63 Years Ago Today, The Rolling Stones Got Their Big Break From George Harrison
George Harrison changed the music industry more than six decades ago when he formed The Beatles with John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney. But if not for his special gift of music scouting, another iconic rock band may have never gotten a chance.
Harrison's contributions to The Beatles put him in a special place of music lore, yes. But fans of another iconic rock band, the Rolling Stones, may not know just how vital Harrison was in helping them break through as well.
As many die-hard fans of The Beatles know, Decca Records in London infamously rejected The Beatles, who went on to sign with EMI. The rest, as they say, is history.
Harrison would not hold a grudge against Decca Records, though. As Record Collector recalled in 2022, Harrison spoke to Dick Rowe, the head of A&R at Decca Records, and advised him to check out a new band called the Rolling Stones.
And so, down Mr. Rowe went to see the Rolling Stones perform at London's Crawdaddy Club on May 5, 1963. That, ladies and gentlemen, was another history-changing day for the rock n' roll industry.
Rolling Stones Released Their First Album 11 Months Later
(Photo by Mark Hayward Archive/Redferns)
Andrew Loog Oldham, the Rolling Stones' first manager and producer, recalled Rowe's legacy in his 2001 autobiography, Stoned (via Record Collector):
"Dick Rowe was not the man who turned down The Beatles but the man who helped me to my great break, the man who signed the Stones. Don’t let the pipe or the self-deprecating remarks fool you, Dick Rowe was good at his job for a very long time; anybody can have a hit, but can they have another, and another?"
11 months after performing in front of Rowe, the band released its first album, The Rolling Stones, on Apr. 17, 1964. This included their own versions of "Route 66" and "I Just Want to Make Love to You".
Despite breaking up in 1970 after 10 years together, The Beatles remain the best-selling music artists of all time. It is estimated that the iconic band has sold over 600 million albums.
Harrison's next-great musical accomplishment? Helping the Rolling Stones get the break they needed and helping Rowe make up for his colossal mistake.