Between the Stones and reggae, it is a great love story. Everyone has in mind that famous photo of Jagger, squeezed between Peter Tosh and Bob Marley and roaring with laughter. The Stones also worked with Max Romeo on their album ''Emotional Rescue'' (and Keith Richards co-produced Max Romeo's album "Holding out my love to you").
More recently, it was Ronnie Wood, the Stones' other guitarist, who told the story of his meeting with the Tuff Gong, and how he ended up playing with him on stage.
In 1979, the band was touring California and about to play the Oakland Coliseum in San Francisco. Ronnie Wood received a call from Al Anderson, the Wailers' lead guitarist: his guitar had been stolen, and he asked Wood to lend him one. Wood obliged but could not get into the dressing rooms, as the security guards, who did not recognise him, barred his way. Al Anderson turned up, cleared up the misunderstanding, and suggested he play that very night.
"I thought this had to be discussed with Bob Marley, but Al said it would be fine, and introduced me to him," Ron Wood recalls. "Marley did not say much, he just looked at me as if to say: 'if you can do it, OK, if you can't, I'll throw you off the stage.' I ended up taking part in the encore, which lasted nearly an hour, and Bob Marley gave me a nod during the set, which was very satisfying. After the gig, we played football and smoked a gigantic spliff."
A painter in his spare time, Ron Wood also made a portrait of Bob Marley, entitled "Get up Stand up", bought by Rihanna, who declared: "It's a portrait of a legend by a legend".