Rolling Stones reach out to Mick Taylor, sparking rumors of possible reunion
Could former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor be part of a Rolling Stones reunion to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary? There have been some signs pointing to this possibility.
Because 2012 is the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones, members of the band have already said in interviews that they will do something special to commemorate this milestone. However, the Rolling Stones have not yet announced their 50th anniversary plans.
But there have been some indications that the Rolling Stones may be ready to temporarily reunite with Taylor, who was the Rolling Stones' lead guitarist from 1969 to 1974:
- The Rolling Stones' Twitter account had numerous flattering messages about Taylor in celebration of Taylor's 63rd birthday on January 17, 2012.
- Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards said in a November 2011 interview with Spinner that he would like to reunite with Taylor and former Rolling Stones bass guitarist Bill Wyman at a jam session planned for December 2011 with Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. (Wood replaced Taylor after Taylor quit the band.) Richards famously remained estranged from Taylor for years because Richards said in interviews that it was "unforgivable" for Taylor to quit the Rolling Stones.
- Watts said in a December 2011 radio interview with BBC6 that the Rolling Stones were at their best when Taylor was in the band.
However, Taylor has not shared the stage with Richards and Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger since the Rolling Stones were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Jagger has made it clear in interviews that the Rolling Stones will not be doing a major full-scale tour in 2012. However, there is always the possibility that the band could do a select number of 50th anniversary concerts.
In other Rolling Stones news, the band has announced that a second album in its "bootleg" series will be released from the Rolling Stones archives. Further details are to be announced. In November 2011, the Stones officially released the first album in the series: "The Brussels Affair," a 1973 Brussels concert that had been bootlegged for years.