Publishing Ltd.): pp. 58–63 
  9. ^ Jagger, Mick; Richards, Keith; Watts, Charlie; Wood, Ronnie (2003). According to the Rolling Stones. Chronicle Books. pp. 162–164. ISBN 0-8118-4060-3. 
  10. ^ a b c d e Zentgraf, Nico. "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 1962-2008". http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  11. ^ Wood, Ronnie (2007). Ronnie. Macmillan. pp. 110–112, pg. 115–116. ISBN 978-0-230-70131-1. 
  12. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 137.
  13. ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 291. CN 5585. 
  14. ^ Jagger, Richards, Watts & Wood 2003. pg. 180.
  15. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 187-192.
  16. ^ McLagan 2000. pg. 294-300.
  17. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 251.
  18. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 262-263.
  19. ^ Jagger, Richards, Watts & Wood 2003. pg. 257.
  20. ^ "Anthony Kiedis And Flea Discuss The Insects With Ronnie Wood And Ivan Neville". Ultimate-guitar.com. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/video_news/anthony_kiedis_and_flea_discuss_the_insects_with_ronnie_wood_and_ivan_neville.html. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  21. ^ Fortnam, Ian (26 October 2009). "Holding Back The Jeers: Hucknall Sings With Faces". Classic Rock. http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/holding-back-the-jeers-hucknall-sings-with-the-faces/. Retrieved 2009-10-31. 
  22. ^ "Rod Stewart denies Faces reunion". Newsvote.bbc.co.uk. 2009-01-23. http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7847852.stm. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  23. ^ Masters, Tim (3 November 2009). "Rolling Stone Wood wins rock gong". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8338887.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
  24. ^ "Gallery: Britain Rock Awards". Herald-Dispatch. 2 November 2009. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/entertainment/x1201846850/Gallery-Britain-Rock-Awards. Retrieved 2009-11-03. 
  25. ^ "Absolute Radio, Weekly schedule - The Ronnie Wood Show". Absoluteradio.co.uk. http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/onair/?utm_source=top_nav. Retrieved 2011-12-10. 
  26. ^ "Ronnie Wood wins Sony music radio personality award". BBC News. 10 May 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13334293. Retrieved 2011-05-17. 
  27. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 3.
  28. ^ Wood 2007
  29. ^ Perrone, Pierre (November 6, 2006). "Obituary: Art Wood: Frontman of the Artwoods". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/art-wood-423177.html. Retrieved 2008-02-22. 
  30. ^ Landman, Beth (2007-05-17). "Secret Ingredients: Their Husbands". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/17/fashion/17skin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2007-05-19. 
  31. ^ Brown, James (2003-02-24). "Wood: How I Keep Rolling On". The Daily Mail. http://www.the-faces.com/wood/articles/20030224DailyMail.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-19. 
  32. ^ DPA (2006-06-14). "After the tree... it's rehab". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/06/14/1149964607303.html. Retrieved 2007-05-17. 
  33. ^ Larkin, Adrian (2006-06-20). "Rolling Stones gig latest". BBC 6. http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20060620_stones.shtml. Retrieved 2007-05-18. 
  34. ^ "Ronnie Wood checks into rehab". ITN news agency. July 17, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX9DLocV46I. Retrieved 16 December 2009. 
  35. ^ "Fox News". Fox News. 2008-07-11. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,380961,00.html. Retrieved 2010-04-29. 
  36. ^ Brown, Jonathan (17 July 2008). "Ronnie Wood enters rehab for a seventh time". The Independent Music (London: independent.co.uk). http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/ronnie-wood-enters-rehab-for-a-seventh-time-869718.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
  37. ^ "Ronnie Wood is admitted to rehab". BBC News. 2008-07-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7510223.stm. Retrieved 2010-04-10. 
  38. ^ White, Richard (11 November 2009). "Jo Wood divorce from Rolling Stone Ronnie". London: thesun.co.uk. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2723823/Cheating-Rolling-Stone-Ronnie-Wood-divorce-from-ex-Jo.html. Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
  39. ^ "BBC News - Ronnie Wood arrested over assault". news.bbc.co.uk. 3 December 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8393501.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
  40. ^ "BBC News - Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood cautioned for assault". news.bbc.co.uk. 2009-12-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8426893.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-22. 
  41. ^ Littlejohn, Georgina (2010-01-04). "Ekaterina Ivanova claims Ronnie Wood gave her cocaine hours after they met". London: The Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1240462/Ekaterina-Ivanova-claims-Ronnie-Wood-gave-cocaine-hours-met-spills-beans-relationship-Rolling-Stone.html. Retrieved 2010-01-04. 
  42. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 18-19.
  43. ^ How one man wove a kind of magic in Ealing The Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2011
  44. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 319-324.
  45. ^ "The Big Bang". The Big Issue (The Big Issue Company Ltd.): p. 9. 20–26 August 2007 
  46. ^ The South Bank Show. 2004-09-05. No. 626, season 28.
  47. ^ "Fashion rocks: Ronnie Wood rolls out a range of prints based on his art". London: Mail Online. 3 September 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1210928/Ronnie-Wood-rolls-range-prints-based-art.html. Retrieved 2009-09-03. 
  48. ^ "San Francisco Art Exchange". Sfae.com. http://www.sfae.com/index.php?pg=100003. Retrieved 2011-12-10. 
  49. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 325.
  50. ^ The Band, Bob Dylan, Ronnie Wood, et al. (1978). The Last Waltz (DVD released 2002). MGM Entertainment. 
  51. ^ Wood 2007. pg. 180.
  52. ^ "Ron Wood (I)". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0939976/. Retrieved 2008-02-22. 
  53. ^ "Celebrity Lap Times". Top Gear on BBC 2. http://www.topgear.com/content/tgonbbc2/laptimes/celebrity/. Retrieved 2008-02-22. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ron Wood
The Jeff Beck Group
Studio albums
Songs
Related articles
Faces
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilations
Rod Stewart and the Faces • Snakes and Ladders / The Best of Faces • Best of Faces • Good Boys... When They're Asleep • Five Guys Walk into a Bar... • The Best of Faces •
Songs
"Flying" • "The Wicked Messenger" • "Had Me a Real Good Time" • "Maybe I'm Amazed" • "Stay with Me" • "Cindy Incidentally" • "Ooh La La"  • "Pool Hall Richard" • "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything ..."
Related articles

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Related topics:
I've Got My Own Album to Do (1974 Album by Ron Wood)
Dealing with the Devil: Immediate Blues Story, Vol. 2 (1980 Album by Various Artists)
Rick Danko (1977 Album by Rick Danko)

Related answers:
How do you get out of the woods on in the woods? Read answer...
What instruments does RON WOODS in rolling stones play? Read answer...
Describe jamie in the book hero by Ron woods? Read answer...

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Quotes By. Copyright © 2008 QuotationsBook.com. All rights reserved.  Read more
Gale Musician Profiles. Contemporary Musicians © 1989-2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists. Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ronnie Wood.  Read more

Related answers
» More
Follow us
Facebook Twitter
YouTube

Mentioned in

» More» More