Experience one of music's big bang moments when 19-year-old Mick Jagger, carrying a handful of RnB albums, ran into Keith Richards on a train platform. Together, they would overcome tragedy, addictions, death and mayhem of all sorts to make it to the top and stay there. This isn't just the tale of a band, it's the saga of survival, reinvention and rebellion, and at its core, it's the story of two kids from Dartford, Mick and Keith, who led The Stones to became undisputed icons of rock and roll. In Part 1 you'll learn.

1. How fate intervened to bring all of The Stones together as a band
2. Who really founded The Stones and the strange origins of the band name
3. The role that two women played in influencing their music
4. About one of the first famous deaths in rock
5. The financial mayhem they faced & the role of a mysterious Prince
6. Some of the factors that drove their dark songs like Gimme Shelter & Sympathy for the Devil

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Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field".

In Part 2 of The Story of The Rolling Stones, we journey through the 1970s and ’80s, to experience how The Rolling Stones navigated financial ruin, courtroom battles, and drug-fueled chaos. Their survival and evolution forged their legend—every scar a jewel in the crown they wear today. In Part 2 you'll learn:

1. How financial problems led to one of their finest albums
2. About their legendary debaucherous 1972 tour
3. That the chaos of 1970s New York City played a key role in their sound evolution
4. Why Mick and Keith's relationship almost came to an end
5. How one of their most famous tunes started as a reggae song
6. The innovation The Stones brought to the concert touring model

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Guest Bio
Christopher Sanford is the author of The Rolling Stones: 60 years, he's written acclaimed biographies of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Sting and Kurt Cobain, as well as books on John F Kennedy and Roman Polanski. For more than two decades, he's written about music and film for major media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. Rolling Stone magazine has called him "the preeminent author in his field".

Incredibly, U2 began as a band of barely-formed teenagers—two 14-year-olds and two 15-year-olds—at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland. Just 4 years later, they were signed to a major label, and not long after that, they were reshaping rock on a global scale with music driven by faith, politics, and social unrest. U2 would go on to sell more than 175 million albums, never standing still—shifting from raw post-punk urgency to towering arena anthems to daring electronic reinvention. This is a band that survived by constantly changing. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The bizarre early incident that nearly ended U2 before it truly began
• The heartbreaking childhood tragedies that shaped two of its members
• The unlikely spiritual and political roots behind their lyrical mission
• The global live performance the band openly hated—yet became legendary
• The intense internal struggles over where their music should go next
• How a frontman with barely a high school education became a global humanitarian voice

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Guest Bio:
Bradley Morgan, author of U2: Until the End of the World. Bradley also has a book U2's Joshua Tree: Planting Roots in Mythic America about their breakthrough album, 1987's The Joshua Tree, a release that put them at the top of international album charts,

David Bowie was the ultimate chameleon of rock, constantly reinventing himself throughout his career. This episode starts with his struggles from his multiple failed attempts at stardom. Despite these challenges, Bowie’s incorporated elements of his eclectic, failed past and created a groundbreaking sound and persona, cementing him as one of the most influential and successful artists in music history. In this episode you'll learn:

• The early struggles of Bowie as a wedding musician and subsequent career challenges
• How Bowie's older brother influenced his musical tastes and how his eventual mental illness haunted and motivated him
• How his wife helped craft the eccentric stage persona that launched him to fame
• The role his time abroad played in innovating a new wave sound, years before it was mainstream
• How Bowie rescued the life of an influential musician from the 1960s and co-created a new sound with him
• How a famous Beatle played a role in one of Bowie’s most iconic songs
• How his ever-evolving characters and musical anthems inspired a generation of disillusioned youth

Guest Bio - Paolo Hewitt, journalist & music commentator
Author and music journalist Paolo Hewitt is the author of several books on David Bowie, including Bowie: Album to Album, a retrospective of Bowie’s evolution over his career. Considered one of the foremost experts on Bowie, Paolo has not only written extensively about the artist but has also appeared as a commentator in documentaries on Bowie.

