Andrew Loog Oldham

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Oldham's management strategy was aggressive and specific. In May 1963, he reassigned Ian Stewart from the stage to a studio-only role to maintain a five-man lineup of slender young men, famously noting that 'the kids can't count to six' despite Stewart being older than some members. He encouraged Mick Jagger to take the spotlight off leader Brian Jones and pushed Jagger and Keith Richards to write their own songs, resulting in 'As Tears Go By'. To contrast with the Beatles' cuddly image, Oldham generated headlines like 'Would You Let Your Sister Go with a Rolling Stone?' and included satirical incitements on album covers, such as suggesting fans mug a blind beggar for cash. Financially, he and partner Eric Easton established Impact Sound to retain master tape ownership, leasing them to Decca; this deal paid the Stones only 6% of royalties while retaining a 25% management fee for Oldham and Easton.

In Their Own Story

The turning point came in April 1963 when a journalist friend recommended Oldham see The Rolling Stones. Recognizing their potential as an 'anti-Beatles,' he rapidly acquired Eric Easton as a business partner and took over from Giorgio Gomelsky. He targeted Decca A&R head Dick Rowe, who had previously declined the Beatles, to sign the band. In 1965, Oldham hired Allen Klein as his business manager, leading to a renegotiation that excluded Easton. However, relations with the Stones became strained due to Oldham's drug use and inattention. The situation culminated in 1967 when Jagger and Richards were arrested for drug possession; instead of managing their defense, Oldham fled to the United States, leaving Klein to handle the crisis.

Reader's Guide

Beyond The Rolling Stones, Oldham founded Immediate Records in 1965, one of the first independent labels in the UK. He signed and produced a diverse roster including PP Arnold, Chris Farlowe, the Small Faces, Rod Stewart, Nico, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page. He co-wrote 'Headlines' with Arthur Greenslade for Chris Farlowe and later assembled Humble Pie after the Small Faces disbanded in 1969. In the 1970s and 80s, he worked primarily in the US producing Donovan and Gene Pitney before settling in Colombia in the mid-1980s with his wife Esther Farfan. His later career included a 2005 radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio hosted by Steven Van Zandt, collaborations with Argentine musicians Charly García and Los Ratones Paranoicos, and a role as a visiting Scholar at Thompson Rivers University in Canada starting in 2020.

Did You Know?

• Oldham's father, a British-born US Army Air Forces officer, died in a non-combat aircraft accident in 1943, not on D-Day and not in a B-17 shot down over France.
• To keep the Stones' image as a five-man group, Oldham removed keyboardist Ian Stewart from live performances, claiming 'the kids can't count to six'.
• Oldham generated a provocative note on the back of some issues of The Rolling Stones No. 2 LP, satirically telling fans to knock over a blind beggar to buy the album.
• He discovered Marianne Faithfull at a party and, after suggesting Jagger and Richards write a song for her, they composed 'As Tears Go By' specifically for her to record.
• In 2014, Oldham was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.