The first known photograph of The Rolling Stones was taken in 1962 by Philip Townsend. At the time, the band was still unknown, struggling to find gigs and a record deal. Townsend placed them in front of a “No Parking” sign on Ifield Road in London, unknowingly capturing the beginning of one of rock and roll’s greatest bands.
The photo shows five young musicians dressed in casual jackets and trousers, standing close together. They look rough around the edges but determined. Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts had only just come together, yet they already had the attitude that would define them.
Townsend didn’t just take their first picture—he also gave them a meal. The band was broke, and he treated them to barbecued chicken. Over time, he became one of the first photographers to document their rise. He drove them around London in his Ford Capri Mark I, squeezing them into the four-seater car.
The opportunity to photograph the Stones came through a chance meeting. In Monte Carlo, Townsend met Andrew Loog Oldham, who would soon become their manager. Oldham was just a teenager then, but he already had a vision. He told Townsend he planned to return to England, find a band, and turn them into the greatest rock and roll act in the world. When he discovered The Rolling Stones, he kept his word and invited Townsend to photograph them.
Townsend’s images from this time show the band in their early days—playing small gigs, posing in London streets, and looking like typical young men with big dreams. The fresh-faced musicians had no idea how famous they would become. These early photographs captured them at the very beginning, just before they took their first steps toward stardom.
