Bill Wyman

Bill Wyman has been married three times. He tied the knot for the first time in 1959 with Diane with whom he has one son. The couple divorced in 1969.

His second marriage was to 18-year-old Mandy Smith in 1989 when Wyman was 52. It was revealed that Mindy was underage when their relationship was sexually consummated which gave rise to much media attention. This marriage too ended in divorce.

He married Suzanne Accosta in 1993. The couple has three daughters.

He was born as William George Perks, Jr. in London, England, on 24 October 1936, into a family of humble means to William Perks and his wife Molly. He had four siblings. His father, a bricklayer, struggled to make ends meet.

Bill Wyman was interested in music from a young age and received encouragement from his father. He received piano lessons from age 10 to 13.

He attended Beckenham and Penge County Grammar School from 1947 to 1953 but left before the GCE exams.

Bill Wyman enlisted in the military and began serving in the armed forces in the British Royal Air Force in 1955. He was posted in Germany where he first heard rock and roll music. The American Armed Forces Radio played the songs of the likes of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Fats Domino which greatly inspired him.

He returned to England after his discharge with a renewed passion for music. While working on honing his musical skills, he also worked in a series of odd jobs to pay the bills. He began playing gigs around the town and chose the bass guitar as the instrument of his choice. Upon embarking on a professional career he adopted the stage name of Bill Wyman, in honor of a friend.

During this time he formed a band whose drummer got a job with the rock and roll band Rolling Stones. The drummer introduced Bill to the band members and he was selected as the bassist in 1962.

At the time of his joining, the Rolling Stones lineup included Mick Jagger (vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Charlie Watts (drums) and Brian Jones (guitar).

The band released its debut album ‘The Rolling Stones’, in 1964. The band was a part of the phenomena known as the “British Invasion in America” in the 1960s along with their counterpart, the Beatles.

The Rolling Stones’ album ‘Some Girls’ reached No.1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and became the band's top selling album in the United States. It was a major critical success as well, becoming the only Rolling Stones album to be nominated for a Grammy in the Album of the Year category.

Another one of Bill Wyman’s most popular works with the Rolling Stones is the album ‘Tattoo You’ which proved to be both a critical and commercial success upon release, reaching the top of the Billboard charts. It sold more than four million copies in the United States alone.