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Twisted Tales: Ian Stewart, the Uncool and (Almost) Forgotten 'Sixth Stone'

It's one of rock's best-kept dirty little secrets. The Rolling Stones – the perpetually cool, big-lipped, hard-living, death-defying Rolling Stones – were co-founded by a Grade-A dork. Boogie-woogie pianist Ian Stewart was an obsessive R&B traditionalist on the early-'60s London nightclub scene when he met Brian Jones, the other original Stone, through an ad in the paper. Jones, the mod multi-instrumentalist whose recklessness would epitomize the band's devilish image, was found at the bottom of his swimming pool on July 3, 1969, shortly after his excommunication from the band. That story is well-told. But it was the unassuming Scotsman Stewart – "Stu," as he was called – who may have shaped the Stones' sound even more than Jones did.

Oddly, he did so mainly after being dumped from the band. After some early recruits gave way to the classic lineup of Jones, Stewart, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts, the fast-rising band came to the attention of Andrew Loog Oldham, the onetime Beatles publicist. He took over as the band's manager, cultivating a mean-spirited image for the group (supposedly borrowed from his affection for the Anthony Burgess novel 'A Clockwork Orange'") to counter the wholesome appearance of the young Beatles.

The shy, goofy-looking Stu, unfortunately, was a poor match for the Stones' new bad-boy group persona. As Oldham would recall, none too delicately, in his book 'Stoned,' the keyboardist had "a Popeye torso," a pronounced jawline like the oafish actor William Bendix and a hopelessly outdated haircut. On top of that, the budding Svengali felt, carrying six members would be asking too much of the audience: "Five was pushing it, six was impossible ... 'This is entertainment, not a memory test,' I concluded."

Jones, Jagger and Richards went along with the boss, breaking the news to the crestfallen Stu. They promised to keep him around, however, and Stewart quietly accepted a role as the band's chief roadie, lugging equipment and replacing guitar strings for years to come. He continued to play on many Stones recordings -- 'Let It Bleed,' 'Dead Flowers' -- but he also refused to take part in what he considered the band's unfaithful material, stepping aside for Nicky Hopkins, Billy Preston and other guest keyboardists. (And he reserved a few choice words for Oldham: "I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire," he reportedly once said.)

Despite his apparent lack of cool, the "Sixth Stone" remained a beacon of integrity to many London musicians, among them old friends Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, who invited the pianist to sit in on Led Zeppelin's sessions for "Rock and Roll" and "Boogie with Stu." He was still hanging around the fringes of the Stopnes when he went to see a doctor in December 1985, complaining of respiratory problems. Rather poetically, he died in the waiting room. When the Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, they finally did the right thing, insisting on their dead comrade's inclusion in the lineup.

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ken richardson

I REMEMBER MEETING IAN AT HIS HOME ON LEATHERHEAD RD. WE WERE MOVING IN , AS HE , AND HIS FAMILY WERE MOVING OVER TO BANSTEAD . THAT LOVELY PROPERTY HAS SINCE GIVEN WAY TO THE M-25 . AWARE OF HIS STONES CONNECTION , I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO FIND SUCH A CHARMING INDIVIDUAL . HOW COULD YOU NOT HELP BUT LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAS ,AT THE READY , THEIR GOLF CLUBS STANDING BY THE FRONT DOOR .

April 14 2010 at 12:14 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
thomas ridgway

yeah..keith richards is so beautiful to look at... WHEN!!!!

February 16 2010 at 4:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
George

Oddly enough, I was just listening to a Rolling Stones live cover version of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock". I believe it was recorded in 1971, and the distinctive honky-tonk piano on this particular track is without question, Ian Stewart. Much like Johnnie Johnson, Stu's sound was unmistakable. And also much like Johnnie Johnson, Ian Stewart remains of the "unsung hereoes" of rock and roll. In my opinion, these two men were both instrumental in shaping the whole damned thing. Chuck Berry's guitar riffs were derived from Johnnie Johnson's piano riffs, and I imagine that Keith Richards probably worked with Ian Stewart in a similar fashion. I love the Rolling Stones, however I often wonder if they could have developed their signature sound during those early years without Stu banging away on the ivories. He may not have had the "look" of a rockstar, but he sure sounded like one.

April 02 2008 at 12:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to George's comment
Don Carter

Well said man.

January 30 2010 at 1:55 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply