Nanker Phelge (a.k.a. Nanker/Phelge) was a collective
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
used between 1963 and 1965 for several
Rolling Stones group compositions. Stones bassist
Bill Wyman explained the origins of the name in his 2002 book, ''Rolling with the Stones'':
Thus anything credited to Nanker Phelge refers to a
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
/
Brian Jones
Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...
/
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
/
Charlie Watts/
Bill Wyman/
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style.
Early life
Loog Oldha ...
collaborative composition. The
ASCAP files for the very earliest Nanker Phelge compositions also list early Rolling Stones member
Ian Stewart (also known as "the sixth Stone") as a co-author covered by the pseudonym.
The name resurfaced in the late 1960s on the labels of the original vinyl pressings of ''
Beggars Banquet'' and ''
Let It Bleed
''Let It Bleed'' is the eighth British and tenth American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released 28 November 1969 on London Records in the United States and shortly thereafter by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. ...
''. Manufacture of both albums was credited to Nanker Phelge, which was then acknowledged as an
ABKCO
ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. (Allen & Betty Klein Company) is a major American independent record label, music publisher, and film and video production company. It owns and/or administers the rights to music by Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones, the A ...
company (ABKCO was manufacturing the records that still bore the
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and
Decca Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label
* Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
labels).
Songs credited to Nanker Phelge
*"
Stoned" (Oct. 1963) (
ASCAP also credits
Ian Stewart as co-writer)
*"
Little by Little" (Feb. 1964) (credited as 'Phelge') (co-written with Phil Spector;
ASCAP also credits Ian Stewart as co-writer)
*"Andrew's Blues" (Feb. 1964) (unreleased)
*"And Mr. Spector and Mr. Pitney Came Too" (Feb. 1964) (an instrumental blues-rock jam with prominent harmonica, unreleased, co-written with
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
) Appears on the ''Black Box'' bootleg compilation.
*"Now I've Got a Witness" (credited as 'Phelge') (Apr. 1964)
*"Stewed and Keefed (Brian's Blues)" (Jun. 1964)
*"
2120 South Michigan Avenue
"2120 South Michigan Avenue" is an original instrumental by the Rolling Stones, recorded for their second EP '' Five by Five''. It was also released on their second US album '' 12 X 5'' in 1964. Composer credit goes to Nanker Phelge, a title giv ...
" (Aug. 1964)
*"Empty Heart" (Aug. 1964)
*"
Off the Hook" (Nov. 1964) (originally credited to "Nanker, Phelge", but now credited to Jagger/Richards by
BMI)
*"
Play with Fire" (Feb. 1965)
*"The Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man" (May 1965)
*"
The Spider and the Fly" (July 1965) (originally credited to "Nanker, Phelge" but now credited to Jagger/Richards by
BMI)
*"
I'm All Right" (July 1965) (sometimes credited to Phelge/McDaniel, although it is an
Ellas McDaniel
Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inclu ...
cover song. Now credited to Jagger/Richards)
*"Godzi" (unreleased but registered with
BMI)
*"We Want the Stones" (a recording of the audience cheering on the 1965 ''
Got Live If You Want It!'' EP)
*
Bill Wyman claims in his books that "
Paint It Black
"Paint It Black" is a song recorded in 1966 by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European in ...
" was a collective effort of the group, and should have been credited to Nanker Phelge, but mistakenly was credited to
Jagger/Richards.
See also
*
Jagger/Richards
References
External links
More About Nanker Phelge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelge, Nanker
The Rolling Stones
Fictional musicians
Collective pseudonyms