The Folk-Rock Icon Who Almost Joined the Rolling Stones for Star-Studded Tour

For a brief moment in 1979, a musical doorway creaked open, revealing a potential opportunity for a folk-rock icon to join the Rolling Stones. This would have been a significant change. Besides a few lineup switches over the years, the core group of the Rolling Stones has stayed the same since the 1960s. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Charlie Watts hit their stride in the mid-20th century and haven’t stopped strutting and rocking out since.

In hindsight, the addition of an equally prolific and ego-driven musician from Canada would’ve likely spelled disaster no matter what the circumstances. Still, it’s fun to imagine a reality where the man behind punchy folk anthems like “Ohio” and “Hey Hey, My My” joined the iconic, raucous rock band from England.

This Folk-Rock Icon Almost Joined The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones were enjoying the apex of their fame in the late 1970s with iconic releases like Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street under their belts. Fans were abundant. People who didn’t have at least a relative awareness of the British rock stars were few and far between. The Stones were a force of nature that inspired music lovers and music makers alike, and Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young was certainly no exception.

So, when the time came for Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood to embark on a tour promoting his sophomore solo release, Gimme Some Neck, Young wanted in. There might not have been room in the lineup for Young to join the Rolling Stones officially. But a star-studded supergroup tour supporting Wood’s solo record? Young could work with that. So, he set off to convince the other members of the Stones.

“[Neil] came down from San Francisco to meet Keith [Richards] ‘cause they’d never met,” Stones frontman Mick Jagger later told Trouser Press. “As things had it, the timing was wrong. Keith was unreachable while Neil was in L.A., and then Neil had to return to San Francisco. I told Neil not to worry about it, that Keith and I would come up and see him there. By the time Keith showed up, though, Neil had gone down to Acapulco to take a break from editing his film.”

“It wasn’t really my idea to have him,” Jagger continued. “But he kept on coming on so strong about it, saying, ‘Don’t forget, if Woody does a tour, you can count me in. I’ll do it for nothing. I just want to tour with him and Keith, a couple of English rock’n’rollers.’”

Neil Young Contributed To The Band’s Legacy Anyway

The idea that folk-rock icon Neil Young almost played with the Rolling Stones is almost made better by the fact that it never happened. Sure, either group could have influenced one another in their future albums. Or, their egos could have imploded, creating a dramatic fallout between some of the most iconic rock ‘n’ rollers of the time. Ultimately, Ronnie Wood and his solo band, the New Barbarians, embarked on their tour of the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. without Young in tow. The New Barbarians included Wood, Stones bandmate Keith Richards, Stanley Clarke (soon replaced by Phil Chen), Ian McLagan, Bobby Keys, and Zigaboo Modeliste.

But just because Young wasn’t on the tour bus doesn’t mean he wasn’t there in spirit. “I had especially hoped that Neil Young would join us,” Wood told Rolling Stone in 1979. “After all, he’s the one who named us the New Barbarians. But I think his film and new baby have weighed a lot heavier on him than he expected. Last I heard, he still wants to turn up for a few shows.”

Young and Wood have remained friends in the decades since, performing together occasionally as each musician pursues their solo career and other creative endeavors.

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns