<P> Oldham contrasted the Rolling Stones' independence with the Beatles' obligation to record in EMI's studios, saying it made them appear as "mere mortals...sweating in the studio for the man". He promoted the Rolling Stones as the nasty counterpoints to the Beatles by having the band pose unsmiling on the cover of their first album . He also encouraged the press to use provocative headlines such as "Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?", although Wyman says "Our reputation and image as the Bad Boys came later, completely there, accidentally...(Oldham) never did engineer it . He simply exploited it exhaustively". In a 1972 interview, Wyman stated "We were the first pop group to break away from the whole Cliff Richard thing where the bands did little dance steps, wore identical uniforms and had snappy patter ." </P> <P> A cover version of Chuck Berry's "Come On" was the Rolling Stones' first single, released on 7 June 1963 . The band refused to play it at live gigs, and Decca bought only one ad to promote the record . With Oldham's direction, fan - club members bought copies at record shops polled by the charts, helping "Come On" rise to No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart . Having a charting single gave the band entree to play outside London, starting with a booking at the Outlook Club in Middlesbrough on 13 July, sharing the billing with the Hollies . Later in 1963 Oldham and Easton arranged the band's first big UK concert tour as a supporting act for American stars including Bo Diddley, Little Richard and the Everly Brothers . The tour gave the band the opportunity to hone their stagecraft . During the tour the band recorded their second single, a Lennon--McCartney - penned number entitled "I Wanna Be Your Man"; it reached No. 12 in the UK charts . "I Wanna Be Your Man" was written and given to the Stones when John Lennon and Paul McCartney visited them in the studio as the two Beatles liked to give the copyrights to songs away to their friends . A Beatles version of the song was also recorded and released on the 1963 album With the Beatles . The third single by the Stones, Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", itself based on Bo Diddley's style, was released in February 1964 and reached No. 3 . </P> <P> Oldham saw little future for an act that lost significant songwriting royalties by playing songs of what he described as "middle - aged blacks", limiting the appeal to teenage audiences . Jagger and Richards decided to write songs together, the first batch of which Oldham described as "soppy and imitative". Because the band's songwriting developed slowly, songs on their first album The Rolling Stones (1964; issued in the US as England's Newest Hit Makers), were primarily covers, with only one Jagger / Richards original--"Tell Me (You're Coming Back)"--and two numbers credited to Nanker Phelge, the pen name for songs written by the entire group . The Rolling Stones' first US tour in June 1964 was, according to Wyman, "a disaster...When we arrived, we didn't have a hit record (there) or anything going for us ." When the band appeared on the variety show The Hollywood Palace, that week's guest host Dean Martin mocked both their hair and their performance . During the tour they recorded for two days at Chess Studios in Chicago, meeting many of their most important influences, including Muddy Waters . These sessions included what would become the Rolling Stones' first No. 1 hit in the UK, their cover version of Bobby and Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now". </P> <P> The Stones followed the Famous Flames--featuring James Brown--in the filmed theatrical release of the 1964 film T.A.M.I. Show, which showcased American acts with British Invasion artists . According to Jagger, "We weren't actually following James Brown because there was considerable time between the filming of each section . Nevertheless, he was still very annoyed about it ..." On 25 October the band also appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show . Because of the initial pandemonium the Rolling Stones caused, Sullivan banned the band from his show, though he booked them for subsequent appearances in the following years . Their second LP, 12 X 5, which was only available in the US, was released during the tour . During the early Stones releases, Richards was typically credited as' Richard' . The Rolling Stones' fifth UK single, a cover of Willie Dixon's "Little Red Rooster"--with "Off the Hook", credited to Nanker Phelge, as the B - side--was released in November 1964 and became their second No. 1 hit in the UK . The band's US distributors, London Records, declined to release "Little Red Rooster" as a single . In December 1964, the distributor released the band's first single with Jagger / Richards originals on both sides: "Heart of Stone", with "What a Shame" as the B - side; the single went to No. 19 in the US . </P>

What was the first hit for the rolling stones