The Stones had gained a tremendous following since Mick Jagger and Keith Richards pulled the band together in the early 1960s. Jagger and Richards had been pals in grade school and met again years later, when Jagger was studying at the London School of Economics and Richards was at art school. Joined by guitarist Brian Jones and, later, by bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts, the band started out playing nightclubs and bars and released its first single in Britain in 1963.

Before long, the Stones became known as the anti-Beatles: They were long-haired, grungy, and wild, whereas the Beatles seemed wholesome and safe. A string of drug-related arrests plagued various band members–Brian Jones’ drug problems probably led to his death in 1969 and Keith Richards struggled with heroin addiction before getting clean in 1977.

Meanwhile, the band steadily released hit albums and songs that became instant classics. Richards and Jagger began writing songs together, and after 1966 they wrote almost all of the group’s material. The group first topped the U.S. charts in 1965 with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Hit singles in 1966 included “Paint It Black;” “19th Nervous Breakdown;” and “Get Off My Cloud.” They released hit-packed albums throughout the 1970s and managed to maintain their following even in middle age. In the 1980s, Jagger and Richards both released various solo albums but continued to work together. Steel Wheels, the group’s 1989 album, sold two million copies, and the tour grossed $140 million. The band’s 1994 album, Voodoo Lounge, won Best Rock Album, the Stones’ first Grammy. In addition, the Rolling Stones released a greatest hits CD, Forty Licks, in 2002. Then on Sept. 6, 2005, the band dropped yet another CD titled, A Bigger Bang. This new collection of songs was followed by a world tour.

(With thanks to History.com)