ROLLING STONES - WYMAN PLANS PHOTO CAREER BOOK

Former ROLLING STONES star BILL WYMAN is set to showcase the best of his 40-year photographic career in a new coffee table book. Wyman, who has released only a small portion of the 22,000-plus photographs he has taken of famous friends and landscapes in limited edition tomes, was inspired to revisit his archives when making selections for his first exhibition in San Francisco, California last year (06). He has since exhibited in Europe and will return to California for another show at Los Angeles' Morrison Hotel Gallery later this month (MAR07). And the bass player admits he's stuck on the idea of releasing a book of all his subjects. He says, "Once you get into it, you realise there's some real gems in there." Wyman reveals he has been working with pal, famed photographer TERRY O'NEILL, on editing the "snapshots", but fears fans of the Rolling Stones may be a little disappointed that he doesn't have more shots of MICK JAGGER and KEITH RICHARDS. He explains, "They'd say, 'No Bill, don't keep taking photos,' while the other two always let me, so I've got more of them. It's Mick and Keith's own fault for being awkward. "CHARLIE (WATTS) is so photogenic that whatever he puts on looks great - wigs, funny hats... they turn out to be really good pictures." Wyman reveals his favourite subject was late blues great JOHN LEE HOOKER, who he captured in a smoky club in Suffolk, England in 1969. He adds, "He just sat on a stool and looked like a god."