n the early 1950s, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were childhood friends and classmates at Wentworth Primary School in Dartford, Kent until their families moved apart. In 1960, when Richards, on his way to class at Sidcup Art College, and Jagger, on his way to class at London School of Economics, met at Dartford train station, the Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records Jagger carried revealed a mutual interest, leading to the re-establishment of their friendship and the formation of a band with Dick Taylor (later of Pretty Things). Richards, Taylor, and Jagger found Brian Jones as he sat in playing slide guitar with Alexis Korner's seminal London R&B band, Blues Incorporated, at the Ealing Jazz Club. Blues Incorporated contained two other future members of the Rolling Stones: Ian Stewart and Charlie Watts.

Stewart found a practice space and joined with Jones to start an R&B band playing Chicago blues. Besides Stewart, Jones, and Jagger, the first rehearsal of the as-yet-unnamed band also included Richards attending at Jagger's behest. Also at the first rehearsal were guitarist Geoff Bradford and vocalist Brian Knight, both of whom refused to join the band citing objections to playing the Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley songs preferred by Jagger and Richards.[10] In June 1962 the line-up was: Jagger, Jones, Richards, Stewart, Taylor, and drummer Tony Chapman. According to Richards, Jones christened the band during a phone call to Jazz News. When asked for a band name Jones saw a Muddy Waters LP lying on the floor of which one of the tracks was "Rollin' Stone"