Counrty Stones
Mick Jagger Mid 70’s
The Rolling Stones have been rocking the planet since 1963. That’s over 60 years, and they’ve made a lot of music. For the average listener, people think of classic Keith Richards riffs paired with that unmistakable Mick Jagger swagger. But today I wanted to dive a little deeper into a different side of the Stones. Country Stones.
Growing up in England, the Stones were obsessed with imported records from the United States. These records shaped their entire sound — blues, early rock and roll, and yes, country music. Often, they didn’t even know who the artists were, where they were from, or sometimes whether they were Black or white. They just loved the music.
The Stones first formed as a blues band. Eventually, moving slightly toward pop brought chart success with songs like “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Let’s Spend the Night Together.” But creatively, the late ’60s is where things really opened up, and the band began forming the loose, rootsy blues-rock sound we now associate with their golden era.
Which raises an interesting question: Why did these English guys make so many country songs — and why did they do them so well?
1968’s Beggars Banquet is really where the Stones found their identity. The band stripped things back and leaned into American roots music. Songs like “Parachute Woman,” “Prodigal Son,” and “Factory Girl” feel raw, acoustic, and deeply influenced by folk and country traditions. Yes, the album still contains massive rock statements like “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Street Fighting Man,” but overall it marked a return to something earthier.
Keith Richards and Gram Parsons late 60s
Around this time, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards met Gram Parsons of The Byrds. Parsons — completely immersed in American country music — especially bonded with Keith. Richards absorbed Parsons’ love of honky-tonk, country storytelling, and that influence would shape Stones’ records for years to come. “Honky Tonk Women” actually began life as a country song titled “Country Honk.” The rock version became a hit, but the acoustic version shows just how comfortable the Stones were inside a country arrangement.
Then there’s “Wild Horses,” one of the band’s most emotional recordings. Gram Parsons loved the song so much he reportedly begged to record it himself — which he eventually did before the Stones released their own version.
By the Exile on Main St. era, country, gospel, blues, and rock all blended together naturally. Tracks like “Sweet Virginia” and “Tumbling Dice” showed a band completely at home mixing Southern American sounds with British rock attitude.
Even later albums kept returning to country textures. On Some Girls, songs like “Far Away Eyes” lean heavily into country tropes. It’s hard to tell whether Jagger is parodying an American country singer or fully embracing the style, and honestly, that tension is part of the charm.
The Stones were never afraid to chase new sounds. While psychedelic bands like The Beatles pushed experimentation in the late ’60s, the Stones responded with Their Satanic Majesties Request. Mick Jagger later said trying different styles was never a mistake — the band needed to push boundaries to survive. That mindset carried them through disco experiments, new wave influences, and beyond.
Even on their 2023 album Hackney Diamonds, the Stones return to country textures. “Dreamy Skies” carries a dusty, Americana feel, while “Driving Me Too Hard” echoes the laid-back country-rock swing of the Exile years.
And maybe that’s the secret to why the Stones have lasted more than six decades. They were never just a British rock band. They absorbed American blues, country, soul, and rock and reshaped it into something global — attracting fans across generations and cultures.
Check out our playlist of all great Stones country-style tunes!
