Ron Wood's New Barbarians Detour: A 1979 Tour That Reshaped the Stones

In the spring of 1979, between Rolling Stones tours, Ronnie Wood formed The New Barbarians as a loose supergroup to promote his solo album Gimme Some Neck. The lineup was a dream side project: Keith Richards on guitar, Stanley Clarke on bass, Bobby Keys on sax, Ian McLagan on keys, and drummer Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste. Wood acted as frontman and lead guitarist, sharing vocal duties with Richards. The band played a short tour of the U.S. and U.K., including a legendary set before 80,000 people at the Knebworth Festival supporting Led Zeppelin.

The tour had a direct backstage effect on the Stones. Wood and Richards spent months on the road together, deepening their notorious chemistry as the “glimmer twins.” By the time the Stones entered the studio for the Emotional Rescue sessions later that year, the pair had developed a tighter, more reckless