The Rolling Stones built a reputation for wild behavior almost as quickly as they became rock legends. However, one longtime member reportedly took the band’s famous lifestyle much further than his bandmates when it came to romance.
According to Stones biographer Bob Spitz, Bill Wyman once compared his number of romantic partners with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The results reportedly surprised even those familiar with the band’s history. While Jagger estimated his number in the hundreds, Wyman had apparently kept records that reached a staggering figure.
Bill Wyman Reportedly Stopped Counting At Around 1,800
According to CheatSheet, Spitz, who wrote The Rolling Stones: The Biography, said Wyman, Jagger, and Richards discussed their romantic histories when they were older. According to the author, Wyman had actually kept a journal containing the names of women he had spent nights with over the years. Eventually, though, the list reportedly became so long that he stopped counting. Spitz claimed the number had reached roughly 1,800 by then.
Meanwhile, Jagger reportedly believed his own total reached into the hundreds. Richards gave a surprisingly different answer. According to Spitz, the guitarist counted only four women when discussing his history. Therefore, the comparison painted a much different picture of the musicians than their famous rock-and-roll reputations might suggest. Spitz even described Richards, despite his notorious bad-boy image, as the most romantic member of the group.
The Rolling Stones Became Famous For Their Wild Reputation
The reported number also fits stories about Wyman’s behavior during the band’s touring years. Spitz said the bassist often joked that he could not go to sleep alone. He would reportedly notice women near the stage during concerts, after which members of the touring crew sometimes invited them backstage. His meticulous record-keeping also made his reported total easier to estimate than those of his bandmates.
Still, the claims come from Spitz’s account of conversations involving members of the legendary group rather than an independently verified count. Bill Wyman joined the Rolling Stones in 1962 and remained with the band for three decades before leaving in 1993. During those years, the Stones became one of the world’s biggest rock acts, while stories about their lives away from the stage became part of their mythology. Decades later, tales from those years continue to reveal surprising differences between the musicians behind one of rock’s wildest reputations.