The brainchild of a young Berkeley dropout named Jann Wenner (pictured below), Rolling Stone magazine was founded in 1967 with a mere $7,500 and a few volunteers on the second floor of a San Francisco print shop.
Debuting on 9 November 1967, Rolling Stone was the first significant publication to truly understand and explore the tremendous importance and impact of rock & roll on society.
Issue #22 in November 1968 featured the ‘Two Virgins’ cover with John Lennon and Yoko Ono nude, from the back, looking at the camera over their shoulders. Inside, they faced the carnera.
A street vendor in San Francisco was arrested; a postmaster in New Jersey, through whom all Eastern subscription copies were routed, refused to mail them. The Boston distributor refused to distribute it.
Not only was the magazine home to such respected rock critics as Greil Marcus, Jon Landau and Dave Marsh, but – by using the writers Tom Wolfe, Joe Eszterhas and Hunter S Thompson – Rolling Stone documented some of the biggest stories of the 1970s: Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff”, Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing” articles and in-depth accounts of the Manson Family murders, the Altamont disaster, and the abduction of Patty Hearst.
In 1973, Rolling Stone added politics and art to their musical content and wondered if “rock had run out of things to say”.
Today, Rolling Stone boasts a circulation of more than one million and remains a dominant voice in music and popular culture.
You May Also Like
Go-Set The Australian music magazine Go-Set was launched in February 1966 by Phillip Frazer, a quietly spoken,…
Juke Magazine (1975 - 1992) Three months after Sydney-based RAM (Rock Australia Magazine) got underway in 1975 with editor Anthony O'Grady,…
Beatles Book, The First published in August 1963, The Beatles Book was the official magazine devoted to the Fab Four,…
Richard Allen Books For any kid attending a British comprehensive school between 1971 and 1977, Richard Allen's Skinhead books were required…
Spunky! (1976 - 1977) "The Fortnightly Freakout" Published by Melbourne-based Southdown Press (the Murdoch-owned publishers of TV Week and New…
Yes & Know Books Any kid who had to make long car trips knew very well the pleasures of a…
Not only was the magazine home to such respected rock critics as Greil Marcus, Jon Landau and Dave Marsh, but – by using the writers Tom Wolfe, Joe Eszterhas and Hunter S Thompson – Rolling Stone documented some of the biggest stories of the 1970s: Wolfe’s “The Right Stuff”, Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing” articles and in-depth accounts of the Manson Family murders, the Altamont disaster, and the abduction of Patty Hearst.
