Britain is a country which says "Happy Birthday to an old man called 'Sir' Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip 'Mick' Jagger is 67 today.







Things you didn't know about my fellow 'South Londoner', he :

* and Keith Richards were classmates at Wentworth Primary School in Dartford, Kent. 60 years ago.

* resumed their friendship in 1960 after a 'chance encounter' and discovered that they had both developed a love for 'rhythm and blues' music.

* left school in 1961 and moved into a flat in Chelsea with Richards and a guitarist called Brian Jones.

* continued his business courses at the 'London School of Economics' while Richards and Jones were making plans to start their own 'rhythm and blues' group,

* appeared in the group’s first appearance under the name 'The Rollin' Stones', at the 'Marquee Club Jazz Club' in 1962.

* with encouragement of Andrew Loog Oldham, began to write songs with Richards :

'As Tears Go By', for Marianne Faithfull.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhPPJ5dolxU

'The Last Time'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzZHmHqEE7k

'(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_VbImuG71M

* was knighted for 'services to music' and this prompted 'United Press International' to note that 'the honour is odd, for unlike other knighted rock musicians, he has no 'known record of charitable work or public services'.

* prompted Charlie Watts to say : "Anybody else would be lynched: 18 wives and 20 children and he's knighted, fantastic!"

* caused friction with Richards, who was irritated when he accepeted the "fucking paltry honour" and said that he did not want to take the stage with someone wearing a "coronet and sporting the old ermine. It's not what the Stones is about, is it?"

* was prompted him to say in return : "I think he would probably like to get the same honour himself. It's like being given an ice cream — one gets one and they all want one. It's nothing new. Keith likes to make a fuss."