Music Folks
Mick Jagger: The Dartford Schoolboy Who Became Rock’s Ultimate Frontman
October 16, 2026 · by Music Folks
Mick Jagger has fronted the Rolling Stones since 1962, and with Keith Richards he wrote most of the songs that made them famous. Away from the band he has made solo records, acted in films, sung a chart-topping duet with David Bowie and formed an unlikely supergroup, all while remaining one of the most recognizable performers in rock. This is the story of the man rather than the band.
Quick Facts
- Born: Michael Philip Jagger, July 26, 1943, Dartford, Kent, England
- Known for: Lead singer and co-songwriter of the Rolling Stones
- Genre: Rock, blues rock
- Solo albums: She’s the Boss (1985), Primitive Cool (1987), Wandering Spirit (1993), Goddess in the Doorway (2001)
- Other projects: “Dancing in the Street” with David Bowie (1985), SuperHeavy (2011)
- Honors: Knighted for services to popular music (2002 honors list, received 2003); Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Stones (1989)
A Dartford Childhood
Jagger grew up in Dartford, Kent. His father, Basil “Joe” Jagger, was a physical education teacher who helped popularize basketball in Britain, and his mother, Eva, was a hairdresser. His younger brother, Chris Jagger, also became a musician. In September 1950 Mick and Keith Richards were classmates at Wentworth Primary School, before the Jagger family moved to nearby Wilmington in 1954. Jagger passed the eleven-plus and went to Dartford Grammar School, which now houses the Mick Jagger Centre.
He left school in 1961 and won a government grant to study at the London School of Economics. That same year, on October 17, he ran into Richards again on a platform at Dartford station. The two discovered a shared love of blues and rhythm and blues, and a partnership began. He kept up his studies for a while, then left the LSE in the autumn of 1963 to commit to the band full time.
The Frontman
With the Stones, Jagger became one of the most famous frontmen in rock history. The full story of the group, from the Marquee Club to Foreign Tongues, belongs in its own post, but Jagger’s songwriting partnership with Richards sits at the center of nearly all of it.
Solo Records and Side Projects
Jagger’s first solo album, She’s the Boss, arrived in 1985 and reached No. 6 in the UK and No. 13 in the US. The same year he and David Bowie recorded a version of “Dancing in the Street” which went to No. 1 in the UK. Primitive Cool (1987) did less well, but Wandering Spirit (1993) reached No. 12 in the UK and No. 11 in the US. Goddess in the Doorway followed in 2001.
In 2011 he surprised fans by joining SuperHeavy, a supergroup with Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, Damian Marley and A. R. Rahman. Their only album, released that September, topped the charts in Austria and the Netherlands.
Acting and Honors
On screen, Jagger’s best-known role is Turner, a reclusive rock star, in Performance, which was shot in 1968 and released in 1970. The same year he played the Australian outlaw Ned Kelly in Ned Kelly, which drew mixed reviews. He was knighted for services to popular music in the 2002 Birthday Honours and received the honor in December 2003.
In 2019 a Stones tour of North America was postponed while he underwent a heart valve replacement in New York. The procedure was successful, and the tour resumed about six weeks later.
Where He Is Now
As of October 2026, Sir Mick Jagger is 83 and still leading the Stones, who released Foreign Tongues in July 2026. He has said he “can’t wait” to tour again, though not in 2026. He is also a co-producer of a planned film about Miles Davis and Juliette Gréco.