Ron Wood
Encyclopedia
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 current member of The Rolling Stones
. He also plays lap
and pedal steel guitar
.
Wood began his career in 1964, when he joined The Birds
on guitar. 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.
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. and I Feel Like Playing in 2010.
, West London. A popular live act with a considerable fan base, The Birds released several singles in the mid-60s; Wood wrote or co-wrote nearly half the songs the group recorded.
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
.
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. 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
.
" 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", 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; 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. It was this event that precipitated Wood's brief and somewhat unexpected interest in librarianship and information studies, an influence he would later bring to the Rolling Stones.
In December 1973, Wood collaborated with Mick Jagger
on the song "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)
". Both Jagger and Keith Richards
contributed to Wood's first solo album, I've Got My Own Album to Do
, released in 1974 and recorded at Wood's private studio in the basement of his home in London, The Wick
.
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
. 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.
NME
– August 1976
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. 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.
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.
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.
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
.
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.
In 2005 Wood launched his own record company, Wooden Records, which has released recordings by his daughter Leah
, The New Barbarians
and others.
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.
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.
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
".
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
. Rod Stewart, who had earlier denied rumours of plans for a Faces reunion in 2009, 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.
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.
In May 2011 Ronnie Wood won the Sony Radio Personality of the Year award for The Ronnie Wood Show.
, London, into a family of English "water gypsies" (river/canal barge operators, sometimes also called "bargees"); he has said that his generation was the first in the family to be born on dry land. He grew up in Yiewsley
and attended St Stephen's Primary School and St Matthew's Church of England Secondary School, Yiewsley
.
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.
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. The Woods own homes in Kingston Vale
in Greater London and County Kildare, Ireland.
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. 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.
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. Wood checked into rehab again on 16 July 2008. Jo Wood filed for divorce and was granted a decree nisi
in November 2009.
On 3 December 2009, Wood was arrested over assault "in connection with a domestic incident". He was officially cautioned for this offence on 22 December 2009. 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.
He is currently dating model Ana Paula Araújo
.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1395036/How-mighty-fallen-Tom-Hanks-surrounded-Londons-D-listers-Larry-Crowne-premiere.html
programme Sketch Club; he won one of that programme's competitions, an achievement he refers to as his "awakening to art". 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.
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
. Art critic Brian Sewell
has called Wood "an accomplished and respectable artist"; and the South Bank Show has devoted an entire programme to his artwork. Liberty & Co. has produced a clothing line using fabrics printed with Wood's art. Wood has maintained a long-standing relationship with the San Francisco Art Exchange
who first exhibited his work in 1987. Wood is also the co-owner (along with sons Jamie and Tyrone) of a London art gallery called Scream.
.
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. 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). In October 2007 Wood appeared on the television motor show Top Gear
, achieving a celebrity lap time of 1:49.4.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group
The Jeff Beck Group were an English rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues and R&B was a major influence on popular music.- The first Jeff Beck Group :...
, Faces
Faces (band)
Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...
, and current member of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
. He also plays lap
Lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
and pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
.
Wood began his career in 1964, when he joined The Birds
The Birds (band)
The Birds were a popular rhythm and blues band in the United Kingdom during the mid 1960s, although they recorded fewer than a dozen songs and released only four singles. Starting out with a hard R&B sound, they later began infusing it with Motown-style vocal harmonies...
on guitar. He then joined the mod group The Creation
The Creation (band)
The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...
, 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
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
to join former Small Faces members Ronnie Lane
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
, Ian McLagan
Ian McLagan
Ian McLagan is an English keyboard instrumentalist, best known as a member of the English rock bands Small Faces and Faces.-Small Faces and Faces:...
, and Kenney Jones
Kenney Jones
Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones is a veteran English rock drummer best known for his work in Small Faces, Faces, and The Who.-Small Faces to the Faces:...
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
Long Player (album)
Long Player, from 1971, was the second album by the British rock group Faces. Among the highlights are the live cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed", the rave-up "Had Me a Real Good Time" and the opening "Bad 'n' Ruin"....
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
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
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
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
. Wood joined in 1975, and has remained a member ever since.
