Bill Wyman Rolled into Chelsea with theStones, 60 years Later He Shares His Village Views

By editorial board on June 27, 2023

Bill Wyman Rolled into Chelsea with theStones, 60 years Later He Shares His Village Views

Wyman has just flown to Los Angeles to cut one new track on an album made in tribute to their late drummer Charlie Watts. And then Wyman reveals this isn’t exactly the whole truth.

“When Mick (Jagger) asked if I would play on one of the tracks in tribute to Charlie, of course I immediately said yes. But I haven’t flown in decades, so I just went over to Metropolis Studios here in London and recorded my part. Mick indicated he’s delighted with the track, so that’s a bonus, but that’s the extent of my ‘return.’ Are we finished talking about the Stones today?”

And in discussing Wyman’s latest book, “Bill Wyman’s Chelsea: From Medieval Village to Cultural Capital” (Unicorn), his enthusiasm and passion for the bustling, posh London borough subject matter is explained simply as “I see Chelsea as a village.”

This led Wyman to spend four years exploring and documenting Chelsea “village life” in meticulous notes and derived from what he estimates were “nearly 2000 photographs I took over that time. The book contains something under 300 of my photos.”

The former Rolling Stones bass player is an amateur archaeologist. He’s discovered Roman artifacts, designed a metal detector, and written a book on the subject.

Since humans first lived in Great Britain and Ireland literally millions of items have been buried, thrown away or simply lost. More than half of the important archaeological discoveries over the years have been accidental finds, most with fascinating stories behind them and all adding to our knowledge of life in the past. Bill Wyman's Treasure Islands is a journey of discovery through the historical treasures found on these shores.

 

According to Wyman’s website, the bass player is “a lifelong avid metal detectorist” and has a “significant number of discoveries to his name.” He has uncovered many Roman and Medieval coins, flint tools, and fossils. He even wrote a book about his research. (Cheatsheet)

ON Bill Wyman WebSite you can find the fullarchive of items and photos HEREBill Wyman's Treasure Islands: Britain's history uncovered by Wyman, Bill and Richard Havers: New Cloth (2005) | Rose's Books IOBA

Last year former Rolling Stones bass guitarist Bill Wyman has sold  part of his vast archive of music memorabilia, including the 1962 amplifier that helped him clinch his audition for the British rock band.

 

“I wanted to keep a few things so [my newborn son] would know I was once in a band,” the bassist says, “and we made a record and were on TV once or were played on the radio twice, since that is all we thought it would be in those days.”

 

Bill’s ancient coin discoveries – cut half coins gallery

 

The musician also designed a new type of metal detector. The lightweight metal detector and simple controls can be used by children, encouraging a new generation to take up amateur archaeology. The metal detector also boasts a special beach setting and a mode that can tell a user whether the item picked up by the detector is worth digging up.

The three-day music auction event honoring the legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, English musician,

record producer, songwriter and singer, Bill Wyman, broke world records. The top selling item was a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Standard Model Gold Top guitar and case used by Brian Jones in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus concert show and film in December 1968 and on other recordings and sold for $704,000, three and a half times its estimate of $200,000. (Artdaily)

 

The 1969 Fender Mustang Bass with a Competition Orange finish designed by Leo Fender before he left the company, used by Wyman on The Stones’ concerts and recordings in 1969 and 1970 and exhibited at the O2 Arena Rock Exhibition in 2010, sold for $384,000. The sale marked a new world record for the most expensive bass guitar sold at auction which was previously held by Julien’s Auctions’ 2013 sale of a left-handed Hofner bass guitar presented to Paul McCartney in 1964, selling for $204,800.

Another top moment of the auction was the highly anticipated sale of Wyman's 1962 VOX AC30 Normal model amplifier which sold for $106,250. It set a new world record for most expensive amplifier at auction which bested the combined sale of two amplifiers owned by David Gilmour sold at auction in 2019 for $77,000. This historic and famous amplifier, used extensively by the Rolling Stones, was one of the reasons why Wyman was asked to join the band during his audition.

 

“Collecting and archiving has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life and will undoubtedly be one of my legacies,” Wyman said in a statement.

One of the most interesting items in the auction in Beverly Hills is the 1962 Vox AC30 amplifier that then 26-year-old Wyman brought to his audition for the Rolling Stones at a London pub in 1962.

According to Wyman, band members Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were impressed with the amp. “They had horrible amps so they were very happy about that. I bought a round of drinks for everyone and offered cigarettes and of course they jumped immediately because they all smoked but couldn’t afford them,” Wyman recalled in a 2008 interview.

The amp carries a pre-sale estimate of $80,000 - $100,000.

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"My life has been an extraordinary adventure," Wyman said, via Deadline. "The time feels right to delve into the archive and tell my story before I croak."

 

 

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