Faces are an iconic English rock band that emerged from the ashes of Small Faces in 1969, when the remaining members — bassist Ronnie Lane, drummer Kenney Jones, and keyboardist Ian McLagan — recruited Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood following Steve Marriott's departure. Both Stewart and Wood brought pedigree from their time with the Jeff Beck Group, and their arrival transformed the group into a dynamic force in rock music. The band quickly established themselves as one of the era's most compelling live acts, blending hard rock energy with blues sensibilities and a carefree, boisterous spirit that defined early 1970s rock culture.
Faces released four studio albums across their brief existence, beginning with First Step (1970) and Long Player (1971), before achieving breakthrough success with A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse (1971), a record bolstered by Stewart's parallel solo stardom that peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 6 in the US and spawned the hit single "Stay with Me." Their final studio effort, Ooh La La (1973), was followed by a live album, Coast to Coast: Overture and Beginners (1973), before the group disbanded in 1975. Following a brief hiatus, the band reunited for a tour in 2010 — 2011 with vocalist Mick Hucknall and bassist Glen Matlock, and since 2021, Stewart, Wood, and Jones have periodically reunited to record new material under the Faces name.
Faces' legacy solidified with their joint induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Small Faces in 2012, a recognition of their outsized influence on rock music despite their relatively short initial run. The band's impact resonates through subsequent generations of musicians, with their reputation as a quintessential rock and roll ensemble — characterized by virtuosic musicianship, charismatic swagger, and unbridled creative energy — remaining undiminished decades after their initial split.
