The Rolling Stones are an English band whose blues, rhythm and blues and rock & roll-infused music became popular during the "British Invasion" in the early 1960s.

The band was formed in London in 1962 by original leader Brian Jones, but eventually led by the songwriting partnership of singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Pianist Ian Stewart, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman completed the early lineup. Jones died in 1969 shortly after being fired from the band and was replaced by Mick Taylor. After Taylor quit in 1974, former Faces guitarist Ron Wood took over. Wyman retired in 1993 being replaced by Darryl Jones who has played bass on subsequent recordings, but is not an official member of the band.

The band has released 55 albums of original work and compilations, and have had 32 U.K & U.S top-10 singles. They have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. 1971's Sticky Fingers began a string of eight consecutive studio albums at number one in the United States. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 they were ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Their latest album, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005 and accompanied by their highest-grossing tour, which lasted into late summer 2007. During the 1969 American tour, tour manager Sam Cutler introduced them as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World", a title which has remained. Their image of unkempt and surly youth is one that many musicians still emulate.