Bill Wyman Reveals Rolling Stones Didn’t Get Money Despite Being So Famous

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman recently opened up about the financial struggles he faced while in the legendary band. Despite their massive success in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Wyman revealed that the group wasn’t swimming in cash as people might have thought.

In an interview, he shared the rocky financial situation the band endured, even during the height of their fame.

No Money and Life as Tax Exiles

“We had no money,” Wyman bluntly stated. He explained that the band’s former manager, Allen Klein, controlled most of the money, and the band members had to rely on him to release funds.

“You’d have to beg him to send you money. You were in the red with your bank, so it wasn’t all partying; you were worrying about paying bills. It was a nightmare.”

Wyman also pointed out that the situation got worse when Prime Minister Harold Wilson raised taxes to a staggering 93%. “We had to leave because we owed so much to the Inland Revenue. With that tax rate, we could never make enough to pay it back,” Wyman said, explaining why the Stones became tax exiles. The band members were accused of being wealthy tax dodgers, but Wyman insists, “We weren’t. We were just trying to survive.”

Bill Wyman Admits He Should Have Quit the Rolling Stones ‘Much Sooner’

Financial problems weren’t just limited to the early days. Wyman, who left the Rolling Stones in 1993, admitted he probably should have quit much sooner. He shared:

“I should’ve done it a lot earlier… in the ‘80s.
“I stuck around for the three-tour ending in ’89 and ’90, and after seven years of nothing, I ended up with a £200,000 bank overdraft because we weren’t earning anything.”

Wyman said that not everyone in the band was struggling.

“Mick [Jagger] and Keith [Richards] were wealthy, so they didn’t worry. But me, Charlie [Watts], and Ronnie [Wood] were just getting by. Ronnie even started doing art to support his family.”

Despite these challenges, Wyman didn’t regret his time in the band, but he admitted:

“I only started playing with them again hoping it’d be just for a couple of years.”

Wyman, now 87, recently released Drive My Car, his first solo album in nine years, showing that his love for music hasn’t wavered despite the ups and downs of his career.