Wyman has kept a journal since he was a child after World War II. It has been useful as an inspiration to him, as an author who has written seven books, which have sold two million copies. Wyman's love of art has additionally led to his proficiency in photography and his photographs have hung in galleries around the world. Wyman's lack of funds in his early years led him to create and build his own fretless bass guitar. He became an amateur archaeologist and enjoys relic hunting; The Times published a letter about his hobby. He designed and marketed a patented "Bill Wyman signature metal detector", which he has used to find relics in the English countryside dating back to the era of the Roman Empire. As a businessman he owns several establishments, including the famous Sticky Fingers Café, a rock-and-roll-themed bistro serving American cuisine, first opened in 1989 in the Kensington area of London, and, later, in two additional locations in Cambridge (now closed) and Manchester.
Bill Wyman was born in Lewisham Hospital in Lewisham, South London, the son of William Perks, a bricklayer, and his wife, Molly. One of five children, Wyman spent most of his early life living in a terraced house in one of the roughest streets in Sydenham, southeast London. He describes his childhood as "scarred by poverty".
He attended Beckenham and Penge Grammar School (Langley Park School For Boys) from 1947 to Easter 1953, leaving before the GCE exams after his father found him a job working for a bookmaker and insisted that he take it.
Wyman took piano lessons from age 10 to 13. A year after his marriage on 24 October 1959 to Diane Cory, an 18-year-old bank clerk, he bought a Burns electric guitar for £52 on hire-purchase, but was not satisfied by his progress. After hearing a bass guitar at a Barron Knights concert, he fell in love with the sound of it and decided this was his instrument. He created the first fretless electric bass by removing the frets from a cheap Japanese bass guitar he was reworking and played this in a south London band, the Cliftons, in 1961. He used the stage name Lee (later Bill) Wyman, taking the surname of a friend with whom he had done national service in the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1957.
When drummer Tony Chapman told him that a rhythm and blues band called the Rolling Stones needed a bass player, he auditioned and was hired on 7 December 1962 as a successor to Dick Taylor. The band was impressed by his instrument and amplifiers (one of which Wyman built himself), but because he was married, employed, and older, Wyman remained an outsider.
In addition to playing bass, Wyman frequently provided backing vocals on early records and through 1967 in concert as well. He sang lead on the track "In Another Land", on the Their Satanic Majesties Request album and a single. The song is one of two Wyman compositions released by the Rolling Stones; the second is "Downtown Suzie" (sung by Mick Jagger), on Metamorphosis, a collection of Rolling Stones outtakes. The title "Downtown Suzie" was chosen by their erstwhile manager Allen Klein without consulting Wyman or the band. The original title was "Sweet Lisle Lucy", named after Lisle Street, a street in the red light district in Soho, London.
Wyman kept a journal throughout his life, beginning when he was a child, and used it in writing his 1990 autobiography Stone Alone and his 2002 book Rolling with the Stones. In Stone Alone, Wyman claims to have composed the riff of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" with Brian Jones and drummer Charlie Watts. Wyman mentions that "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was released as a single only after a 3-2 vote within the band: Wyman, Watts and Jones voted for, Jagger and Richards against, feeling it not sufficiently commercial. By the 1970s, Wyman, tired of the monopolisation of songwriting and production by Jagger and Richards,[citation needed] began solo projects. In the 1970s and early 1980s he made three solo albums, none commercially very successful but all well received by critics. In July 1981 his "(Si, Si) Je suis un rock star" became a top-20 hit in many countries.
Wyman also played on The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, released 1971, with Howlin' Wolf, Eric Clapton, Charlie Watts and Stevie Winwood, and on the album Jamming with Edward, released in 1972, with Ry Cooder, Nicky Hopkins, Jagger and Watts.
Wyman composed the score of the 1981 Ryan O'Neal-Omar Sharif film Green Ice; and in the mid-1980s, he composed music for two films by Italian director Dario Argento: Phenomena (1985) and Terror at the Opera (1987).
In 1985, he was approached by producers working on a movie based on the Vietnam War, who asked him to provide the theme tune. He completed a demo cover version of the 1969 song Spirit in the Sky and sent it off to them for review. The producers' feedback was highly positive, but they soon ran out of money and had to scrap the project. The demo tape was apparently lost, but on an audio CD included with Bill Wyman's Scrapbook in 2013, he says that "somebody out there must have heard it because four months later - in the June of that year - Doctor and the Medics appeared with the release of their version of that song which eventually went to number one for three weeks. A coincidence perhaps? Still, such is life."
He made a cameo appearance in the 1987 film Eat the Rich. He produced and managed the group Tucky Buzzard.
Wyman was close to Brian Jones; he and Jones usually shared rooms together while they were on tour and often went to clubs together. He and Jones hung out together even when Jones was distancing himself from the band. Wyman was distraught when he heard the news of Jones' death. He and Watts were the only Rolling Stones members at Jones' funeral in July 1969. Wyman was also friends with guitarist Mick Taylor. Like the other Rolling Stones, he has worked with Taylor since Taylor's departure from the band in 1974.
