The Rolling Stones: Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’  Roll (Part 1)

Many will be familiar with the highly rated & entertaining UK history podcast, The Rest is History presented by Dominic Sandbrook & Tom Holland. It was somewhat inevitable that at some point they would take a look at the early days of the Rolling Stones. This happened on 21 April 2025. 

Thankfully, the broadcast includes a mention of the Ealing Club, Alexis Korner & Blues Incorporated in what was a lively & accurate analysis of one of the UK’s most significant musical/cultural contributions… The Rolling Stones. 

Great to hear, Chris Barber, Ian Stewart, Dick Taylor, The Marquee Jazz Club, The Crawdaddy, Gomelsky, Andrew Loog Oldham & The Beatles all mentioned. And of course, some in depth analysis of the vital contribution of Brian Jones. 

So many great podcasts, books, documentaries & films have often completely missed Alexis Korner & The Ealing Club when it comes to explaining the formation of the Rolling Stones. 

More detail on the Ealing Club is available in the documentary movie Suburban Steps to Rockland that features interviews with Chris Barber, Dick Taylor (both mentioned in The Rest is History broadcast). The Story of the Ealing Club movie includes countless other musicians such as Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Eric Burdon, Pete Townshend, Terry Marshall (Marshall Amps) that show many other artists aside from the Rolling Stones were influenced by the so called “R & B” scene of 62-65. 

DVDs are still available at www.ealingclub.com.

In October 2024, the US Rock Hall of Fame induction of Alexis Korner by Keith Richards specifically mentioned the Ealing Club. That broadcast is only available to Disney + subscribers but we hope anybody looking at the development of 60’s guitar music will check it out. More details here.

In 2025, there are events & live music aplenty going down in Ealing including the annual Ealing Blues Festival (26th & 27th July) The Hanwell Hootie (10th May) and this Saturday (26th April) Record producer Joe Boyd comes to Pitzhanger Manor as part of the Ealing Book Festival. Check our blog here for more on that event.

See our events guide for details. https://www.ealingclub.com

To listen to the Rest is History broadcast on the Rolling Stones find it here on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/52Rn2SGeP3ik9FM1y255oP?si=Jy2BSSGVTaKzXhauAFDEQA

GO SUPPORT RUNNING COSTS HERE: The Ealing Club Club GoFundMe Campaign

The Ealing Club Community Interest Company was formed in 2011 in order to highlight the music heritage of Ealing and inspire new opportunities for live music.

Commemorative plaque events, exhibitions, countless gigs with more than 30,000 ticketed attendees, collaborations with local festivals and theatre productions have all been brought to life since December 2011.

Support The Campaign here!

As a Community Interest Company (CIC) we backed & guided the production of the highly acclaimed film Suburban Steps To Rockland – The Story of the Ealing Club, the definitive documentary about West London’s contribution to blues rock. And we published The A-Z of Ealing Rock to show the scale of Ealing’s contribution to the development of popular music.

Support the Campaign here! 

Several exhibitions have been held in collaboration with venues such as Pitzhanger Museum & Gallery, University of West London, The Musical Museum and visitors can still view the Rock ‘n’ Roll Alley in St Saviour’s Walk in Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre.

The Ealing Club CIC has contributed archive content to the exhibition at The Townshend Studio in the University of West London which was opened in October 2024 by musician Pete Townshend to provide access to the vintage synthesisers he used on some of The Who’s classic recordings.

In Autumn 2024, this facility was formally launched by Pete Townshend & UWL in order to provide access to a keyboard collection used on some of the Who’s classic recordings.

Over in the US, The US Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio requested advice from us on content that was used in the induction ceremony by Keith Richards for British Blues pioneer Alexis Korner.

The Ealing Club Exhibition at Pitshanger Manor Gallery (July 2012)

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Alley Exhibition @ Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre (2022-2025)

Support the Campaign here! 

The Community Interest Company is led by volunteers while championing recompense for performing musicians and sound engineers who all make top-class performances possible.

In 2025 we hope to organise more live music events in West London but to do so we need your support to cover the cost of running the CIC: website, online newsletters, authorised software, accountancy fees, promo materials, booking bands & venues and more.

With our basic costs covered, our group will be set up to chase grant applications that continue to help boost local initiatives/festivals while reaching out to the growing base of Ealing Club followers around the world.

Support the campaign here! 

Those familiar with the career of Record Producer Joe Boyd will know he has worked with Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, John Martyn, Incredible String Band, R.E.M (to name but a few). He helped set up the highly influential UFO club in London that kickstarted the careers of Pink Floyd and Soft Machine.

As producer at the Newport Folk Festival of 1965 when Bob Dylan went electric, he bridged the divide between the committee members ordering a cut in the volume levels against those relishing the sound.

In late 1960, his earliest forays into the music industry began in Princeton when he was inspired to search for Lonnie Johnson thanks to listening to Danish DJ broadcasting on a local US Radio Station.

Interesting to note that the Dj (Chris Albertson) in question was responsible for early live recordings of Ken Colyer, Chris Barber and Lonnie Donegan who were regular visitors to West London in the 50’s & early 60’s.

Joe Boyd later went on to ‘cut his teeth’ organising European tours with the likes of Muddy Waters, Sister Rosetta, Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. Eventually decided to make his home in London partly inspired by a youth culture that was awakening to American Blues Music.

His book ‘White Bicycles’ is a fascinating guide to 60’s music providing a unique perspective as an American based, much of his time in London.

The Ealing Book Festival 2025 brings Joe Boyd To Pitshanger Manor. 

26th April 2025

6.00 – 7.00 PM

Joe Boyd will be in conversation with Mark Cooper (co-creator and founding producer of Later….With Jools Holland) about the recently published book ‘And The Roots of Rhythm Remain’

Tickets For Joe Boyd @ Ealing Book Festival: https://www.pitzhanger.org.uk/whatson/ealing-book-festival-joe-boyd-and-the-roots-of-rhythm-remain-a-journey-through-global-music/

Ealing Book Festival also includes an exceptional and diverse range of renowned authors including Hanif Kureishi, Elif Shafak, Andrew O’Hagan, Tracy Chevalier, Roger McGough, Natasha Brown, Abi Daré and Laura Cumming, alongside a wide range of other events including walking tours, workshops and a children’s poetry competition.

Full details here: https://ealingbookfestival.com