Ronnie: The Autobiography

For the first time, a member of the world's most famous rock 'n' roll band tells his — and their — story. Raw, unsanitized, nasty and fascinating. An incredible journey.

The first of his family to be born on dry land, Ronnie Wood came from a family of water gypsies and was raised in a council flat near Heathrow Airport. Growing up only wanting to paint and play music, Wood was always talented. And in the 1960's, he was often in the right place at precisely the right time — becoming the guitar player for everyone from the Birds to Jeff Beck to the Faces and then to Rod Stewart. But Wood and his guitar-playing became super-charged when he joined The Rolling Stones. They were rock royalty from their earliest days, and from the first time Wood performed with the band, careening down New York City's Fifth Avenue on a flatbed truck Wood has been at the center of the court and in the middle of the ferment. No band has ever combined the Stones' success — both artistically and materially — with their longevity.  No other band has ever survived the creativity and clashes of such big personalities.

But with success came excess — and as mayhem and hysteria followed Ronnie on his adventures through the extremes of rock 'n' roll, the drugs got harder and his relationships — especially with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the women in his life — became increasingly complex.

A fascinating portrait not just of the Stones, but of the greatest rockers of the 1960's and beyond — from Eric Clapton to Rod Stewart, Jimmy Page to Keith Moon, Jimi Hendrix to Pete Townshend — Ronnie is a rich, revelatory book. Readers have never had a view of the rock world like this before.

A member of the legendary Rolling Stones since 1976, veteran musician Ron Wood finally tells his story — unsanitized, raw, nasty, and fascinating. This no-holds-barred autobiography also offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the huge machine that allows the Stones to perform so successfully and steadily around the world. Four 8-page color inserts.

Ron Wood began his career with a band called the Birds and played with the New Yardbirds and the Jeff Beck Group, which later morphed into Faces with Rod Stewart. In 1975, after the Faces broke up, he toured with the Stones and became a permanent member of the group in 1976, playing guitar ever since, through 38 albums and 10 worldwide tours. When not on the road, he lives with his wife Jo in London, where he also paints and draws.