Besides I've Got My Own Album to Do, Wood has recorded several other solo efforts. Now Look
Now Look
Now Look is the second solo album of Ronnie Wood, with 6 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, it peaked at #118.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Ronnie Wood, except where indicated.# "I Got Lost When I Found You" - 4:26...
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
Gimme Some Neck
Gimme Some Neck is Ronnie Wood's third solo album, released in 1979. It was a minor hit and his best performance on the charts to date, peaking at #45 on Billboard with 13 weeks on the Top 200...
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. and I Feel Like Playing in 2010.
1960s
Wood began his career as a professional musician in 1964 as a guitarist with The Birds, an R&B band based in YiewsleyYiewsley
Yiewsley is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Wifeleslēah: "Wifel's woodland clearing".The nearest places to Yiewsley are Hayes, Harlington, Cowley, Harmondsworth, Sipson, and West Drayton....
, West London. A popular live act with a considerable fan base, The Birds released several singles in the mid-60s; Wood wrote or co-wrote nearly half the songs the group recorded.
By 1967 the Birds had disbanded, and Wood briefly took part in a project called Santa Barbara Machine Head
Santa Barbara Machine Head
Santa Barbara Machine Head were a short-lived British electric blues combo that formed and disbanded in 1967. They recorded three instrumental songs together for Immediate Records; "Albert", "Porcupine Juice" and "Rubber Monkey", released in 1968 on the compilation album Blues Anytime Vol. 3...
before joining the Jeff Beck Group as a bassist. Along with vocalist Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Wood did several tours with Beck, and recorded two albums: Truth in 1968 and Beck-Ola
Beck-Ola
- Side two :- 2006 reissue bonus tracks :- Personnel :* Jeff Beck — guitars* Rod Stewart — vocals* Nicky Hopkins — piano and organ* Ronnie Wood — bass* Tony Newman — drums- Additional personnel :* Micky Waller — drums on "Sweet Little Angel"...
in 1969. In between Jeff Beck Group projects Wood also worked with The Creation
The Creation (band)
The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...
.
In 1969, after Steve Marriott
Steve Marriott
Stephen Peter Marriott , popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter, and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades...
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
Kim Gardner
Kim Gardner was a musician. He was part of the British invasion of the 1960s, and recorded more than thirty albums during his music career.-Career:...
, teamed up with Wood's brother Art Wood
Art Wood
Arthur "Art" Wood was a British blues, pop and rock singer, who led The Artwoods in the 1960s and subsequently became a graphic artist. He was the brother of Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones.-Life:...
in a formation called Quiet Melon, making a handful of recordings in May 1969. 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
Faces (band)
Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...
.
1970s
In the first half of the 1970s, Faces released four studio albums and were among the top-grossing live acts of the period. 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 MeStay with Me (Faces song)
"Stay with Me", written by Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, was first recorded by their band Faces for the 1971 album A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse. The song has also appeared on various Faces compilations and on albums by both songwriters. The lyrics describe a woman named Rita with...
" and "Ooh La La
Ooh La La (Faces song)
"Ooh La La" is the title song to the album, a Faces song, written by Ronnie Lane and Ronnie Wood. It was Ronnie Wood, not Rod Stewart or Ronnie Lane, who sang the lead vocal for this song. Stewart did not think the song was up to his standards although both he and Lane recorded lead vocals for it...
". 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", as well as several songs on Never a Dull Moment.
In 1972, Wood and Faces bassist Ronnie Lane
Ronnie Lane
Ronald Frederick "Ronnie" Lane was an English musician, songwriter, and producer who is best known as the bass guitarist and founding member of two prominent English rock and roll bands; the Small Faces where he was nicknamed "Plonk", – and, after losing the band's frontman, Faces, with two new...
composed the soundtrack to the film Mahoney's Last Stand; the soundtrack
Mahoney's Last Stand
Mahoney's Last Stand is an album by Ronnie Wood and Ronnie Lane - the music soundtrack for the 1972 Canadian film Mahoney's Estate starring Sam Waterston, Alexis Kanner and Maud Adams...
