(Gibson) 48 years ago, the greatest rock-and-roll touring machine ever kicked off their very first jaunt in Middlesbrough, England. The Rolling Stones had been playing in some form or other for about a year when they took the stage at the industrial Northeastern town's Outlook Club on July 13, 1963. The gig may not have seemed notable at the time, but it was the launch of one of rock's great legends. Gazette Live caught up with some of the eyewitnesses to the Hollies/Stones double bill to get their recollections of the historic evening."We arrived late and just caught the last number of The Hollies," recalled Mike Gutteridge. "And just before the Stones went on, I received a signed copy of 'Come On' from Brian Jones. I distinctly remember looking at this guy with glossy blonde hair as he signed the copy to 'Mike of the Bachelor Boys.' We stood in front of the Stones for the whole of their set. As the stage was no more than a foot high, it was probably the best view anyone has ever had of a Stones gig."
Gutteridge said the band were quite sociable after their set: "When the club had cleared, we all sat on the stage drinking orange juice talking to Jagger and Richards. We asked them about their Chelsea boots and Jagger was very animated in discussing how fashionable they were. I think I had my Clarke's finest on that night! I then asked Richards about the intro to 'Down the Road a Piece' (a Chuck Berry number that was just a knockout). He took me through all the moves on his Epiphone Riviera. It was the Stones' first booking out of London and I class myself very lucky to have experienced that special moment of rock history." more on this story
