Jagger takes up singing lessons to preserve voice

His band have been called the wrinkly rockers and the strolling bones, so Mick Jagger will be no stranger to gibes about his age.

But, for the first time, the Rolling Stones singer has admitted he takes lessons to preserve his voice after more than three decades of touring. He did without a singing lesson for 35 years but has now hired a coach - mainly because he finds that the teaching helps him warm up his vocal chords. Jagger, 63, told Virgin Radio: "Better late than never. I did a bit of voice coaching a couple of years ago, after 35 years with none. A bit of coaching and warm-ups ... really helps. I always tell these younger singers: 'I never used to do it either, but you should'. A lot of people have voice problems - not just older people, younger people too.

"I was speaking to Joss Stone and, I mean, you sing a lot; every night you are singing for hours and hours and your voice gets tired; like anything, like running every night. That's why you have to warm up properly."

The Stones are midway through their Bigger Bang tour, which resumed in Milan last month after Keith Richards recovered from a head injury suffered when he fell out of a tree. Some of the concerts have been rescheduled for next year.

The guitarist Ronnie Wood plans to release a two-disc retrospective next month, collecting tracks from his solo outings and his work with the Stones, the Faces, the Jeff Beck Group, and The Creation.