Does Mick Jagger actually play a guitar? When fans saw The Rolling Stones’ lead singer perform live, they frequently had this question. Many questioned if the well-known rock star was merely a singer and entertainer or if he had any kind of musical ability.
We shall examine Mick Jagger’s musicianship and provide a thorough response to the above topic in this article.
Is Mick Jagger a guitar player? Mick Jagger was a respectable guitarist for the Rolling Stones and possessed guitar skills. Except for Dirty Contributions (1986) and Blue & Lonesome (2016), he is credited with guitar contributions on nearly every album released by the band. In the late 1970s, Jagger went on tour and performed guitar as well.
Mick Jagger is a guitarist. He was a singer first and a harmonica player only throughout his early Rolling Stones tenure. But eventually, he did begin to accompany the group on stage and in concerts with his guitar. The majority of Stones songs list Jagger as the guitarist.
Mick Jagger as a Guitarist
Mick Jagger is a multitalented and multiinterest individual. In his lengthy and successful career, Jagger has accomplished several incredible feats, such as leading one of the best bands in rock history and being so cool that he made everyone else seem uninteresting.
Even if there are noteworthy achievements, Mick Jagger has a quality that is sometimes disregarded: his ability to play the guitar.
Jagger is a proficient guitarist. The rock star makes numerous appearances while leading the band on guitar.
Jagger plays guitar on most Stones songs
Naturally, Mick Jagger needed to be an excellent guitarist in order to write some of the greatest tunes in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. Before becoming a member of the Rolling Stones, Jagger was already talented with the instrument.
On the majority of the Rolling Stones tracks, Jagger is recognized as the guitarist. Most notably, he started providing electric guitar parts for the band’s recordings when Sticky Fingers came out in 1971. Jagger had just been playing the rhythm guitar up until then.
Keith Richards was one of the best guitarists of all time, thus the Rolling Stones mainly let him do lead guitar work.
Is Mick Jagger a good guitar player?
Although Mick Jagger could play the guitar, he was not as good as Rolling Stones members Mick Taylor, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones. Jagger’s skill as a rhythm guitarist was well renowned. He just kind of got lost on stage as an extra rhythm guitar.
“I can’t play the guitar and I don’t really like singing. I like playing the guitar more than I like singing.” -December 8, 1969, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger acknowledged that he wasn’t a particularly talented musician. He would compliment Keith Richards’ guitar skills. He would also give Brian Jones credit, but Richards and Jagger are better songwriters than Jones.
Not all rock stars were guitar virtuosos, like Jagger. Another rock ‘n’ roll star with little technical skill on the guitar was Elvis Presley. For example, Jagger and Presley put their careers as frontmen and lead singers first. Despite their skill, they deferred to other members to do the intricate guitar parts.
Mick Jagger playing guitar in Brown Sugar
For evidence of Mick Jagger’s guitar skill and songwriting abilities, view this historical rock ‘n’ roll video:
Jagger may be seen playing the guitar in this clip, which was somewhat unusual at the time. He was playing Brown Sugar, an unreleased song that would become one of the Rolling Stones’ greatest successes.
You can hear Jagger experimenting with an early version of the riff in the video; Keith Richards would later refine it. Ike and Tina Turner, two well-known rock ‘n’ roll icons, were among those to whom Jagger performed the song.
When did Mick Jagger learn to play guitar?
When Mick Jagger obtained his first guitar at the age of 14, he began to learn how to play the instrument. While on vacation in Spain, his parents purchased him a round-hole acoustic guitar.
He acquired a passion for music from an early age, especially R&B and American blues. When he was a teenager, he started to collect blues records from musicians like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.
Along with his buddies, he also founded a record club at school when he was younger. They met during lunch in a classroom where Lonnie Donegan’s tunes were being played. Along with his friend Dick Taylor, Jagger formed Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys.
Can Mick Jagger play other instruments?
Mick Jagger plays piano and harmonica in addition to guitar. Playing these instruments, Jagger could hold the attention of an entire audience even when he wasn’t performing with abandon.
Mick Jagger playing piano
This video has Mick Jagger performing Fool To Cry, showcasing his piano skills. With Mick Taylor out of the band, he and Keith Richards created this song, leaving the Stones without a lead guitarist.
Behind the keys, Jagger is merely stationary, but his magnetic presence endures. On the Billboard Hot 100, this song peaked at position 10.
Mick Jagger playing harmonica
Mick Jagger is a skilled blues harmonica player as well. His harmonica talent is evident on songs like Gimme Shelter and Midnight Rambler.
Watch this video to see the Rolling Stones play Midnight Rambler live at the Marquee Club, a small, exclusive gig. You can see Mick Jagger picking up a harmonica in between songs.
Conclusion
That’s right, Mick Jagger is a talented guitarist. He’s not the most accurate, skillful, or prolific guitarist, yet he can still play the instrument very well.
He’s still no Keith Richards, so we wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s a terrific guitarist, but he does the job well enough.