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Surprisingly, the King Cole Trio first recorded the song in 1946. But it was Chuck’s version they heard, from his 1961 Chess release “New Juke Box Hits”. Johnnie Johnson on piano.

Muddy recorded this Willie Dixon song as a single in 1954, entitled ‘Just Make Love to Me’. The title was later changed to ‘I Just Want to Make Love to You’. Backing Waters are Little Walter on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Otis Spann on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, and Fred Below on drums. The Stones really sped their ‘interpretation’ of this up!

Guitar, harmonica and vocal by Jimmy Reed; bass by Eddie Taylor; drums by Earl Phillips. You can hear that the Stones copped this guitar riff.

Written by Slim Harpo, whose legal name was James Moore. It is derived from songs by Memphis Minnie, Bo Carter, and Muddy Waters and uses the rhythm figure from "Rockin' and Rollin'" by Lil' Son Jackson. Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Excello Records originally released it in 1957 as the B-side to his debut solo single, "I Got Love if You Want It". Slim played a mean blues harp, hence his nickname. He was a leading exponent of the swamp blues style. You can hear that the bass riff Bill Wyman played on the Stones’ cover came from this original.

Released as a single on Chess in 1959. Berry employs his well-known guitar figure, which AllMusic critic Matthew Greenwald describes as "a guitar lick that indeed propelled not just Berry's greatest works, but the rock & roll genre itself."

Released as a non-album single in 1963.

In 1958, Nashville-based Gene Allison's recording peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. R&B singles chart.

1963. This was the most successful single release for radio DJ and R&B singer Rufus Thomas. According to the Mississippi Blues Commission, "Rufus Thomas embodied the spirit of Memphis music perhaps more than any other artist, and from the early 1940s until his death . . . occupied many important roles in the local scene."

The ‘B’ side of ‘Johnny B. Goode’, 1958.

Not the original version, but the one the Stones most likely were familiar with.

1964. Originally, the lyrics, by Jerry Ragovoy, consisted only of the words "Time is on my side" and "You'll come runnin' back". Songwriter Jimmy Norman was enlisted to create more lyrics; he managed to finish moments before Thomas entered the studio to record it.

Bobby Womack on lead vocal. He and his sister-in-law wrote the song. The Stones heard it on its release and quickly recorded a cover version, which became their first number-one hit in the UK, in July 1964.

1963. Released a few weeks after Wilson Pickett recorded his original version; this one did better.

1964. Burke claims he was the sole writer on the song but was talked into sharing credit by Wexler and Berns. Says Burke, “In those days, they took a piece of your songs—a piece of the publishing—but in the end, you didn't have any pieces left. Even now, I'm still struggling to get the publishing, the royalties, and that'll never happen."

1964. Recorded by New Orleans based Alvin “Shine” Robinson on Red Bird Records in 1964. Red Bird was a label founded by Leiber and Mike Stoller after their long, successful run at Atlantic Records.

Originally recorded by Berry in May 1955 at Universal Recording Corp. for Chess Records during the same session as "Maybellene" and "Wee Wee Hours"; the lyrics refer to both of those songs.

‘B’ side of ‘Hey! Bo Diddley”. According to Diddley's obituary in The New York Times, "Mona" was a song of praise he wrote for a 45-year-old exotic dancer who worked at the Flame Show Bar in Detroit.

Piano by Johnnie Johnson; Willie Dixon on bass. Regarding the Stones’ cover: ‘The Stones had been playing “Down the Road Apiece” since 1962, before Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts had even joined the group. Right from the introduction, played by Keith Richards on his Epiphone Casino, the group sounds very much in its element. The groove is extraordinary and indeed far superior to the Chuck Berry version, the six Britons demonstrating that they were unrivaled at making a song their own. From the moment Richards launches into the opening notes of “Down the Road Apiece” with that archetypal Chicago blues sound, he shows that he has become an excellent lead guitarist.’

1963. Basically Irma Thomas’s “Ruler of My Heart”, as interpreted by Redding. I highly recommend seeking out Irma’s original!

1964. Electric guitarist, singer and songwriter, better known as Barbara Lynn. She is best known for her R&B chart-topping hit, "You'll Lose A Good Thing" (1962).

1961. This song is ‘rooted in the Delta blues tradition and the theme is derived from folklore. The theme reflects early twentieth century folk beliefs in the American South that a rooster contributes to peace in the barnyard. The distinctive slide guitar was played by Howlin' Wolf. The song is played in the key of A; the Stones’ version is more modal.

1964. One of Jimi Hendrix's first recordings as a sideman. Now you know where the Stones got that falsetto!

1962. Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers; background vocals by Martha and the Vandellas.

First recorded in 1964 by deep soul singer O. V. Wright, this is considered the definitive version. 1965.

1964. This was a big cross-over hit for Sam. He had quite a few in his too-short career. That’s Johnnie Taylor on back-up vocals.

Recorded at the Beach Club, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in July, 1963.

1962. One of the first songs to unify Country, Gospel and R&B in one package; it is considered "the paradigm for Southern soul ballads”. I love how the drums are recorded on this!

The Animals recorded a cover almost a year before the Stones did.

1961. The Beatles did it live in ’62. The Hollies, Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders and Rick Nelson all recorded this before the Stones tackled it in late ’65.

Recorded Summer 1961, FAME Recording Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Produced and engineered by Rick Hall. Arthur Alexander is the only artist to have his records covered by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan.

Guitar: Jimmy Rogers; Bass: Willie Dixon; Piano: Otis Spann; Drums: Francis Clay; Harmonica: Little Walter. 1960.

1962. Benny Spellman was a bass singer who sang on the Ernie K-Doe #1 hit "Mother-In-Law".

Gospel reworking of his ‘That's No Way to Get Along’ released in 1930. Jagger and Richards were mistakenly credited as the songwriters on the album cover, but that was corrected and all earned royalties were paid to Wilkins.

Johnson recorded this song in 1937 during his last recording session and in 1939 it was issued as the last of his original 78 rpm records. The recording has been described as "devastatingly bleak"

Mississippi Fred McDowell recorded this as a slow, slide guitar Hill Country blues in 1965.

Lazy Lester on percussion and Katie Webster on organ. 1966.

Robert Johnson recorded "Stop Breakin' Down Blues" in 1937, during his last recording session, in Dallas. The second take was selected for release in 1938. "Stop Breakin' Down Blues" (along with "Love in Vain") was the subject of a lawsuit regarding the copyright for the song. In 2000, the court held that the songs were not in the public domain and that legal title belonged to the Estate of Robert Johnson and its successors.

1963. This recording was ranked No. 23 by the music critics of The Daily Telegraph on their list of the "50 Best Duets Ever".