Bill Wyman opens up about The Rolling Stones exit: “They refused to accept I had left”
The Rolling Stones have had a colourful cast of characters join their ranks and help them push on in an ever-changing world that continues to move further away from the classic rock period. One man who was critical in their history is bassist Bill Wyman, who was a member for over 30 years.
Notably, the Lewisham native played bass with the band from 1962 to 1993, playing on their first 19 albums, starting with their eponymous 1964 debut and ending with 1989’s Steel Wheels. After completing the Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours, Wyman eventually left the group at the beginning of 1993. Since then, The Rolling Stones have played and recorded with Darryl Jones on bass, but he’s not an official member of the group.
Since 1997, Wyman has been the frontman and bassist for Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. The group’s shows and releases typically consist of covers of blues, R&B, and early rock hits from the 1950s that inspired the former Rolling Stone and many of his generation. Wyman briefly returned to recording with his former group to lay down the bass on the track ‘Live by the Sword’ on 2023’s Hackney Diamonds.
In a new interview with The Mirror, Wyman has opened up about his original departure back in 1993. The bassist made it clear that he is comfortable no longer living in the limelight and is toying with the idea of opening a Rupert Bear museum.
“I left in 1991 but they would not believe me,” Wyman said, before explaining why his departure took a long time to be officially announced. “They refused to accept I had left. It was not until 1993, when they were starting to get together to tour in 1994, when they said, ‘You have actually now left, haven’t you?’ And I said, ‘I left two years ago’. They finally accepted it, so they say I left in 1993.”
Ultimately, after nearly 30 years on the road, achieving his dreams, and amassing millions, Wyman was done with the existence of a prominent rockstar and wanted something different from life.
“I just had enough. It was half my life and I thought, ‘I have got other things I want to do’. I wanted to do archaeology, write books, have photo exhibitions and play charity cricket. I used to read about ancient cultures while I was on the road and take photos as well. I just had this whole other life I wanted to live,” he added.
Last year, in an interview with Far Out to promote his book Bill Wyman’s Chelsea: From Medieval Village to Cultural Capital, Wyman said if hadn’t joined The Rolling Stones in 1992, he would have pursued the other non-musical loves of his life. He noted: “I would have been a photographer, an archaeologist, or a museum curator because they’re the other things I’m very fond of.”