Mick Jagger shares how ‘weird’ friendship with Muddy Waters influenced The Rolling Stones

An unlikely friendship with a blues rock veteran formed a huge influence on The Rolling Stones, frontman Mick Jagger has confirmed.

In a conversation with BBC Radio, the legendary songwriter shared that approval from their heroes had made all the difference when the band were first starting out. While working with the likes of Chuck Berry certainly helped the band, Jagger says the approval they received from Muddy Waters turned the tide for the group. The Rolling Stones will release Foreign Tongues, their first album since Hackney Diamonds and second since the death of drummer Charlie Watts, later this year. Jagger regrouped with guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood for the album, which will feature instrumental additions from Paul McCartney and Robert Smith.

Shedding some light on the band’s early years, Jagger said: “First of all it must have been really weird being a bluesman in Chicago, in those days when they had never seen English people, they had never met an English person, and English people looked scruffy. The look wasn’t scruffy, then. But what were they doing playing our music?

“It was a bit like they were coming to, you know, the highlands, and playing Scottish folk music. It’s as absurd as that in a way. It’s a cultural exchange. They were a bit bemused bu they must have seen that we really genuinely loved it and really knew something about it.

“Muddy was a generous person, I think he was generous to everyone, but I think he was generous to us and encouraged us and said nice things. It was a two-way street. We were lucky enough to get to know that whole group of people, people like Chuck Berry are much more difficult to get along with.

“I mean he was difficult getting along with anybody, some people are just like that, but nevertheless, even Chuck Berry was encouraging in our very early years. This all happened in the Chess Studios. We found a lot of welcoming faces there and you know, we all encouraged each other.”

The Rolling Stones had a handful of other rock and roll influences too, with Richards sharing that Elvis Presley had left a huge impression on him. Speaking to Guitar World at the time, Richards said: “You didn’t hear a lot of rock before Elvis came along. I remember being thirteen or something and listening to the radio under the bedsheets when I was supposed dot be asleep. Heartbreak Hotel came on [European radio station] Radio Luxembourg, and I kept losing the signal. I remember actually daring to get out from under the blanket and walk around the room trying to get it back without waking up the parents.”

Richards would also break down the musicians he had the worst experiences working with. One would be his long-time bandmate, Mick Jagger, though the decades of working together was no doubt strained at times.

Richards said: “I’m used to working with difficult people, I worked with Mick Jagger and Chuck Berry. I have more experience working with difficult people than most. And also I thought well if I can handle that, then only the idea of making God’s first album would be maybe more difficult.”

Listen to The Rolling Stones special edition of Tracks Of My Years today on Radio 2 at 5am (or on BBC Sounds and iPlayer from 6am).