After the Rolling Stones' 1989-90 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle tours, Wyman left the group; his decision was announced in January 1994. The Rolling Stones have continued to record and tour with Darryl Jones on bass.
On 24 October 2012, the Stones announced that Wyman and Mick Taylor were expected to join them on stage at the upcoming shows in London (25 and 29 November) and Newark (13 and 15 December). Richards went on to say that the pair would strictly be guests, and Darryl Jones would continue to supply the bass for the majority of the show. He said, "Darryl doesn't get enough recognition. He and Bill can talk about songs they want to step in and out of." At the first London show on 25 November, Wyman played on two back-to-back tracks: "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" and "Honky Tonk Women". He later stated that he was not interested in joining the band for further tour dates in 2013.
Wyman continues to tour with the Rhythm Kings, which has featured such musicians as Martin Taylor, Albert Lee, Gary Brooker, Terry Taylor (formerly with Tucky Buzzard), Mike Sanchez and Georgie Fame. Following his 70th birthday in October 2006, Wyman undertook another British tour.
On 10 December 2007, Wyman and his band appeared alongside a reunited Led Zeppelin at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 in London.
Wyman was a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
In 2009, ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor was invited as a guest performer with Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
On 25 October 2009, Wyman performed a reunion show with Faces, filling in for the late Ronnie Lane as he had previously done in 1986 and 1993.
On 19 April 2011, pianist Ben Waters released an Ian Stewart tribute album titled Boogie 4 Stu. Wyman played on two tracks: "Rooming House Boogie" and "Watchin' the River Flow", the latter recorded with the Rolling Stones.
Wyman, on bass during the Rolling Stones' tour in 1975. Holding his bass guitar vertically in the position as an Upright bass has been his trademark.
Wyman's bass sound came not only from his home-made fretless bass, but the "walking bass" style he adopted, inspired by Willie Dixon and Ricky Fenson.[citation needed] Wyman has played a number of basses, including a Framus Star bass and a number of other Framus basses, a Vox Teardrop bass (issued as a Bill Wyman signature model), a Fender Mustang Bass, two Ampeg Dan Armstrong basses, a Gibson EB-3, and a Travis Bean bass. The bass he has been playing mostly since the late 80s is a Steinberger bass. Wyman's amplifiers over the years have included a Vox T-60, a piggyback Fender Bassman, a Hiwatt bass stack, and an Ampeg SVT. Wyman, especially in the early Stones' years, had a distinctive way of holding his bass – almost vertically. He stated that the reason he held a bass in that position was simply because his hands were small.
Wyman, although moderate in his use of alcohol and drugs, has stated that he became "girl mad" as a psychological crutch. Maxim magazine ranked Wyman at number 10 on its "Living Sex Legends" list, as he is reputed to have had sex with over 1,000 women.
Wyman married his first wife Diane in 1959 and their son Stephen Paul Wyman was born on 29 March 1962. They separated in 1967 and divorced in 1969.
From 1967 to 1983 Wyman was romantically linked to Astrid Lundström.
On 2 June 1989, aged 52, Wyman married 18-year-old Mandy Smith whom he had been dating since she was 13 and he was 47 years old. According to Smith, their relationship was sexually consummated when she was 14 years old. Their relationship was the subject of considerable media attention. The marriage ended in spring 1991, although the divorce was not finalised until 1993. In 1993, while Wyman was still married to Smith, Stephen, his son from his first marriage, became engaged to Smith's mother.
In April 1993 he married Suzanne Accosta. The couple have three daughters, Katherine Noelle (September 1994), Jessica Rose (November 1995) and Matilda Mae (April 1998).
Wyman lives in a country house in Suffolk and in St. Paul de Vence in the South of France; in St. Paul de Vence his friends include numerous artists. He is a cricket supporter (as is Mick Jagger) and played in a celebrity match at the Oval against a former England XI taking a hat-trick.
Wyman started selling metal detectors in 2007. Treasure detecting adventures in the British Isles are detailed in his 2005 illustrated book Treasure Islands co-written with Richard Havers.
Wyman is a keen photographer. He has taken photographs throughout his career and in June 2010 launched a retrospective of his work in an exhibition in St. Paul de Vence. The exhibition included images of his music acquaintances as well as famous artists from the South of France including Marc Chagall.
Wyman is also a supporter of British professional football team, Port Vale.
Politically, Wyman has supported Britain's Conservative Party.
In 2009, he quit smoking after 55 years.
Si Si
Bill Wyman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lived on a mountain
I met her in Trafalgar Square
She was sitting in the fountain
She took off her hat
And she had lovely hair
Said she smoked marijuana
South American lady
You've got that crazy beat
Brazilian beauty
With the flashing feet
We danced to the music
At the Mardi-Gras
Then jumped on the Concorde
You're so lah-di-dah
Si, si
Si, si
Si, si
Took her to a disco
In Battersea
I asked her to dance
And then she danced with me
And then I took a chance
Come home with me today
I live in France
We can get there be-E-A
Je suis un rock star
Je avais un residence
Je habiter la
A la south of France
Voulez vous
Partir with me?