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A top 5% of podcasts in the world, Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists: their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between.

Why are we different? In each episode host Dave Anthony features guests who know their stuff and bring real insights from their time with the performers — from respected rock journalists to documentary filmmakers.

If you want smarter music commentary and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else, subscribe now and get your backstage pass to music history.

Our guest, Chris Salewicz, was there at the dawn of punk in 1976 England, witnessing firsthand the birth of The Clash and Sex Pistols. Chris attended the first ever performances of both bands and will share insider stories of their rise and lasting influence over the last 50 years.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The fascinating childhood that shaped Strummer’s persona and The Clash approach
• Why Clash frontman Joe Strummer changed his name
• How guitarist Mick Jones' encyclopedic knowledge of music evolved the band's sound
• Inside stories behind The Clash vs. Sex Pistols rivalry and how Chris compares each band
• The reason Paul Simonon, a non-musician, joined The Clash
• How The Clash brought reggae to the masses
• The economic realities of the UK that fueled punk’s explosion

Learn how The Clash became the first punk band to experience mass commercial success. Widely loved by a legion of famous fans including Pete Townshend, U2, Green Day and Nirvana, The Clash combined social conscious lyrics, music genre-bending influences and a fiery on-stage presence to captivate a generation of music fans. The influence of punk on all forms of art has continued to this day.

Guest Bio - Chris Salewicz
Chris wrote Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer and knew each of the member of The Clash personally. He is the author of several iconic musicians' bios including Bob Marley, Mick Jagger & Keith Richard, Jimmy Page and more. He also was involved in the launch of MTV Europe.

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Travel back to Northern California of the mid 1960s with a young teenage girl writing poems in her bedroom after enduring countless moves across the country with her family. Then on to a succession of menial jobs to support herself and her guitarist boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham to a strange twist that catapults her to becoming a mystical, fierce, powerful song writer fronting one of the top bands of the 1970s. Stevie Nicks has faced serious personal challenges, the kind that could have ended the dreams of many, yet now stands as a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer with over 150 million albums sold. You'll learn:

• How Stevie's musician grandfather formed a musical act with a 5-year-old Stevie
• How Stevie and Lindsey actually met & the unlikely way they met Fleetwood Mac
• Her unsuccessful attempt to leave Fleetwood Mac to join another famous band
• How one of her biggest hits was given as a gift to her
• How she overcame her torturous battle with various addictions

Episode Guest
Zoë Howe is a writer, broadcaster, musician and artist. She is the author of the biography Vision, Dreams & Rumours: A Portrait of Stevie Nicks. She is an acclaimed music journalist who has written books on a variety of performers. She joins us from the UK.

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One of the most astonishing transformations in music history began with an earnest, bespectacled pianist named Reginald Kenneth Dwight — a shy kid who dreamed of writing songs for others. Our guest will take us inside that dream that took an unexpected turn when he reinvented himself as Elton John - a name that would soon be synonymous with spectacle, melody, and superstardom - releasing a run of number one albums that redefined pop and rock music.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
- How Elton never intended to be a stage performer at all — his plan was to write songs for others
- The unlikely and almost accidental origins of his ultimate songwriting partner
- How his very first American concert drew a dozen rock legends into the audience
- A deep, inside look at the classic albums that made him unstoppable
- The artists who shaped his sound, his showmanship, and his fearless stage persona
- And how he evolved into a master of the modern soundtrack — from Broadway to Hollywood

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Guest Biography
Gillian Garr, author of Elton John, Captain Fantastic on the Yellow Brick Road. She's written extensively on music for a variety of publications, including Rolling Stone, Mojo and Goldmine. Gillian is the author of over 15 music biography books, including books on Green Day, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix and the history of women in rock and roll. She joins us from Seattle.