Steve Winwood opens up about his contribution to The Rolling Stones’ ‘Foreign Tongues’

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Winwood is a special guest on The Rolling Stones’ just-released album Foreign Tongues, and he’s revealing how he got involved in the project in a new Instagram post.

“I think Ronnie Wood called me first, when they were cutting ‘Hackney Diamonds’. He said, ‘Hi, man. Come and play a track.’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure, just let me know where and when,’” Winwood writes. “I think I was asked just to play on one song, then they said, ‘There’s another couple you can do.’ I did a couple more and then they said, ‘Come next week and do some more.’’

Winwood then explains why he thinks they wanted him on the record.

“Nicky Hopkins and I were on a similar journey, in a way,” he writes, referring to the legendary pianist who contributed to some of the Stones’ biggest hits and briefly toured with the band. “I think the Stones knew that, and I suspect that they wanted that sort of feel.”

“Everything they do has this wonderful vintage Stones thing going on,” Winwood continues. “Much of the album was done with everyone playing together, which is a rarity these days and adds some magic and temperament.”

Foreign Tongues, the Stones’ 25th studio album, is out now.