Mick Taylor’s financial hardship was reported in 2009, decades after he left the Rolling Stones. At the time, Taylor said he had received no payments from the band since 1982, and reports described unpaid household bills and a home needing repairs. That account supports a picture of hardship then—not proof that quitting the band caused it, a legal finding about royalties, or a statement of his finances today.
What was reported about Taylor’s finances?
In a September 2009 interview reported by The Guardian, Taylor said he had received no money from the Rolling Stones since 1982. The report said he had been guaranteed performance royalties for songs including “Brown Sugar” and “Angie,” and that payments stopped after the group changed labels in 1982. These were reported claims about his royalty arrangements, not terms established by a court.
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The Guardian described Taylor as scraping by in a Suffolk cottage. A Pollstar report the next day, relaying a Mail on Sunday interview, described a two-bedroom house in need of repair and redecoration, unopened bills, and threats to cut off utilities. Those details paint a picture of financial strain in 2009; they are not an audited account or proof of legal insolvency.
Did leaving the Stones cause the financial problems?
The available reporting does not establish that. Taylor left the group in 1974, while the payment stoppage he described began in 1982. The gap in time, and the absence of independently established contract terms or a legal ruling in these sources, mean it would be too strong to say that leaving the band itself caused his later hardship.
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- Hot Rocks 1964-1971 is the Rolling Stones' first anthology and one of their all-time best sellers
Taylor described his departure as a response to several pressures. The Guardian quoted him saying he felt he had gone as far as he could with the band, doubted it would stay together, and found it chaotic. He also spoke about drug addiction and said he did not regret leaving. In a 2000 Los Angeles Times profile, Taylor said the songwriting-credit issue bothered him but was not the only reason he left; he had had enough after five years. The profile discussed disputed credits involving “Sway,” “Moonlight Mile,” and “Time Waits for No One.”
Was there a lawsuit over the royalties?
The 2009 coverage was not consistent. The Guardian reported plans to sue based on the Mail on Sunday interview, but NME later reported that Taylor’s management denied he wanted to sue, saying he felt no need to and remained close to the band. The sources do not establish that a lawsuit was filed or resolve the royalty dispute.
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What did Taylor do after leaving the band?
Leaving the Stones did not end Taylor’s music career. The Los Angeles Times profile reported solo tours in the 1980s and 1990s, a 1979 self-titled solo album, the live release Stranger in This Town (1990), work with Bob Dylan on Infidels (1983) and a European tour, and later collaborations with Carla Olson. Those credits show continued work as a musician, but do not reveal how much income it brought in.
The Associated Press reported that Taylor reunited with the Stones for performances on their 50th-anniversary tour in 2012–2013. That later work does not show the outcome of his earlier royalty complaint or establish his present financial situation.
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Quick Recap
Best Value
- Originally released in 1971, now remastered & cut at revelatory Half-Speed at Abbey Road Studios from vinyl specific original tape transfers designed to get the very best possible sound from the format
Rank #4
- Standard 180g black LP with remastered stereo audio Features three of the band's greatest songs - "Gimme Shelter", "Midnight Rambler", and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" Regarded by critics and music fans as one of the best and most important rock albums of all time The last Rolling Stones album to feature Brian Jones, and the first to feature Mick Taylor Also available on CD and Deluxe Box Set
Rank #3
- Originally released in 1978, now remastered & cut at revelatory Half-Speed at Abbey Road Studios from vinyl specific original tape transfers designed to get the very best possible sound from the format
What can—and can’t—be concluded?
- Supported: Contemporary reports described significant household financial strain for Taylor in 2009, and he said Stones payments to him had stopped in 1982.
- Not established: The exact contract terms, whether money was legally owed, whether a lawsuit was filed, or whether leaving the band caused the hardship.
- Not established today: The 2009 reporting and later reunion coverage do not provide a current financial statement or verified net-worth figure.
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