Bill Wyman
As the Stones' unflappable bassist, he provided the steady, melodic foundation for rock's greatest rhythm section for over three decades.
Born 1936 (age 90)·English rock musician·Birthday: October 24·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bill Wyman entered the Rolling Stones as the oldest member and perhaps the most grounded. Before the whirlwind, he was a working-class Londoner who had served in the Royal Air Force. His recruitment in 1962 completed the band's classic lineup, and his stoic, almost motionless stage presence became the perfect counterbalance to the frenetic energy of Jagger and Richards. Wyman's bass lines were never flashy; they were architectural, locking in with Charlie Watts's drums to create an irresistible and deceptively simple groove on classics like 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and 'Paint It Black.' Offstage, he was the band's unofficial archivist, meticulously collecting memorabilia and keeping diaries. After leaving the group in 1993, he focused on his blues-rock band, the Rhythm Kings, and pursued passions in archaeology, photography, and authoring several books. His legacy is that of the quiet professional whose musical sensibility was essential to the sound that defined an era.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bill was born in 1936, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1936
#1 Movie
San Francisco
Best Picture
The Great Ziegfeld
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1936Born
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1941Started school
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1949Became a teenager
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Could drive
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1954Could vote
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Turned 21
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1966Turned 30
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1976Turned 40
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 50
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 60
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 70
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 80
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Age 90 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the bassist for the Rolling Stones from their formation in 1962 until his departure in 1993, playing on their first 19 studio albums.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Rolling Stones in 1989.
- Founded and performed with the blues rock band Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings for over two decades.
- Designed and marketed the 'Bill Wyman Signature Metal Detector' based on a personal hobby.
Did You Know?
He invented a custom-made, portable toilet called the 'Stones Mobile Loo' for the band's tours.
He is a trained pianist and played the synthesizer on the Stones' song 'Melody'.
He married his second wife in 1993; she was born the same year the Rolling Stones formed (1962).
He discovered the Saxon site of a village at his country estate using his own metal detector.
““I was the only one in the band who had a proper job when we started. I was the only one who could drive.””