, which was released as an LP in 1976, also features Faces bandmates Ian McLagan
Ian McLagan
Ian McLagan is an English keyboard instrumentalist, best known as a member of the English rock bands Small Faces and Faces.-Small Faces and Faces:...
and Kenney Jones
Kenney Jones
Kenneth Thomas "Kenney" Jones is a veteran English rock drummer best known for his work in Small Faces, Faces, and The Who.-Small Faces to the Faces:...
, along with contributions from Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
and Ric Grech
Ric Grech
Richard Roman Grech was a British rock musician.-Career:Grech originally gained notice in the United Kingdom as the bass guitar player for the progressive rock group Family. He joined the band when it was a largely blues-based live act in Leicester known as the Farinas; he became their bassist in...
. Wood also performed with Townshend, Grech, Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
and Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
at Clapton's Rainbow Concert
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert
Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert is an album recorded live at London's Rainbow Theatre on January 13, 1973, and released within the year. The concert was organized by Pete Townshend and marked Eric Clapton's comeback after the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh...
in 1973. It was this event that precipitated Wood's brief and somewhat unexpected interest in librarianship and information studies, an influence he would later bring to the Rolling Stones.
In December 1973, Wood collaborated with Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
on the song "It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)
It's Only Rock'n Roll (But I Like It)
"It's Only Rock 'n Roll " is the lead single from English rock band The Rolling Stones' 1974 album It's Only Rock 'n Roll.-Inspiration and recording:...
". Both Jagger and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
contributed to Wood's first solo album, I've Got My Own Album to Do
I've Got My Own Album to Do
I've Got My Own Album to Do is the first solo album of Ronnie Wood. It reached #27 on UK's New Musical Express chart. The title was a dig at Rod Stewart as he was more focused with his solo albums than with The Faces.-Track listing:...
, released in 1974 and recorded at Wood's private studio in the basement of his home in London, The Wick
The Wick
The Wick is a house in Richmond, Greater London, located at the corner of Nightingale Lane and Richmond Hill in Surrey. The house was at one time owned by actor Sir John Mills who used it as his family home for many years. Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones bought the house from Mills...
.
Following Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
'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
Black and Blue
Black and Blue is the 13th British and 15th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1976. It was the band's first studio album released with Ronnie Wood as the replacement for Mick Taylor...
. 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.
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
– August 1976
In the Rolling Stones, Wood plays the slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
as Taylor had done before him, adding both lap steel
Lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
and pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
. In addition, Wood, as his predecessors did, exchanges roles on the guitar with Richards, often blurring the boundaries between rhythm
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and lead
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, even within a particular song. He also occasionally plays bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, as seen during 1975 concert performances of "Fingerprint File
Fingerprint File
"Fingerprint File" is the closing track from the Rolling Stones 1974 album It's Only Rock 'n Roll. The track is one of the first attempts of the Rolling Stones to branch out into dance or electronic music, and the song resembles music by Sly and the Family Stone...
", when Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
played rhythm guitar and bassist Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
moved to synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. The Rolling Stones single "Emotional Rescue
Emotional Rescue (song)
"Emotional Rescue" is a song by the English rock 'n roll band, The Rolling Stones. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and is featured on their 1980 album Emotional Rescue....
" also features Wood on bass. He has been given credit as a co-writer for a dozen songs, including "Dance", "Black Limousine
Black Limousine
"Black Limousine" is a song by The Rolling Stones featured on their 1981 album Tattoo You.-The song:"Black Limousine" is one of the few credited to Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood...
", "One Hit (to the Body)
One Hit (To the Body)
"One Hit " is the opening track to English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones' 1986 album Dirty Work.-Recording:Credited to lead singer Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards and guitarist Ron Wood, "One Hit " was largely the work of Richards and Wood...
" and "Had It With You".
In 1975, Wood released his second solo album, Now Look
Now Look
Now Look is the second solo album of Ronnie Wood, with 6 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, it peaked at #118.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Ronnie Wood, except where indicated.# "I Got Lost When I Found You" - 4:26...
; his third, Gimme Some Neck
Gimme Some Neck
Gimme Some Neck is Ronnie Wood's third solo album, released in 1979. It was a minor hit and his best performance on the charts to date, peaking at #45 on Billboard with 13 weeks on the Top 200...
