Rolling Stones’ tour party secrets revealed

Former manager lifts the lid on life on the road with the band

Rolling Stones‘ star Ronnie Wood‘s former manager Nick Cowan has revealed that despite guitarist Keith Richards having a reputation for being the hardest-partying member of the band, it was Wood who hosted the wildest bashes.

In his book ‘Fifty Teabags And A Bottle Of Rum’ Cowan reveals that Wood would open his on-tour hotel suite to all potential partygoers, while Richards would only allow those who had personal invitations into his hotel room.

Describing a tour in 1981, Cowan wrote: “Keith will spend the night listening to music with a few friends. His suite is not accessible unless an invitation has been issued.

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“When issued, it has the force of a royal command.

Ronnie‘s suite is known as party central. All night, every night, the door is open to anyone who wants to drink and more.

“In every city Ronnie‘s party friends come out of the woodwork. Mick [Jagger, singer] and Charlie [Watts, drummer], who enjoy their sleep, have suites as far away as possible from Keith and Ronnie.

“Such is the volume of music that can be heard through the night from these two, their suites must be isolated from the other rooms.”

Cowan also revealed that the band demanded a steady supply of HP Sauce and PG Tips teabags wherever they were in the world.

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