Out-Take - creator of beautiful books

He was a complete one-off. Stu did what he wanted, when he wanted. He had a rather selfish way of life, though not in an unpleasant way at all; he never interfered with anyone else. You always knew where you were with him. It made for an uncomplicated relationship. I consider him to be the best friend I will ever have.
Glyn Johns

When the Stones bought Bermondsey Street Stu was invaluable to us. Steve Marriott had left the band, so myself, Ronnie Lane and Mac used to get together once a week to play. We didn’t have anywhere to go, so Stu said, ‘Well, just use the studio downstairs,’ which was basically just a basement and a storage area for all the Stones gear.
Kenny Jones

He was so low-key, no demands whatsoever; he was just there to enjoy playing music. Mike Kappus I was a worker and he knew it, so he took to me, and I to his direct friendliness and kindness. He was not complicated like the rest of the bunch; he kept it simple, uncomplicated and was a good teacher.
Paige Kevin

Stu didn’t like my behaviour at that time. He was always like, ‘When are you going to fucking straighten up?’ He enjoyed the music and everything, and I think he appreciated the solo stuff I’d done, but on a personal level although I don’t think he disliked me he just didn’t endorse my behaviour. Bobby Keys Part of what I really thought was extraordinary about him was the benevolent overview that he had of everybody, and you felt that on this emotional level. Even though he appeared like he wasn’t watching, he was always watching everything.
Chris Kimsey

I know that he is missed a very great deal. I liked him a lot. Allen Klein Stu was a great guy. When you’re dead everybody thinks you were fantastic and nobody will dare say the guy was bad or mischievous, but I never heard anything bad said about Stu when he was alive. I can’t think of anybody who didn’t like Stu.
Dominic Lamblin

When we came to play Wembley Stadium Stu said, ‘You’re not staying in a hotel – you’re staying with me. I’ve got two nice grand pianos and a rather large record collection.’ And indeed he did! Stu and I talked about music a lot, and he made me aware of a lot of his influences, artists like Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis. I knew very little about them. That’s when I really was awakened to where he was coming from and I’m still so grateful for all that he turned me onto and taught me.
Chuck Leavell

He kept a foot on the ground for them and tried to instil a certain sense of businesslike thought into them in those early days when it was very hard to do so. I think it was difficult for him to try and keep them working in an organised way, which he did. Prince Rupert Loewenstein He had these little quirky ways about him – he was obviously really fond of all the band but that’s not how he expressed himself about them. He would do it by sort of putting them down, in an affectionate way. He was pretty sentimental about it all, but in no way was he going to show it.
Astrid Lundstrõm

He would never travel with the Mobile but would often come to see what we were up to, especially if the music was of interest or we were recording some of his mates. Stu was ultimately independent and so didn’t want to be beholden to us for transport. Or maybe he would seek out a routing enabling him to find a golf course!
Mick McKenna

He was always very friendly and we often would have conversations about piano players. We would begin a conversation about Johnnie Johnson, how great he was, but with Stu he’d always lead you back to Meade Lux Lewis and his kind. Always when Stu was talking I was listening, because there was always something to learn, stuff you couldn’t find anywhere else.
Ian McLagan

Stu was always so cool about the whole equipment thing, and everything that he said would happen happened. He was so smart; he understood the technicalities of doing the sound and shit before the sound companies did.
Rich Mandella

When we first had the office in Chelsea there was a pub across the road. Stu had worked out the only decent thing you could eat there was a cheese and pickle sandwich, and until the pub changed hands it was the only thing that he would ever order. Maybe you could put it down to being a creature of habit. That was so Stu – in everything he never changed. What you saw was what you got. He was always the same person; there were no airs and graces with him.
Sara Marks

I remember that Ian had gorgeous eyes and was always joking in a very droll, very dry way. He used to come into work in his cycling shorts and he would then get changed into his suit. At the time I never thought, ‘Gosh, what a long way to cycle,’ but he must have been covering at least ten miles each way.
Rhoda Massy

When we went out on the road his golf clubs became legendary. We had a thing on that tour that if you didn’t wear your pass or lost it you had to carry Stu’s golf clubs for the day. He did his own thing: he would call up and book tee times, and once in a while I’d be up early and I’d see him going off with one of the promoters or somebody that worked for them.
Mary Beth Medley

At a very early age Ian was to be found thumping away at this old piano. In those early days, his ear was the thing; he’d pick a tune up so quickly. I always used to tell him to stop making that terrible noise, but in fact that was the beginning of Stu learning to play the piano. I remember our grandmother saying, ‘Listen to that awful noise; Ian will never be a musician. Fetch me some cotton wool for my ears’.
Marianne Meldrum

He just about tolerated Australia when we toured there in 1973. It was very hot, which Stu did not enjoy much, preferring good old English weather suitable for playing golf. On the Sydney to Perth leg Stu was briefly to be seen at the cockpit controls – flying rather low if my memory serves me well!
Anna Menzies

Stu would get them out of situations like this; he would step up and say, ‘Oh you know what, Keith’s downstairs,’ or, ‘I just saw Mick go out the door.’ Situations like that he would cover up, because he knew the girlfriends, and he certainly knew what the boys were like.
Dawn Molloy

After Stu finished playing the Stones concert at the LA Memorial Coliseum in 1981, instead of going back to the hotel he said we were going up to the San Fernando Valley Country Club so he could play with the George Thorogood band: ‘It’s one hell of a band and I enjoy playing with them – and not only that, they’ve promised me a case of Samuel Smith’s ale! I can’t drink a case all on my own so we’ll share it.’ He played the gig and it was great. That band pushed and rocked and Stu was as happy as a sandboy!
Ruck Nicholls

I met Stu and The Rolling Stones first of all in 1964 when they filmed a show for Ready, Steady, Go! in Switzerland. We maintained a relationship thereafter, and when they were on Atlantic I went on tour with them and we became quite close. Later they came to Montreux to do Black And Blue. I would go to the studio, or they would come to my house, and Ian was around and we would talk about blues and jazz and swing. I really spent a lot of time with him, while they would party.
Claude Nobs

From the first, Stu looked different from the rest of the band and the audience. Bill managed to pass via his silence, stoicism and stance. Charlie came in on a higher tone level. He brought jazz grace and decorum to the proceedings. Brian, Mick and Keith kinda merged with the middle-class/young art school/ universified crowd who had seized onto this music, rejected the Top Ten, skiffle and traditional jazz and were at one with the sufferings of the Southern Black man as if Pinner were a Mississippi sharecropping community.
Andrew Oldham