Check Out How Your Favorite Musicians Stumbled Into Choosing Their Now-Iconic Names

The Rolling Stones Were Inspired By Muddy Waters

Photo Credit: Coventry Telegraph Archive/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards first met at primary school in Dartford, England. Together, the pair went on to revolutionize rock music, but they didn’t start out that way. Before the Rolling Stones ever existed, the band was called Blues, Inc. They cut a demo that was mercilessly rejected by EMI and drummer Tony Chapman left to go to art school.

It was around this time that the band decided to change their name. Muddy Waters was a gigantic influence on the band’s blues-tinged rock ‘n’ roll. They decided to name their band after his song “Rollin’ Stone” — and the rest is history.