Ex-Rolling Stones Bassist Bill Wyman Releases New Illustrated Book ‘Billy in the Wars’

Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman celebrated his 87th birthday this week and coinciding with the milestone, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer released a new memoir titled Billy in the Wars.

In the illustrated book, Wyman, who was born William George Perks, shares his recollections of growing up in England during World War II. When the war began, Wyman was living with his parents and brother in the working-class Sydenham neighborhood of South London, and he endured many harrowing experiences during that time, including spending hours in air-raid shelters, nearly being killed by a German fighter-bomber plane, and being evacuated from London to the rural U.K.

[RELATED: Former Bassist Bill Wyman Reportedly Reunites with The Rolling Stones on New Album]

Wyman explains in the book how living through such periods of fear and hunger helped teach him valuable lessons about courage and resilience.

Wyman will be taking part in a special book-signing event at Hatchards bookstore in the Piccadilly section of London this Friday, October 27, at 4 p.m. local time, although the event is sold out according to EventBrite.co.uk.

Billy in the Wars is the 12th book that Wyman has written. It arrived less than five months after the publication of his previous book, Bill Wyman’s Chelsea, which features photos Wyman took of various places in London’s Chelsea neighborhood, where he’s lived since 1982. The book also includes historical information about the sites and people of Chelsea.

The musician, who was a member of The Rolling Stones from 1962 to 1993, also is an avid collector and is considered to be the band’s unofficial archivist.

As previously reported, Wyman made a guest appearance on one track on The Rolling Stones’ new studio album, Hackney Diamonds. The song, “Live by the Sword,” also features late Stones drummer Charlie Watts, thereby marking a virtual reunion of the band’s 1975-1993 lineup. In addition, Elton John contributed piano to the recording.

(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)