In their heyday, the Rolling Stones have always been considered a quintet, but the number of musicians in the group was decided by their manager when the group was still in its infancy.
Prior to recording their first album, Ian Stewart was a Scottish keyboardist and co-founder of The Rolling Stones. He was dismissed from the line-up in May 1963 but he remained on as road manager and pianist.
Surprisingly, Stewart accepted the demotion, and remained in the group’s entourage, playing piano on numerous Rolling Stones albums.
The memory of Ian Stewart, who died in 1985 at the age of 47 from a heart attack, will be celebrated on pianist Ben Waters’ tribute album Boogie for Stu.
For the occasion, the Rolling Stones have agreed to return to the studio to record their version of the Bob Dylan song Watching the River Flow, which is expected to appear on the release on March 9.
All five Stones including bassist Bill Wyman, who left the group in December 1992, will contribute to the album.