ROLLING STONES KEYBOARDIST OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2013 TOUR

6/15/2012

30-year Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell has a gut feeling that a 2013 Stones tour will be in the cards. Leavell, who's also known for his work over the years with the Allman Brothers Band and Eric Clapton, among many others. Leavell took over the keyboard slot from the Faces' Ian McLagan in 1982 and after the 1985 of the Stones' pianist and roadie Ian Stewart, Leavell became the band's solo keyboardist on tour. He now serves as the Stones unofficial musical director and has works closely with Mick Jagger to devise each night's setlist on the road.

Leavell told us that he feels that the 50th anniversary is far too important a milestone for the Stones to ignore: "I think we're all still waiting to hear what may or may not occur. I just feel like it would be a tragedy if the 50th anniversary goes by without some kind of activity. Although, you may have seen that wonderful quote that Keith gave: 'Well, Charlie Watts didn't join the band until '63 --- so '62 was the conception and '63 was the birth (laughs).' And I think that leaves the door open for thee next, whatever, 14, 18, months. I certainly hope i happens ands my gut feeling is that it will. But of course there's only four people that can pull that trigger and that's the four Rolling Stones."

SIDE NOTES

Keith Richards and longtime Rolling Stones producer Don Was have co-produced Aaron Neville's upcoming doo-wop collection coming this fall. No title or release date has been announced.

Last month all four Rolling Stones took to their website in an 18-second message to thank their legions of followers for reaching ten million Facebook friends.

It was also announced in May that the film rights to author Robert Greenfield's 2006 book, Exile On Main Street: A Season In Hell With The Rolling Stones has been optioned by Virgin Produced for an upcoming biopic.

Greenfield, who during his tenure as a Rolling Stone magazine associate editor, followed the Stones on their 1972 tour and wrote the classic 1974 book on the band's legendary road trek, STP: A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones.

FAST FACTS

2011 saw the release of the first new Rolling Stones track in six years, a cover of Bob Dylan's 1971 classic "Watching The River Flow." The song is featured on the tribute album, Boogie 4 Stu, in commemoration of late-Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart, and features Mick Jagger on vocals and harmonica, Keith Richards on guitar, Charlie Watts on drums, Ron Wood on guitar, and former member Bill Wyman on bass.

Although all musicians recorded their respective tracks at different times and locations, this song marks the first time Wyman has recorded with his former bandmates since 1990.


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