Sonny Rollins Cameo in The Rolling Stones' 'Waiting on a Friend' Video

In the 1981 video for “Waiting on a Friend,” Mick Jagger and Keith Richards sit on a stoop in New York’s East Village as legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins walks up and plays a solo. Rollins wasn’t just any random jazz musician—he was a living legend who lived in the neighborhood and represented the area’s deep jazz roots. The Stones wanted the video to feel like a real East Village street scene, and having Rollins stroll by with his sax was a deliberate nod to the block’s musical history.

Rollins had previously played on the Stones’ 1980 album Emotional Rescue (the track “Slave”), so the band already had a working relationship with him. Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg suggested Rollins for the cameo because his presence added instant authenticity and a connection to the city’s jazz legacy. The video was shot on St. Mark’s Place, and Rollins later said he was happy to do it for the fun of it and a bottle of champagne.