Rolling Stone released its first issue today in 1967
On Nov. 9, 1967, Rolling Stone Magazine released its very first issue.
The first issue had a large picture of Beatles’ member, John Lennon, right on the front. The first published issue contains material on John Lennon, David Crosby, The Who and Country Joe McDonald from Country Joe & Fish.
The magazine is owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Jann Wenner, Ralph J. Gleason and Jane Schindelheim. The magazine’s title inspiration was from Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan’s song, “Like a Rolling Stone.” Earlier that year, co-founder Ralph Gleason published an essay in The American Scholar called “Like a Rolling Stone.” This lead to the amazing legacy of Rolling Stone Magazine.
The first topic of the issue is John Lennon. The shot on the cover is from the movie set of “How I Won the War.” The photo depicts Lennon in his famous round glasses with a strong look on his face and helmet on his head. The photo initiates a sense of music and politics which is the perfect start to set the tone for Rolling Stone.
The first issue of the magazine goes for over $400 nowadays, but back then it was very cheap. The first issue only costed about 35 cents at the time. The magazine became so influential that the cover was seen as the peak of success by 1972.
Over time, the editors realized that they were starting to age out of their demographic. They started to hire younger writers and editors. This resulted in more coverage of bands like Deep Purple, The Allman Brothers and many others. The magazine has continued to use the same strategy to keep up to date with its readers.
Rolling Stone has become a very popular, influential long-lasting magazine. It has even migrated to an online platform as well. It has kept up with the times and stayed popular since 1967.