, came out in 1979. To promote it, Wood formed and toured with The New Barbarians
The New Barbarians (band)
The New Barbarians were a rock band that played two concerts in Canada and eighteen shows across the United States in April and May 1979; in August 1979, the band also supported Led Zeppelin at the Knebworth Festival 1979....
, playing 20 concerts in Canada and the US in April/May and the Knebworth Festival
Knebworth Festival 1979
The Knebworth Festival 1979 consisted of two concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin and other artists at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England, in August 1979.-History:...
in the UK in August.
1980s
Throughout the 1980s, Wood played as a member of the Rolling Stones; continued his solo career, releasing the album 12341234 (Ron Wood album)
1234 is Ronnie Wood's fourth solo album; it spent five weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 164.- Track listing :# "1234" # "Fountain of Love" # "Outlaws" # "Redeyes"...
in 1981; painted; and collaborated with a number of other artists, including Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
.
At the 1985 Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
Concert in Philadelphia, Wood along with Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
performed in the penultimate set with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. 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
Air guitar
Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching...
until a stagehand brought him a replacement.
In 1988 Wood opened "Woody's on the Beach" in Miami, a club featuring a house band headed by Bobby Keys
Bobby Keys
Bobby Keys is an American saxophone player, and has performed with other musicians as a member of one of the notable horn sections of the 1970s. He appears on albums by The Rolling Stones, The Who, Harry Nilsson, Delaney Bramlett, George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, Eric Clapton and Joe...
, 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.
1990s-2010s
In 1990 Wood was made a fully-fledged partner in the Rolling Stones' financial organization. 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.In addition, Wood released his seventh solo album, Slide On This
Slide on This
Slide on This is the title of Ronnie Wood's fifth solo album. It failed to chart in US, but went to sell 58,000 copies there according to Soundscan...
, 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
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
resulted in a hit album entitled Unplugged...and Seated
Unplugged...and Seated
Unplugged...and Seated is a live album released by Rod Stewart on May 24, 1993 . It is Stewart’s second live album and his first appearance on MTV Unplugged. The album was released by Warner Bros. Records...
; the concert album that Wood released in 1993 from his own tour was called Slide On Live: Plugged In and Standing
Slide on Live: Plugged in and Standing
Slide on Live: Plugged in and Standing is the first solo live album by Ronnie Wood. It was recorded at The Ritz in New York, at the Avalon in Boston and at the Budokan in Tokyo. The album peaked at #89 in Japan selling over 4,000 copies...
.
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
Not for Beginners
- Track listing :All tracks composed by Ronnie Wood; except where indicated# "Wayside"# "Rock 'n Roll Star" # "Whadd'ya Think"# "This Little Heart"# "Leaving Here" # "Hypershine"...
, Wood toured England and Ireland in 2001 and 2002 with his own group, The Ronnie Wood Band
The Ronnie Wood Band
The Ronnie Wood Band toured England and Ireland during 2001 and 2002. The band featured Ronnie Wood, Slash, Andrea Corr, Jesse Wood, Martin Wright, Tramper Price, Mark Wells, Leah Wood, and Frankie Gavin. A concert from the tour is available on DVD as FAR EAST MAN, a song co-written by Ronnie Wood...
. The band included members of his own family, Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
and Andrea Corr
Andrea Corr
Andrea Jane Corr is an Irish musician, songwriter and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon, and Jim...
. After the tour a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
called Far East Man
Far East Man
"Far East Man" is a song written by George Harrison and Ronnie Wood. Wood recorded the song for his 1974 release I've Got My Own Album to Do; Harrison recorded the song later that year for his album Dark Horse...
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
A Bigger Bang
A Bigger Bang is the 22nd British and 24th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released on Virgin Records in September 2005. It is a follow-up to their previous full-length studio album Bridges to Babylon from 1997, that gap of eight years the longest between studio albums of the band's...
album. Although only playing on ten of the album's sixteen tracks, Wood embarked on the tour which ran through till August 2007.
In 2005 Wood launched his own record company, Wooden Records, which has released recordings by his daughter Leah
Leah Wood
Leah Wood is the British daughter of Rolling Stones band member, Ronnie Wood and his wife Jo Wood.Leah is a singer and model. Leah and her band have supported David Bowie on tour and has worked as a model, appearing in various newspapers and magazines...