And come and rester la
With me in France
But BEA's on strike
There's no planes flying
I can rent a motorbike
At least I'm trying
We could go on the hovercraft
Across the water
They'll think I'm your dad
And you're my daughter
Je suis un rock star
Je avais un residence
Je habiter la
A la south of France
Voulez vous
Partir with me?
And come and rester la
With me in France
Je suis un rock star
Je avais un residence
Je habiter la
A la south of France
Voulez vous
Partir with me?
And come and rester la
With me in France
Je suis un rock star
Je avais un residence
Je habiter la
A la south of France
Voulez vous
Partir with me?
And come and rester la
With me in France
Je suis un rock star
Je avais un residence
Je habiter la
A la south of France
Voulez vous
Partir with me?
And come and rester la
With me in France
Je suis un rock star
Je avais un residence
Je habiter la
A la south of France
Voulez vous
Partir with me?
And come and rester la
With me in France
The lyrics of Bill Wyman's "Je Suis Un Rock Star" tell the story of a chance encounter between the singer and a South American woman, who he meets while she is sitting in the fountain in Trafalgar Square. She tells him that she comes from Rio and lives on a mountain, as well as revealing that she smokes marijuana at the Coco Cabana. The singer is clearly enchanted by her beauty, noting her "crazy beat" and "flashing feet".
The two dance to music at the Mardi-Gras and then decide to head to France together. However, their plans are disrupted by a strike that has grounded all flights, prompting the singer to suggest travelling by motorbike or hovercraft. Despite the journey's complications, the singer remains determined to have this South American lady as his companion in France, singing the refrain "Je suis un rock star / Je avais un residence / Je habiter la / A la south of France" ("I am a rock star / I had a residence / I live there / In the South of France").
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a whirlwind romance and adventure across Europe, with the singer's charm and wealth overcoming any obstacles that come their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Said she come from Rio
She claimed to be from Rio de Janeiro
Lived on a mountain
She lived in a mountainous region
I met her in Trafalgar Square
They met in Trafalgar Square, London
She was sitting in the fountain
She was sitting in a fountain in Trafalgar Square
She took off her hat
She removed her hat
And she had lovely hair
She had beautiful hair
Said she smoked marijuana
She claimed to smoke marijuana
At the Coco Cabana there
She smoked at the Coco Cabana
South American lady
She was a woman from South America
You've got that crazy beat
She had an eccentric style
Brazilian beauty
She was a woman of Brazilian origin and beautiful
With the flashing feet
She had fast and flashy footwork when dancing
We danced to the music
They danced to the music
At the Mardi-Gras
They were at the Mardi Gras festival
Then jumped on the Concorde
They got on the Concorde airplane
You're so lah-di-dah
You are very sophisticated and fashionable
Si, si
Yes, yes (in Spanish)
Took her to a disco
He took her to a disco club
In Battersea
The disco was located in the Battersea area of London
I asked her to dance
He invited her to dance
And then she danced with me
She accepted the invitation to dance
And then I took a chance
He took a risk
Come home with me today
He invited her to go home with him right away
I live in France
He lived in France
We can get there be-E-A
They could travel there by plane with the airline company BEA
Je suis un rock star
I am a rock star (in French)
Je avais un residence
I had a residence (in French)
Je habiter la
I lived there (in French)
A la south of France
In the south of France (in French)
Voulez vous
Do you want to (in French)
Partir with me?
Leave with me? (in French)
And come and rester la
And come and stay there (in French)
But BEA's on strike
But BEA is currently on strike (referring to the airline)
There's no planes flying
There are no planes currently flying
I can rent a motorbike
He could rent a motorbike instead
At least I'm trying
He is making an effort at finding an alternative way to get there
We could go on the hovercraft
They could take a hovercraft (a type of boat that hovers above water)
Across the water
Across the English Channel or the Mediterranean Sea
They'll think I'm your dad
People may mistake him for her father due to their age difference
And you're my daughter
In a humorous way, he refers to her as his daughter
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILL WYMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@glwendt
Brilliant, I remember this song in my very early teens, Bill has a great sense of humour and doesn’t take himself too seriously. A rare commodity in the music business!
@RikiNewtonMusicianSongwriter
Serial womanisers and men who prey on underage 13 year young girls - don’t usually take themselves seriously at all - even more so when you throw power, fame and expensive lawyers into the mix.
@seangallagherpresents
Love this tune! This song has a great vibe to it!
@diskopoko
This song shows perfectly well who was the real genius behind The Rolling Stones. Who needs a Mick or a Keith if you can pull off a treasure like this on your own?
@randolfo1265
It is a fun song but don't go overboard
@AndyMangele
@@randolfo1265 🤣
@ShaneC27
I just heard this song tonight on TV and now I can’t stop playing it on repeat. It’s brilliant!
@TheMrBennito
This man is gold, he always impresses as taking himself and life as such not too seriously
@1959yankeefan
Left the band at the right time and he's living a great life. Can't ask for more!
@sirkeefrichards4215
This was from the 80's, he left the chat in 1993 officially!