Legendary British guitarist Mick Taylor has revealed that he could sue The Rolling Stones over unpaid royalties.
Mick Taylor received his lucky break after Eric Clapton failed to turn up for a show with The Bluesbreakers. The John Mayall led group launched the careers of Clapton, Peter Green and more, and were in dire need of a guitarist.
Using a spare guitar Taylor sat in with the group, sealing his reputation as an up and coming talent. Later joining The Bluesbreakers full time, the guitarist evolved a blues-driven latin-influenced style which was to attract some famous attention.
The Rolling Stones parted ways with guitarist Brian Jones in 1968, and needed a new musician to replace him. Mick Taylor attended sessions for ‘Let It Bleed’ before making his performance debut at Hyde Park before an audience of some 250,000 people.
Adding his instantly recognisable guitar style to The Rolling Stones’ sound, Mick Taylor helped push the band in new directions. His tenure with the group is marked by musical exploration, before departing The Rolling Stones in 1974.
A pivotal figure in the group during one of their most artistically successful periods, Mick Taylor recently revealed that he hasn’t been paid any royalties since 1982.
Speaking to British newspaper The Daily Mail Mick Taylor said “I should have got a lawyer. But instead I called them rude words and asked how they could just stop paying me.”
“They all know it’s not right. In fact it is outrageous. They get all the money and I get the plaudits and praise, even from Mick (Jagger),” he said. “I’ve tried to talk to Mick a couple of times, but I realise that hiring a lawyer is probably the only way they’ll take me seriously. But they figure I’m not going to do anything about it.”
The guitarist then added that he plans to formally contact The Rolling Stones with regards to claiming unpaid royalties. “I’m going to do something about it because it’s morally wrong to cut my royalties for those six albums.”