, The New Barbarians
The New Barbarians (band)
The New Barbarians were a rock band that played two concerts in Canada and eighteen shows across the United States in April and May 1979; in August 1979, the band also supported Led Zeppelin at the Knebworth Festival 1979....
and others.
A Bigger Bang
A Bigger Bang is the 22nd British and 24th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released on Virgin Records in September 2005. It is a follow-up to their previous full-length studio album Bridges to Babylon from 1997, that gap of eight years the longest between studio albums of the band's...
tour, Wood played guitar on three tracks for British soul artist Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...
's album Music City Soul
Music City Soul
Vinyl Edition Released May 7, 2007Side ASide BNotes:* "*" indicates that the song features guitar played by Ronnie Wood.- Personnel :* All tracks engineered and produced by Mark Nevers - mastered by Bunt Stafford Clark...
, released in 2007.
On 9 May 2009, Wood along with Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
members Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
, Michael "Flea" Balzary
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
, Chad Smith
Chad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
and musician Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers....
performed under the name, The Insects at the fifth annual MusiCares
MusiCares
The MusiCares Foundation, Inc., was established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn, in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, its primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human...
event honoring Kiedis.
On 11 August 2009 Wood joined Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
on the stage of Shepherd's Bush Empire in London for a performance of "All Along the Watchtower
All Along the Watchtower
"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...
".
On 25 October 2009, Wood, Ian McLagan and Kenny Jones joined forces for a Faces
Faces (band)
Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...
performance at London's Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
on behalf of the Performing Rights Society's Music Members' Benevolent Fund. Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman
Bill Wyman is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings...
played bass and lead vocals were shared by several performers, notably Mick Hucknall
Mick Hucknall
Michael "Mick" Hucknall is a British singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the British band Simply Red, and is recognisable for his smooth, distinctive voice and wide vocal range, as well as his red curly hair.-Early life:...
. Rod Stewart, who had earlier denied rumours of plans for a Faces reunion in 2009, 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
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
presented the award.
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.
In May 2011 Ronnie Wood won the Sony Radio Personality of the Year award for The Ronnie Wood Show.
Personal life
Wood was born in HillingdonLondon Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...
, London, into a family of English "water gypsies" (river/canal barge operators, sometimes also called "bargees"); he has said that his generation was the first in the family to be born on dry land. He grew up in Yiewsley
Yiewsley
Yiewsley is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Wifeleslēah: "Wifel's woodland clearing".The nearest places to Yiewsley are Hayes, Harlington, Cowley, Harmondsworth, Sipson, and West Drayton....
and attended St Stephen's Primary School and St Matthew's Church of England Secondary School, Yiewsley
Yiewsley
Yiewsley is a place in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Its name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Wifeleslēah: "Wifel's woodland clearing".The nearest places to Yiewsley are Hayes, Harlington, Cowley, Harmondsworth, Sipson, and West Drayton....
.
Both of his older brothers, Art
Art Wood
Arthur "Art" Wood was a British blues, pop and rock singer, who led The Artwoods in the 1960s and subsequently became a graphic artist. He was the brother of Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones.-Life:...
and Ted, were graphic artists as well as musicians. Ted Wood died in 2004, and Art Wood in 2006.
Wood has four children. Jesse
Jesse Wood
Jesse Wood is a London based model and guitarist/bass player who has played with Glyda, The Leah Wood Band, The Ronnie Wood Band, Wills And The Willing and HOGG....
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
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
's former wife, Pattie Boyd
Pattie Boyd
Patricia Anne "Pattie" Boyd is an English model and photographer, and the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton...
). Krissy died in 2005. In 1985 Wood married his second wife, Jo Wood
Jo Wood
Jo Wood is an English model, TV personality and entrepreneur. She is the ex-wife of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood....
(née Karslake), mother of his daughter Leah
Leah Wood
Leah Wood is the British daughter of Rolling Stones band member, Ronnie Wood and his wife Jo Wood.Leah is a singer and model. Leah and her band have supported David Bowie on tour and has worked as a model, appearing in various newspapers and magazines...
