It’s not every day that a famous member of the Rolling Stones gets to tour the original headquarters of Motown Records, but it happened Sunday for guitarist Ron Wood.
Wood showed up to the former headquarters of Motown Records with a group of about 30 people to tour the museum and soak in the history from a record label that changed music forever, and inspired the Rolling Stones themselves.
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Anyone who listened to the Rolling Stones back in the day knows that the band’s sound is highly influenced by the music of Motown. Just listen to “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” or “Gimme Shelter” and you can hear what kind of impression the songs of Motown had on the Rolling Stones during their earlier years.
The band even had a hit when it covered the Temptations’ song “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” in 1974. Wood joined the Rolling Stones just a year later.
Photos of the group’s trip to the Motown Museum were posted on social media by the museum. You can see Wood and company posing for photos inside the studios where some of the greats recorded iconic songs.
As many know, Motown Records was founded in Detroit, and many famous acts came out of the city. The Temptations, The Supremes, Smoky Robinson, Stevie Wonder and so many others recorded songs in that very building.
During the visit, the Rolling Stones’ keyboardist sat down at the Museum’s 1877 Steinway grand piano while two backup singers from the band performed “My Girl” for everyone. The video of it is incredible.
Wood wasn’t the only Rolling Stone taking in the sights of the Motor City.
Lead singer Mick Jagger posted on social media some photos of him sight-seeing around town. He took a photo of a giant mural of Wonder. The Rolling Stones were in Detroit for a concert at Ford Field.
Jagger captioned the photos from the band’s song “She Was Hot,” which features lyrics mentioning Detroit a few times.
The Rolling Stones also played the halftime show when Detroit hosted the Super Bowl back in 2006, so it’s not surprising that the members of the band are taking in all the sights from a city that they are so connected to.
It’s pretty remarkable that the Rolling Stones are still touring and playing in giant stadiums, but it’s even cooler that they still have an appreciation for a city that had such an impact on rock ‘n’ roll.
