Who’s the richest Rolling Stones member? Their net worths, ranked: from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards’ combined billion, to ‘new boy’ Ronnie Wood’s visual art millions
- Childhood friends Keith Richards and Mick Jagger share the throne – and songwriting credits – at US$500 million, with late drummer Charlie Watts not so far behind
- Bass player Bill Wyman quit for a quiet life but still gets royalty cheques in the mail, while guitarist Ronnie Wood was reportedly treated as a hired hand for years
The Rolling Stones are officially “on with the show” again. Affectionately dubbed “The Strollin’ Bones” due to the average age of 76 (and a half) of the group’s three remaining members, the self-proclaimed “greatest rock n’ roll band in the world” have announced a blockbuster European tour in celebration of their 60th anniversary, kicking off in Spain on June 1.
After doing as much to define the sound and look of the 1960s as anyone in pop besides arch rivals The Beatles, The Stones have spent much of the past five decades on and off the road, dining out of their heyday hits to sell out arenas and stadiums – earning a pretty penny as well as an unrivalled place in the pop culture pantheon. It’s notable the band’s 1981 US tour has been credited as setting the template for the big budget stadium rock phenomenon that has existed ever since.
The band may have sold more than 240 million records, but the real money is clearly on the road, with the 147-night A Bigger Bang tour of 2005-07 still ranked as the world’s fourth-highest-grossing ever – behind Guns N’ Roses, U2 and top-earner Ed Sheeran – while last year’s slender No Filter US outing became the highest-earning tour of the year, grossing over US$130 million – or nearly US$10 million a night.
And who gets all that dough? The band – originally formed by friends Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Dick Taylor and Ian Stewart – has seen a small but significant turnover of members over the years, with just two founding members left in the fold today.
The Richest reports that the band is now worth over US$1.45 billion, so who is the richest Stone?
7. Mick Taylor – US$300,000
Brought into the group in 1969 following the sidelining of Brian Jones, virtuosic six-string-slinger Mick Taylor was barely out of his teens when he joined the Stones at the start of their creative peak, making key contributions to its most critically acclaimed albums “Sticky Fingers” and “Exile on Main Street”, before leaving somewhat acrimoniously in 1974. He was paid performing royalties until 1982 when his contract expired, according to reports.