Ronnie Wood, musician
Ronnie Wood, musician and artist, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item he would take with him if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.
Ronnie Wood is a musician and artist who has been a major player on the UK music scene for over 60 years. In 1975 Ronnie became a member of the Rolling Stones, one of the most influential and enduring bands of the rock era.
Ronnie’s parents were born and worked on barges moving cargo up and down the canals between Manchester, Stratford-upon-Avon and London. Ronnie and his two older brothers were the first in the family to be born on dry land.
Ronnie’s brothers, Ted and Art, were accomplished musicians and played in highly respected bands. Ronnie made his debut at nine-years-old when he played the washboard in Ted’s band during a performance at their local cinema. Ronnie formed his first band, The Birds, with some friends. In 1967 he joined the Jeff Beck Group with his lifelong friend Rod Stewart. Two years later they formed the Faces with the remaining members of the Small Faces.
Ronnie joined the Rolling Stones in 1975, replacing the band’s previous guitarist Mick Taylor. Ronnie’s love of art developed in childhood and he studied at Ealing College of Art. His work has been shown in exhibitions around the world.
Ronnie lives in Hertfordshire with his wife Sally and their two children.
Presenter: Lauren Laverne
Producer: Paula McGinley
DISC ONE: Guitar Shuffle - Big Bill Broonzy
DISC TWO: Shame, Shame, Shame - Jimmy Reed
DISC THREE: Smokestack Lightnin' - Howlin' Wolf
DISC FOUR: You Need Love - Muddy Waters
DISC FIVE: Adelaide - Frank Sinatra
DISC SIX: Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante \"Elvira Madigan\". Performed by Géza Anda (piano) and Camerata Salzburg (Orchestra)
DISC SEVEN: Roll Over Beethoven – Chuck Berry
DISC EIGHT: Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney
BOOK CHOICE: Just for Today: Daily Meditations for Recovering Addicts by Narcotics Anonymous
LUXURY ITEM: A chest containing art materials and a carpet
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Smokestack Lightnin' - Howlin' Wolf
There are more than 2000 programmes in our archive available for you to listen to. We have cast away other musicians and songwriters including Mark Knopfler, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper. Ronnie’s fellow Stones, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts, are in our archive too along with Ronnie’s friend Paul McCartney. You can find their episodes on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sounds or on our Desert Island Discs website.
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10 things we learned from Ronnie Wood’s Desert Island Discs
The Rolling Stones guitarist on his early life, plus being a party-starter and peacemaker
Music Played
-
Big Bill Broonzy
Guitar Shuffle
- Greatest Blues Licks.
- Stardust Records.
- 9.
-
Jimmy Reed
Shame, Shame, Shame
- Big Boss Man.
- Life Series.
- 18.
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Howlin’ Wolf
Smokestack Lightning
- Moanin' in the Moonlight (Remastered).
- Avid Entertainment.
- 3.
-
Muddy Waters
You Need Love
- The Complete Aristocrat & Chess Singles As & BS 1947-62, Vol. 2.
- Acrobat.
- 48.
-
Frank Sinatra
Adelaide
- Guys and Dolls (1955 Film Score).
- Classic Soundtracks.
- 9.
-
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: II. Andante \"Elvira Madigan\"
Performer: Anda Géza. Orchestra: Camerata Salzburg.- Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 \"Elvira Madigan\".
- Deutsche Grammophon (DG).
- 2.
-
Chuck Berry
Roll Over Beethoven
- Radio 1 Classics 1000.
- Universal Music S.A..
- 7.
-
Paul McCartney
Maybe I'm Amazed
- Pure McCartney (Deluxe Edition).
- Paul McCartney Catalog.
- 1.
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Lauren Laverne |
| Interviewed Guest | Ronnie Wood |
Broadcasts
- Sun 12 Oct 2025 10:00³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4
- Fri 17 Oct 2025 09:00³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4
Listen to over 2,000 programmes
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Articles
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Podcast
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Desert Island Discs
Castaway guests share the soundtrack of their lives.