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. The Woods own homes in Kingston Vale
Kingston Vale
Kingston Vale is a district in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in the south west of London. It is a leafy residential area nestling between Richmond Park, Wimbledon Common and Coombe Hill. The main road is the A308 which is a common through route for traffic passing to and from Kingston...
in Greater London and County Kildare, Ireland.
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. By July 2008, ITN news
ITV News Channel
The ITV News Channel was a 24-hour television news channel in the United Kingdom which broadcast from 1 August 2000 to 23 December 2005. It was available on Sky, NTL:Telewest, Freeview and analogue cable, presenting national and international news plus regular business, sport, entertainment and...
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.
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. Wood checked into rehab again on 16 July 2008. Jo Wood filed for divorce and was granted a decree nisi
Decree nisi
A decree nisi is a court order that does not have any force until such time that a particular condition is met, such as a subsequent petition to the court or the passage of a specified period of time....
in November 2009.
On 3 December 2009, Wood was arrested over assault "in connection with a domestic incident". He was officially cautioned for this offence on 22 December 2009. 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.
He is currently dating model Ana Paula Araújo
Ana Paula Araújo
Ana Paula Araujo is a Brazilian model who appeared in the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In addition to working with world-class photographers on her SI shoots, she was the object/subject of Joanne Gair body painting works in the 2007 edition. She has also appeared in advertisements for...
.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1395036/How-mighty-fallen-Tom-Hanks-surrounded-Londons-D-listers-Larry-Crowne-premiere.html
Artwork
Wood is a renowned visual artist. When he was a child his drawings were featured on the BBC televisionBBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
programme Sketch Club; he won one of that programme's competitions, an achievement he refers to as his "awakening to art". He went on to train at the Ealing Art College
Ealing Art College
Ealing Art College was 'Ealing Technical College & School of Art', a further education institution on St Mary's Road, Ealing, London, England. The site today is the Ealing campus of University of West London...
, as both his brothers had, which other notable musicians, Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, and Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, also attended in the 1960s.
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
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
, are displayed at London's Drury Lane Theatre
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
. Art critic Brian Sewell
Brian Sewell
Brian Sewell is an English art critic and media personality. He writes for the London Evening Standard and is noted for artistic conservatism and his acerbic view of the Turner Prize and conceptual art...
has called Wood "an accomplished and respectable artist"; and the South Bank Show has devoted an entire programme to his artwork. Liberty & Co. has produced a clothing line using fabrics printed with Wood's art. Wood has maintained a long-standing relationship with the San Francisco Art Exchange
San Francisco Art Exchange
The San Francisco Art Exchange is a gallery in San Francisco, California, United States, founded in 1983.The gallery first rose to prominence through its role in establishing the work of pinup artist Alberto Vargas as fine art. Less than a year after the San Francisco Art Exchange's 1985 display of...
who first exhibited his work in 1987. Wood is also the co-owner (along with sons Jamie and Tyrone) of a London art gallery called Scream.
Books, films & 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 RobinsonJeffrey Robinson
Jeffrey Robinson is an American author of 25 books. He has been labeled by the British Bankers' Association "the world's leading financial crime author".-Early life:...
.
In addition to numerous Faces and Rolling Stones concert films, broadcasts and documentaries, Wood performed alongside The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and many others in the finale of the documentary The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz was a concert by the rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco...
, filmed in 1976. He has made cameo appearances in feature films including The Deadly Bees
The Deadly Bees
The Deadly Bees is a 1966 British horror–thriller film based on H.F. Heard's 1941 novel A Taste for Honey. It was directed by Freddie Francis, and stars Suzanna Leigh, Guy Doleman, and Frank Finlay. It was released theatrically in the United States in 1967...
(1967), The Wild Life
The Wild Life (film)
The Wild Life is a 1984 comedy-drama film, written by Cameron Crowe and directed by Art Linson.The movie was an indirect sequel to the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The film is only available on VHS and Laserdisc in pan and scan with stereo analog tracks. No DVD version has been released due...
(1984) and 9½ Weeks
9½ Weeks
9½ Weeks is a 1986 erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. It is based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth McNeill....
