The unseen Stones

Photographer found treasure trove of images under his bed

- MARC BAKER

HIDDEN away for 60 years, Rolling Stones fans will be glad these unseen images did Not Fade Away.

Photographer Gus Coral found the treasure trove of pictures from the band's first UK tour in 1963 stashed under his bed.

Now 100 of them are about to go on display in an exhibition, Rolling Stones Unseen '63.

They give an insight into the lives of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts before they became household names.

Gus, now 87, said: "I have almost 200 images of the Stones in total.

"Aside from showing a few photos to some friends over the years, the majority of these photographs have never been seen before because they have been under my bed for all those years.

"It was only thanks to one of my children, who said one day, 'Shouldn't you be doing something with those?", that this exhibition has come about.

"So here we are. I am excited to see them on public display.

"Some people have asked why I have hung on to them for so long but my philosophy about photography is that I wanted to take photos that were going to be important in the future and of historical importance." When Gus first encountered the Stones, they were touring as the support act for their idols Little Richard, Bo Diddley and The Everly Brothers.