"Act Together" - Ron Wood (1974)

The Rolling Stones needed a new guitarist when Mick Taylor left the band in 1974. And what a fit they found when they took in Ron Wood. Although he would not become an “official” member of the band for a few years, his style influenced the Rolling Stones to such an extent that the Rolling Stones of today is almost indistinguishable from some of Mr. Wood’s earlier work on his 1^st solo album “I’ve Got My Own Album to Work On.”

In this live video; colorized at a later date; Ron is joined by Keith Richards for this great performance of “Act Together” from Mr. Wood’s solo album. Notice that Keith Richards is playing the piano for this one.  Mr. Wood and Mr. Richards later combined their talents in a group called The Barbarians; or, as they have become known; the First Barbarians; as the group had a couple of different incarnations.

Keith Richards vocals are almost identical to Ron Wood’s. They harmonize vocally as well as they weave their guitars while playing for the Stones. It’s no wonder these two got along so famously.

If you really want to read about how the two met and blended their musical abilities read Keith Richards incredible autobiography “Life.” The sections dealing with the making of Mr. Wood’s solo album; with a little help from his friends; is a great insight into how the Stones sound evolved from the more “poppish” musical genre into the cutting edge band which it still is today. This video is a great place to start.