On this day (July 23) in 1969, the Rolling Stones were at the top of the Official UK Singles Chart with “Honky Tonk Women.” It was recorded during the sessions for their 1969 album Let It Bleed, which features the original country-leaning version of the song called “Country Honk.” While the song was a hit for the band and remains a fan favorite, its recording and release marked dark days for the band.
The Rolling Stones, without guitarist and founding member Brian Jones, recorded “Honky Tonk Women” on June 8, 1969. After they finished the session, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts went to Jones’ home to inform him that he was out of the band. Mick Taylor, who had just cut his first song as the Stones’ new guitarist, didn’t go with his bandmates.
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Jones was found dead in his swimming pool in the early hours of July 3, 1969. Later that day, “Honky Tonk Women” was released.
How Hank Williams and a Trip to Brazil Inspired a Rolling Stones Classic
Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull and Anita Pallenberg took a trip to Brazil, where they lived on a ranch for a while. They were surrounded by horses and cowboys in working western wear. “Mick and I were sitting on the porch of this ranch house, and I started to play, basically fooling around with an old Hank Williams idea,” Richards recalled.
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“It started out as a real country honk put on, a hokey thing. Then, a couple of months later, we were writing songs and recording and somehow by some metamorphosis it suddenly went into this little swapy…blues thing,” he explained. He speculated that the song naturally made the transition from country to blues in part because the genres share the same roots. “I think it has to do with the fact that we were playing around with open tunings at the time. So, we were trying songs out just to see if they could be played in an open tuning. That one just sunk in,” he added.
Featured Image by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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MACES SPRINGS, VA – AUGUST, 1977: Sara Carter performs at the A.P. Carter Memorial Festival in Maces Springs, Virginia. A.P. Carter was the leader of the Carter Family (A.P., his wife Sara and cousin Maybelle Carter), whose recordings in the 1920s and 1930s launched America's country music industry. Sara Carter's performace at the festival was her last. She died in 1979. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images) -
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