On July 12, 1962 the Rolling Stones played their first gig at the Marquee Jazz Club in London. Since then, they have written over 400 songs, recorded two dozen studio albums and embarked on 10 mega tours.
“It is quite amazing when you think about it,” leader singer Mick Jagger told Rolling Stone magazine.
The band is releasing an auto-biographical picture book, “Rolling Stones: 50,” to commemorate the golden anniversary.
The book contains 700 images, 300 of them in color, many of which were taken from the archive of the Daily Mirror according to Reuters.
The 352-page book also includes words from the band and images by Philip Townsend, the photographer for the band’s first photo shoot.
In June the band released a 50th anniversary logo designed by Shepard Fairey. They also plan to release a documentary of the band’s history in November. (BOOK: Mick Jagger and David Bowie slept together)
There have also been rumors of an anniversary concert. These have yet to be confirmed but the band has had several rehearsals in a New York studio.
An exhibition in honor of the Rolling Stones containing photographs, prints, negatives and outtakes from the band’s history opens Friday at the Somerset House in London.