During a recent conversation with The SDR Show, Peter Frampton revealed that some of the Rolling Stones members put his name forward to join the band, but he lost the part to Ronnie Wood.
When the Rolling Stones’ guitarist Mick Taylor left the band in 1974 due to his dissatisfaction with their musical direction, the group started to look for a new guitarist. As a very technical and accomplished musician, Taylor had brought a very different and melodic element to the band’s sound despite his short-lived tenure within the Rolling Stones. Thus, it wasn’t easy to replace him.
At the time, the band was in the studio for the recording sessions of their 1976 album named ‘Black and Blue,’ so they immediately needed a new guitarist. They auditioned many notable guitarists, including Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton, Shuggie Otis, and Robert A. Johnson. When Ronnie Wood auditioned, the band members agreed that he would be the best match for the group’s sound and style.
During his latest interview, Peter Frampton recalled this process and said he was driving when he learned his name was on the list to become the new Rolling Stones guitarist. He couldn’t believe whether he heard it right and called a few people to confirm the announcement. The rocker also called the Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and learned that he and Charlie Watts had put his name forward. However, he was sure that Ronnie Wood would get the position as he was a better choice for the band’s overall style.
Peter Frampton’s statements on almost joining the Stones are as follows:
“I was actually driving through a toll on the New York Thruway coming into Manhattan, and I had to pull over after that. In those days, you couldn’t rewind anything, so I called Scott Muni, the two to six DJ, a very famous New York DJ. I said, ‘Did I just hear right?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, you did.’ I called Bill Wyman up, and I said, ‘What have you got me into now?’ The thing was, he and Charlie put my name forward. I pretty much figured that Ronnie Wood would get it because he is much more of a Stones kind of looking person than me. He is more like Keith’s brother.”
You can check out the full interview below.
