Rock / Blues Rock / Roots Rock · 1970s Career
The Rolling Stones entered the 1970s as survivors of the British Invasion and spent the decade proving they could absorb country, soul, funk and disco without losing their blues-rooted identity.
The Mick Taylor era
With Mick Taylor on guitar, the band produced some of its most admired albums. Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. expanded the Stones’ roots vocabulary through blues, country, gospel and loose rock ’n’ roll.
Exile on Main St.
The 1972 double album became a defining statement of dirty, layered roots rock—less polished than many contemporary records, but deeply atmospheric and rhythmically alive.
Ronnie Wood and late-decade reinvention
After Taylor’s departure, Ronnie Wood joined and helped restore a more interlocking two-guitar style. Some Girls then showed the Stones reacting to punk, disco and New York culture without sounding like a nostalgia act.
Why they matter
The 1970s turned the Stones from 1960s rebels into a long-term rock institution. Their ability to evolve while preserving a core rhythmic identity became a model for durable rock careers.
