Ronnie by Ronnie Wood
For over thirty years, Ronnie Wood has been one of the guitar players for the Rolling Stones. Before that, he played with the Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. This book is his autobiography, and here are some facts I learned while reading it:
- Ronnie Wood was one of the first members of his family born on dry land -- he describes his family as "water gypsies" and says previous members had always been born on canal barges.
- Ronnie Wood's family and school were both very supportive of his musical and artistic talents as a youth.
- Ronnie Wood has met, has hung out with, knows, or has partied with every single important person in the last forty years of music and entertainment, and he mentions each and every one in his book. Examples include Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ronnie Lane, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Graham Chapman, Ginger Baker, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Keith Moon, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Patti Boyd, George Harrison, John Lennon, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Groucho Marx, Tony Curtis, Maradona, Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix.
- While driving his first wife to the hospital to deliver their first child, he and his friends gave rides home to California Governor Jerry Brown and actor Warren Beatty.
- Ronnie Wood picked out furniture for his new baby's bedroom with the help of Diana Ross.
- During the course of his career, Ronnie Wood has earned and squandered a lot of money.
- In addition to being a professional musician, Ronnie Wood also paints and draws and has made a lot of money selling his artwork.
- Ronnie Wood seems like one of the happiest, most easy-going people who ever existed.
