Bronze figures of two of the world’s greatest rock’n’roll stars, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, have been unveiled in their home town of Dartford, Kent, known mainly for its tunnel and bridge across the River Thames.
The pair met as teenagers on a platform of the town’s railway station in 1961, and joined the Rolling Stones the following year. They had both attended Wentworth primary school in Dartford, but went to different secondary schools.
The Stones became one of the most successful bands in history, lasting more than 60 years to date.
The statues, commissioned by Dartford borough council, show the pair in mid-performance. Jagger, wearing his trademark skintight trousers and singlet, is strutting with a microphone in hand. Richards has his head bent over his “Micawber” Telecaster guitar, which was a birthday gift from Eric Clapton.
The bronzes, titled The Glimmer Twins, were created by Amy Goodman, a fan of the band whose previous public artworks include depictions of Florence Nightingale and Sir Stirling Moss as well as a Gurkha memorial.
She said it was an honour and privilege to sculpt “two incredible music icons”. Her aim was to capture their energy and chemistry, she added.
Goodman decided to depict Jagger and Richards as they were in the 1980s. “I could have gone for any time between their late teenage years to their late 70s,” she said.
She listened to the band’s music while creating the statues, which took about 10 months. “I was a nervous wreck. There was a lot of pressure because they are such icons.”
Richards’ daughter Angela and granddaughter Ava were present at the unveiling of the statues at One Bell Corner in the town centre on Wednesday.
Jeremy Kite, the leader of Dartford borough council, said: “In terms of culture and music, you do not get much more influential than the Rolling Stones. Their music has changed the face of popular music and these lads from Dartford are now two of the most recognisable and loved people in the world.”
The town had now realised “a long-held desire” to celebrate the duo’s roots in Dartford, he said.
Jagger and Richards adopted the pseudonym the Glimmer Twins in the mid-1970s, under which they produced Stones albums. The pair also wrote most of the band’s songs.
Jagger was knighted in 2003 for services to popular music. He celebrated his 80th birthday last month with a party at a Chelsea nightclub with family, friends and stars including Stella McCartney, Leonardo DiCaprio and Baz Luhrmann.
Richards will be 80 in December. Charlie Watts, another founding member of the band, died in August 2021 at 80.
The band played 14 gigs in Europe last year, and a new Rolling Stones album is due to be released this year.
• This article was amended on 10 August 2023 to state that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards joined, rather than “formed”, the Rolling Stones in 1962.