(1986), as well as on television programmes including The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978). In October 2007 Wood appeared on the television motor show Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
, achieving a celebrity lap time of 1:49.4.
Solo discography
- I've Got My Own Album to DoI've Got My Own Album to DoI've Got My Own Album to Do is the first solo album of Ronnie Wood. It reached #27 on UK's New Musical Express chart. The title was a dig at Rod Stewart as he was more focused with his solo albums than with The Faces.-Track listing:...
(1974) - Now LookNow LookNow Look is the second solo album of Ronnie Wood, with 6 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, it peaked at #118.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Ronnie Wood, except where indicated.# "I Got Lost When I Found You" - 4:26...
(1975) US #118 - Mahoney's Last StandMahoney's Last StandMahoney's Last Stand is an album by Ronnie Wood and Ronnie Lane - the music soundtrack for the 1972 Canadian film Mahoney's Estate starring Sam Waterston, Alexis Kanner and Maud Adams...
(1976) with Ronnie Lane - Gimme Some NeckGimme Some NeckGimme Some Neck is Ronnie Wood's third solo album, released in 1979. It was a minor hit and his best performance on the charts to date, peaking at #45 on Billboard with 13 weeks on the Top 200...
(1979) US #45 - 12341234 (Ron Wood album)1234 is Ronnie Wood's fourth solo album; it spent five weeks on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 164.- Track listing :# "1234" # "Fountain of Love" # "Outlaws" # "Redeyes"...
(1981) US #164 - Live at the RitzLive at the RitzLive at the Ritz is a 1988 live album by The Gunslingers . It was a chart hit in Japan peaking at #40 and selling over 11,000 copies...
(1988) with Bo Diddley - Slide on ThisSlide on ThisSlide on This is the title of Ronnie Wood's fifth solo album. It failed to chart in US, but went to sell 58,000 copies there according to Soundscan...
(1992) - Slide on Live: Plugged in and StandingSlide on Live: Plugged in and StandingSlide on Live: Plugged in and Standing is the first solo live album by Ronnie Wood. It was recorded at The Ritz in New York, at the Avalon in Boston and at the Budokan in Tokyo. The album peaked at #89 in Japan selling over 4,000 copies...
(1993) - Live and Eclectic (2000) (reissued in 2002 as Live at Electric Ladyland)
- Not for BeginnersNot for Beginners- Track listing :All tracks composed by Ronnie Wood; except where indicated# "Wayside"# "Rock 'n Roll Star" # "Whadd'ya Think"# "This Little Heart"# "Leaving Here" # "Hypershine"...
(2001) - Ronnie Wood Anthology: The Essential CrossexionRonnie Wood Anthology: The Essential CrossexionRonnie Wood Anthology: The Essential Crossexion is the first solo compilation of Ronnie Wood, which includes solo work and music from Wood's bands The Birds, The Creation, Jeff Beck Group, The Faces and The Rolling Stones.- CD 1 :# I Can Feel the Fire...
(2006) - Buried Alive: Live in MarylandBuried Alive: Live in MarylandBuried Alive: Live in Maryland is a live album by The New Barbarians. It was recorded at the Capital Center Arena in Largo, Maryland on May 5, 1979 during the band's only concert tour.-Disc 1:# "Sweet Little Rock N Roller" – 4:20...
(2006) with The New Barbarians - The First Barbarians: Live from KilburnThe First Barbarians: Live from KilburnThe First Barbarians: Live from Kilburn is a concert album plus DVD by Ronnie Wood and band. The material was recorded and filmed in July 1974 at one of two performances at London's Kilburn Gaumont State Theatre to promote Wood's album I've Got My Own Album to Do.At the time of the concert the band...
(2007) - I Feel Like PlayingI Feel Like PlayingI Feel Like Playing is the seventh studio album by Ronnie Wood.* *Japanese bonus tracks-Personnel:Special guest guitarists on this album:*Slash - 5 songs*Billy Gibbons - 2 songs*Bobby Womack - 2 songs*Waddy Watchel - 2 songsOther guests:...
(2010) UK #164
External links
- Ronnie Wood.com
- Ronnie Wood Artwork at Limelight Agency
- Scream Gallery
- San Francisco Art Exchange