As a background singer for the Rolling Stones, musician Bernard Fowler accompanied the rock band on various tours and albums. He has backed Mick Jagger’s vocals on stage at more than 800 of the band’s concerts. Now, in an interview, he explains that this collaboration hasn’t always been an advantage for him.
At the beginning of the 1980s he was behind the mic for jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and worked on solo projects at the same time. According to the singer, the decisive “boost” of his career came when the Rolling Stones asked him to accompany them on their “Steel Wheels Tour” in 1985.
There is no next level after the Rolling Stones
“Singing with Herbie was more amazing than anything I’ve ever experienced,” recalls Fowler. “And working with the Stones was just a whole new level. There is no next level anymore. What greater honor can there be than to be asked to sing with the rock and roll frontman in the first place?” the backing vocalist says of his early days with the Stones. In addition, he also does “his own thing”, which was the case before working with the band and also “when the Stones don’t do their thing, I do my thing and I still do it.”
He also expressed his concerns to the Rolling Stones’ touring bassist Darryl Jones at the time: “I remember telling him it was his double-edged sword.” that you work with the Rolling Stones, your phone should be ringing non-stop. But the opposite is the case: They think they can no longer afford you.” In his experience, clients would no longer contact him because they were afraid his work would cost them too much money.
To counteract this problem, Jones and Fowler decided to take an unconventional action: “We performed for free, just to get people’s attention. We just went out and played free gigs.” Because otherwise nobody would have volunteered, says Fowler. Since then he should have offered himself to clients.
His long-time colleagues will set off on their “Sixty” European tour in the summer and will also be seen in Germany as part of this. Guitarist Keith Richards recently shared some details about the Rolling Stones’ new music and also opened up about quitting smoking.
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