Ronnie Wood

Ron Wood is probably best-known as the replacement for Mick "I Can't Keep Up With the Drugs" Taylor, who dropped out of the Stones in 1974. Before that, however, Wood was a hotshot guitar player for both the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces. Along with Taylor and Keith Richards, Wood is one of those British guys who, for some unknown reason, can play Chuck Berry without sounding like some oldies-but-goodies moron -- which is something Americans (with the obvious exception of old man Johnny Pee Good himself) don't seem capable of. With his strangely Afghan Hound-like features and perverted, rutting guitar, Wood's presence seems to exponentially increase the sleaze factor of any band with whom he plays. Over the years, he's released a number of solo records that feature his reedy vocals, that pure nastiness of a guitar sound, and (always) a host of guest appearances. Wood may not have the notoriety of either Richards or Jeff Beck, but he is certainly among the very few who belong in a class with them.