And in the End

The Rolling Stones were an up-and-coming young rock and roll band in the early 1960s, along with the Beatles. Although it's a little-known fact, the Beatles were very helpful in getting the Rolling Stones their first recording contract. At a party, George Harrison had run into some record executives who asked him who the good groups were, and he replied, “You want to get the Rolling Stones.” The Beatles (actually John and Paul) donated a song to the Stones, who recorded “I Wanna Be your Man” in 1963 and made it a British hit. All through the 1960s, the press tried to make it appear as if there was a big rivalry between the two bands, but Paul noted that it was just “newspaper talk.” The Beatles and the Stones remained close over time and frequently inspired each other.