Rock and Roll legend Mick Jagger (1943–) was born on this day in Dartford, England. He met his partner in music mayhem, Keith Richards, when they were five years old.

In 1962, they formed the Rolling Stones, known as the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band.” Their first hit, “It’s All Over Now,” reached #3 in 1964.

“Everything that you write, after a certain kind of jolting historic moment, always seems slightly different in hindsight,” Jagger reflected in 2001.

“Between Elvis Presley and Muddy Waters, I was seduced into a lifetime of music instead of a lifetime of I-know-not-what. So it’s all their fault.”

Fault aside, there is only one Mick Jagger. With strut, stomp, and pout, he was raw and raunchy—not cute. Not safe. And bad... very, very naughty.He led the Stones to fame with outrage, with tension, aggression—with sympathy for the devil.

Many call the double album Exile On Main Street (1972) the best rock 'n roll record ever made—raw abandon and passion. “Let it loose, let it all come down,” Jagger sang, blending rhythm and blues, gospel, jazz, and rock. Yeah, Mick.

In March 2000, Jagger returned to his childhood Dartford Grammar School to open the Mick Jagger Performing Arts Centre. To the applause of the headmaster, he scrawled graffiti on the wall: “I was back! – Mick Jagger.”

He told the London Times that he spent the worst years of his life at the school, which he left in 1961 with seven O levels and two A levels. Of his academic decline, he said simply: “Music and girls.”

Ever unpredictable, Jagger’s spirit and creativity remain gloriously alive—as he dives into studio sessions, family joy, surprise stage moments, and vinyl celebrations.